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"Top Ten" lists often seem a rather arbitrary number, so here are my favorites out of about a thousand CDs which came my way last year. The selection is a personal choice based on musical merit and not necessarily popular appeal, sales, or airplay. This is not a ranking, CDs are listed in order received.
Grammy nominees are indicated with * except in the reissue/ historical section. The Grammy eligibility year is October 2009 through August 2010, thus some of this year’s nominees appeared on our list in 2009, and some on this list may be nominated next year.
- Jim Wilke
Favorite Jazz | Reissues | Northwest | Earlier Picks
artist - album title - label ( * nominated for a Grammy )
Small groups -
Holly Hoffman/ Bill Cunliffe - Three’s Company - Capri
Ernie Watts - Four plus Four - Flying Dolphin
Joe Locke - For the Love of You - E1 Music
Gerald Clayton - Two-Shade - EmArcy
Claudio Roditi - Simpatico - Resonance
PJ Perry - Nota Bene -
Rufus Reid - Out Front - Motema
Mike LeDonne - The Groover - Savant
Tia Fuller - Decisive Steps - Mack Avenue
Ralph Towner/ Paolo Fresu - Chiaroscuro - ECM (advance)
Carol Morgan Trio - Opening - Blue Bamboo Music
Wycliffe Gordon - Cone and T-Staff - Criss Cross
Jim Rotondi - The Move - Criss Cross
Organissimo - Alive & Kickin’ - Big O
Lee Kontiz New Quartet - Live at The Village Vanguard - enja
One for All - Incorrigible - Jazz Legacy
Ray Vega & Thomas Marriott - East-West Trumpet Summit - Origin
Corey Christiansen Quartet - Outlaw Tractor - Origin
Dr.Lonnie Smith - Spiral - Palmetto
Regina Carter - Reverse Thread - E1
Curtis Fuller - I Will Tell Her - Capri
The Stryker/Slagle Band - Keeper - Panorama
Kenny Burrell - Be Yourself - Live at Dizzy’s - HighNote
Amina Figarova - Sketches - Bartamina / Munich
Bruce Williamson Quartet - Standard Transmission - Origin
*James Moody - Moody 4B - IPO
Esperanza Spalding - Chamber Music Society - Heads Up
Jim Rotondi - 1000 Rainbows - Positone
Royce Campbell - What Is This Thing Called? - Philology
John McNeil/Bill McHenry - Chill Morn He Climb Jenny - Sunnyside
Dmitry Baevsky - Down With It - Sharp Nine
The Cookers - Warriors - Jazz Legacy
Charles Lloyd Quartet - Mirror - ECM
Ryan Cohan - Anther Look - Motéma
Grant Stewart - Around the Corner - Sharp Nine
*Clayton Brothers - The New Song and Dance - ArtistShare
Ray Anderson-Marty Ehrlich - Hear You Say - Live in Willisau - Intuitionn
Joe Magnarelli - My Old Flame - Give@Go
Kevin Eubanks - Zen Food - Mack Avenue
Russell Malone - Triple Play - MaxJazz
Toots Thielemans - Live - Challenge
*nominated for a Grammy
Pianists & Friends -
Hiromi - Place to Be - Telarc
Hod O’Brien - Solo for Chet - Philology
Marian Petrescu Quartet - Thrivin’ Live at The Jazz Standard - Resonance
Fred Hersch Trio - Whirl - Palmetto
Keith Jarrett/ Charlie Haden - Jasmine - ECM
Jessica Williams - Touch - Origin
Tamir Hendelman - Destinations - Resonance
Helen Sung - Going Express - Sunnyside
Ted Rosenthal Trio - Impromptu - Playscape
*Alan Broadbent Trio - Live at Giannellli Square, Vol.1 - Chilly Bin
Pete Malinverni Trio - A Beautiful Thing - Saranac
Leslie Pintchchik - We’re Here To Listen - PintchHard
Jovino Santos Neto - Veja O Som - See The Sound - Adventure Music
*nominated for a Grammy
Vocalists - including pianists who sing
*Lorraine Feather - Ages - Jazzed Media
Catherine Russell - Inside This Heart of Mine - World Village
Bobby McFerrin - VOCAbuLarieS - EmArcy
Stacey Kent - Raconte-moi ... - Blue Note
*Freddy Cole - Sings for Mister B (advance) - HighNote
Jay Clayton - In and Out of Love - Sunnyside
Fay Claassen - Sing! - Challenge
Janis Mann - Blow Away - Pancake
Alison Ruble - Ashland - Origin
*Denise Donatelli - When Lights Are Low - Savant
Norma Winstone - Stories Yet To Tell - ECM
* nominated for a Grammy
Big Bands, Large Ensembles
Abdullah Ibrahim & WDR Big Band - Bombella - WDR/ Sunnyside
Scottish National Jazz Orch - Rhapsody in Blue - Live - Spartacus
Jazz@ Lincoln Center Orch - Portrait in Seven Shades - Jazz At Lincoln Center
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra - Jimmy Heath: The Endless Search Origin - Origin
*Mingus Big Band - Live At Jazz Standard - Jazz Workshop/Jazz Standard
Chie Imaizumi - A Time of New Beginnings - Capri
David Liebman Big Band - Live / As Always - MAMA
Patrick Williams - Aurora - ArtistShare
* nominated for a Grammy
Afro-Cuban & Latin Jazz
*Pablo Aslan - Tango Grill - ZOHO
Gabriel Alegria - Pucusana - Saponegro
Paquito D’Rivera - Tango Jazz - Paquito/Sunnyside
Conrad Herwig - The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock - Half Note
Dave Holland/Pepe Habicuela - Hands - Dare 2
Paqiuito D’Rivera - Panamericana Suite - MCG
Spanish Harlem Orchestea - Viva La Tradicion - Concord
Issac Delgado - L-o-v-e - Calle 54
Helio Alves - Música - Jazz Legacy
* also nominated for a Grammy
*Irene Kral - Second Chance - Jazzed Media
*Ray Charles - Rare Genius - Concord
Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay - CTI Masterworks
Abbey Lincoln - Golden Lady - Inner City
Stanley Turrentine - Sugar - CTI/Masterworks Jazz
Dave Brubeck - Legacy of a Legend - Columbia/Legacy
Chet Baker - She Was Too Good To Me - CTI/Masterworks Jazz
*historical recording first issued this year
For Northwest jazz fans in particular, here are some of the exceptional releases from artists living in Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver.
Gail Pettis - Here In the Moment - Origin
Hadley Calimann - Straight Ahead - Origin
Nelda Swiggett - This Time - OA2
Wellstone Conspiracy - Motives - Origin
Karin Plato - Out of Town - KVP
Dave Peck - Modern Romance - Let’s Play Stella
Ziggurat Quartet - Calculated Gesture - Origin
Cory Weeds - The Many Deeds of - Cellar Live
Matt Jorgensen - Tattooed by Passion - Origin
Hadley Caliman/Pete Christlieb - Reunion - Origin
Randy Halberstadt - Flash Point - Origin
Thomas Marriott - Constraints & Liberations - Origin
Greta Matassa & Clipper Anderson - And To All A Good Night - Origin
Earlier picks: 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997
Buy any CD on this list and you're guaranteed some great music! Each of these CDs has received frequent airplay on Jazz After Hours and/or Jazz Northwest.
—Jim
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