I've decided to collect a list of favorite recordings here. Regarding the format, these will be listed by the year of release, and in reverse chronological order by release. The latter might be a bit rough, since release dates can vary around the world. Also, if I subsequently add a recording to an earlier year, it's going to be listed by its release date, and not as something new. Similarly, I'll retroactively delete items here if they stop being favorites (although I might be slow to do that sometimes). For the most part, though, items will be added at or near the beginning.
I'm going to include the name of the album with a/the artist, with a link to the contents and catalog information, and also a sentence or two about the recording. Since these recordings can be very different, hopefully the latter will give some idea of what each is like. I've considered adding a rating, but am ambivalent so far, particularly because of the stylistic variety inherent to these genres. For more of my thoughts, I suggest searching on the album or artist in the main page or archives, where I might discuss an album multiple times. I'm sorry it's not super-convenient that way.
So hopefully this makes sense and will work out, and not need to be dramatically redone any time soon.
This list will continue to be tilted toward the most recent recordings. I am not trying to cover the classics here.
Recordings dated this year have been appearing, and this section is beginning to have a personality. I'm looking forward to more discoveries, and hopefully a year that can rival last year.
| Josh Sinton: Anomonous |
The New York low reeds player in an experimental electro-acoustic improvising trio. |
| Chris Dadge: The Unrepeatable Quartet - Calgary 2012 |
The Calgary drummer leading an improvising quartet featuring legendary free improviser Jack Wright. |
| Kris Davis: Capricorn Climber |
The Canadian-New York pianist returns with a new quintet of influential New York-based performers. |
| Steve Coleman: Functional Arrhythmias |
The ambitious & acclaimed US jazz alto player with a quartet/quintet album inspired by rhythmic layers in the body. |
There were many notable & thought-provoking albums in 2012. The list below includes a broad stylistic range, and this continued to be a very stimulating year of development for me personally.
| Samuel Blaser: As The Sea |
The latest live quartet album from the Swiss trombonist. Features a more compositional focus, albeit with rather abstract music. |
| Joëlle Léandre: Sudo Quartet - Live at Banlieue Bleue |
More from the French improvising bassist, this time with an all European quartet. |
| Anthony Braxton: Echo Echo Mirror House |
The latest time-morphing concept from the American innovator, featuring a large ensemble live. |
| Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut: Yad |
The prolific New York City multi-instrumentalist with an octet improvising strongly environmentally-conditioned urban music. |
| Carlos Zingaro: Live at Total Meeting |
A European improvising quartet led by the Portuguese violinist. |
| James Falzone: Brooklyn lines... Chicago spaces |
The Chicago "third stream" clarinetist with the fourth album by his quartet, Klang. |
| Dan Peck: Vomit Dreams |
The New York tubist leads a trio in what they call "doom" music. |
| Joëlle Léandre: MMM Quartet - Live at the Metz' Arsenal |
Legendary French bassist in an improvising quartet mostly based on collaborations formed at Mills College. |
| Jeff Davis: Leaf House |
The New York drummer leads a piano trio, tackling the classic format. |
| Thomas Heberer: Clarino - Cookbook |
The German quarter-tone trumpet player's second album with his drumless trio. Features original notation concept and open style. |
| Joe Hertenstein: Future Drone |
The German drummer with his fourth leader album, mostly free improvisation with an inside-outside trio. |
| Jean-Luc Guionnet: The Fish - Moon Fish |
The high-energy French alto saxophonist with his longtime trio, featuring more propulsive music. |
| Henry Threadgill: Tomorrow Sunny / The Revelry |
The latest album from the legendary composer, his Zooid ensemble incremented to a sextet. |
| Mary Halvorson: Bending Bridges |
The prolific & original electric guitarist in the eclectic second album with her quintet. |
| Sandy Ewen: Ewen / Smith / Walter |
The Houston-based experimental guitarist in a wide-ranging trio with other free improvisers. |
| Jan Klare: 1000 - Shoe |
Four-nationality quartet improvising & performing music by the German reed player, inspired by a millennium of music. |
| Tom Rainey: Camino Cielo Echo |
The New York drummer and his trio return with a second album of creative soundscapes & original instrumental textures. |
This was the year during which I felt I was reasonably up to date with a goodly number of the currents & styles used in these idioms, so it was a significant year for me personally in that regard. There is quite an interesting range of items here, a rather lengthy list at this point. I've been mainly prioritizing original kinds of ensemble interactions.
| Jeff Arnal: Pail Bug |
Germany-New York improvising quartet featuring heavily prepared piano, two basses, and the avant garde drummer taking music beyond groove. |
| Joëlle Léandre: Stone Quartet - Live at Vision Festival |
Live improvisation by a drummerless quartet formed by the French "new music" bassist. |
| Joachim Badenhorst: Baloni - Fremdenzimmer |
Drummerless abstract trio including the Belgian horn player. Alien atmosphere evoked by unmeasured music, microtones & extended techniques. |
| Jean-Luc Guionnet: Ames Room - Bird Dies |
Relentless minimalist-maximalist precision in one long track, including the French avant garde saxophonist. |
| Samuel Blaser: Boundless |
Abstract quartet music from the fast-developing discography of the young Swiss trombonist. Live album extracted from three different sets in Switzerland. |
| Ingrid Laubrock: The Madness of Crowds |
Followup album for this sax-piano-drums trio, as well as followup to drummer Rainey's leader album. Features mysterious sonorities and suspended sense of time. |
| Kyle Bruckmann: Psychotic Redaction |
Hand drums, reeds & electronics in a "psychotic" trio featuring the oboist. |
| Uri Caine: Siren |
Classically-inspired piano trio. Mixes an early 20th century sense of extended tonality with jazz forms & rhythms. |
| Joe Hertenstein: Polylemma |
Abstract European quartet led by the German drummer. Includes a range of avant garde ideas in coherent, compact form. |
| Nicola Negrini: Scoolptures - White Sickness |
Improvising quartet formed by the Italian bassist, featuring original researched musical vocabulary with live electronics. |
| Samuel Blaser: Consort in Motion |
Blaser's creative take on the early Italian Baroque, with a quartet featuring late drummer Paul Motian. |
| Joe Hertenstein: Tørn - Crespect |
Piano trio with the German drummer, mixing extended & serial techniques into a classic format. |
| Daniel Levin: Organic Modernism |
Studio recording from the cellist's drummerless improvising quartet, including composed pieces and free improvisations. The group's 6th album. |
This was also a big year for me in studying jazz, although about half of these are items I only sought out in 2011. I guess my main thought at the moment is what a strange concert it would be to listen to these albums back-to-back-to-back.
| Pete Robbins: Unnamed Quartet - Live in Brooklyn |
Singular quartet release from the alto sax player, featuring five untitled abstract improvisations of broad scope. |
| Henry Threadgill: This brings us to, v.2 |
The second volume, from the same session as the influential first volume. |
| Kris Davis: Good Citizen |
Pivotal straight-ahead atonal piano trio album by the Canadian pianist, backed by two of New York's top current musicians. |
| Tom Rainey: Pool School |
The creative Santa Barbara drummer's first disc as a leader. Features radical trio soundscapes. |
| Steve Coleman: Harvesting Semblances and Affinities |
Triumphant return to US airwaves by the iconoclastic Chicago saxophone player and M-base pioneer. |
| John Hébert: Spiritual Lover |
The bassist leading a sublime trio featuring French pianist Benoît Delbecq on a variety of keyboards. |
There are some items here that I continue to find very influential, particularly those where the main performers have not released anything comparable since. Writing in 2012, it's surprising how vital 2009 continues to seem, even if it starts to seem like "the past" also.
| Michel Edelin: Kuntu |
Sophisticated jazz synthesis of world improvisatory styles by the French flautist and his trio. |
| Bill Dixon: Tapestries for small orchestra |
Final studio recording of the legendary trumpet player in a lavish production. |
| Henry Threadgill: This brings us to, v.1 |
The landmark new quintet synthesis by the legendary jazz composer & performer. |
| Steve Lehman: Travail, Transformation, and Flow |
The New York saxophonist with his groundbreaking octet realization of spectral music in jazz. |
| Jeff Arnal: Transit - Quadrologues |
Previous full album by the epic dance-inspired drummer, this with his improvising quartet. |
| Denman Maroney: Udentity |
Sophisticated synthesis of Partch undertone style into a jazz quintet context by the hyperpianist. |
There are still some significant albums listed here, although these years get to be farther & farther in the past, and I've slowly removed most of the earlier material. 2008 was also the year I started paying attention to jazz, if that isn't obvious.
| Kris Davis: Rye Eclipse |
The third album by the Canadian pianist with her ensemble. Features avant garde techniques in a polished & tightly integrated (quartet) chamber structure. |
| Milford Graves: Beyond Quantum |
The legendary American drummer in his most recent recording, a trio with two other epochal American improvisers. |
| Steve Lehman: On Meaning |
The New York saxophone player's previous leader album, with his quintet. His fifth leader album. |
To Scelsi, Feldman & Xenakis pages.
To early music favorites by year and genre.
Back to Jazz Thoughts.
Todd M. McComb