This blog being in a state of benign(?) neglect, I can’t see that I’ve posted any of the CD reviews I write for another site here this year. Since everyone else is doing end of year roundups, here’s mine. This is in no sense a “best of” – which, judging by at least one jazz magazine’s lists, seem nowadays to be mainly a way of reinforcing a pretty predictable critical consensus that centres on major label jazz that got heavily promoted (see also “reads of the year” in every newspaper). These are just some things I fancied reviewing and picked out of the torrent of new jazz releases before they were swept by in the current… Latest first:
Rebecca Nash, Redefining Element 78.
A sparkling suite of genuinely interesting compositions realised by a beautifully sympathetic band.
Mike Westbrook, London Bridge: Live in Zurich 1990
A mega Westbrook ensemble in a fine performance now restored to us from the archives.
Keith Jarrett, Bordeaux Concert.
Latest in the astonishing repository of the pianist’s solo concert recordings, though not his best work in my view (unlike most other people’s, incidentally – I just read a review of this one by my long-ago colleague Brian Morton in The Wire which is positively rapturous, though I remain largely unamazed…)
Alati, Ascending the morning.
A fruitful encounter between jazz and the peerless Alice Oswald’s poetry.
Enrico Rava and Fred Hersch, The Song is You
Duo between two old masters, and as good as you’d expect.
Wayne Shorter et al, Live at Detroit Jazz festival.
Interesting to hear late Wayne with a different personnel from the fabled quartet.
Maria Gaiotto, Cosmopaulista.
Debut from a Brazilian drummer which is a delightful burst of sunshine.
Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity, Elastic Wave
Another drummer-led session that stood out.
Roamer, Lost Bees
And another poetry-inspired set of reflective music-making
Manel Fortia trio, Despertar
New York-schooled Spanish bass player with a great sound here.
Trish Clowes, A View with a Room
Clowes still developing as both composer and soloist on a recording that shows the benefits of having a stable presonnel.
Myra Melford, For the Love of Fire and Water
A bit of an improv supergroup, all playing very, very well
Marquis Hill, New Gospel Revisited.
A good record reprised in live performance to good effect.
Emile Parisien, Louise
Favourite French soprano sax specialist continues to make splendid Euro-jazz.
That’s 14 altogether, so still managing about one a month. That compares with thousands of new recordings that now appear every year – another reason why this is “a few things you night have missed but might still quite like” rather than any kind of “best of”.
There were plenty of others I listened to, and a few I wrote about – such as the Blue Notes reissues from Ogun and the Albert Ayler live in France – but I’ll leave this list of short reviews as is.
Mainly jazz in Bristol 