Bird is the Worm Best of 2012: Albums 6-10

Today’s post reveals the 6th through the 10th Bird is the Worm albums of the year.

For each album considered for inclusion, I was looking for it to hit me right in my heart, provoke a strong emotional reaction. I was also looking for it to engage my brain, provide some intrigue or fascination with the music being presented. Extra points were awarded for doing Something Different or building on a premise that embraced the best qualities of creativity. Strong musicianship alone is not enough. Many solid albums didn’t make the list. It literally pains me when I see some of the albums that weren’t included. But I listen to a lot of music, and one of the rare downsides to encountering so much great Jazz is that some of it won’t receive the recognition it deserves. So there you have it.

There is a link to a more formal review following each entry. The text that accompanies each album isn’t a review so much as reminiscences of aspects of the recording I liked when I first heard it and how I still feel about it now. I wasn’t looking to sum any of them up… that’s what reviews are for. Most reviews are accompanied with embedded audio so you can hear some of the music, as well as personnel and label information, links to artist, label, and retail sites, and anything else that seemed relevant/helpful to me at the time.

Let’s begin…

*****

6.  Lynne Arriale – Solo

Albums like this is why piano solo recordings exist. Arriale finds the right mix of emotional punch and technical facility, and that means both the heart and the brain are going to be engaged completely for fifty-two amazing minutes. Probably most under-recognized on this album of potent melodies is Arriale’s deft manipulation of tempos. Also, second track “The Dove” may be the most beautiful song I’ve heard in the last decade. I’m listening to it now as I type this, and it no less affecting than it was when I first heard it earlier this year. Outstanding.

Released on the Motema Records label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

7.  Peggy Lee Band – Invitation

Cellist Lee has pretty much discovered the perfect synthesis of avant-garde jazz and classical, and she’s methodically been amassing an impressive discography of her signature sound. An album where sharp dissonance and sublime beauty cohabit in peaceful harmony, I find myself drawn through the recording track by track, pulled ahead in anticipation of sounds that will perpetually keep me guessing. Inventive, original, and a display of the many shades of beauty.

Released on the Drip Audio label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

8.  Erik Jekabson – Anti-Mass

Trumpeter Jekabson brings a little bit of chamber jazz sound to his modern straight-ahead compositions, but it’s got all kinds of potency, not unlike how a little bit of excellent whiskey can help me shake off the effects of a bitter winter day. Strings and sax weave all kinds of lovely patterns through this excellent recording, but it’s soaring trumpet lines and bass work that really gives this album its sun and its soil. One of those albums that made an excellent first impression, then dug its heels in and began impressing all over again with methodical slowly accumulating appreciation. An album of elegance, soul, and distant beauty. The inspiration for each album composition were pieces of art at the DeYoung Museum, which, actually, goes a long way to explaining the elegance, soul, and distant beauty of the music.

The album is Self-Produced, released under Jekab’s Music.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

9.  Marc Bernstein – Good People Music

This is an album that’s been a refuge for me all year long. A quartet featuring two vets at the top of their game, the interplay between Bernstein’s saxes and bass clarinet and the percussion of Billy Hart makes the right balance of fire and earth. Casual in a way that becomes sublime, while letting its synapses fire at will, this is unquiet music for quiet moments. My review link leads only to a Tiny Review I wrote as part of my eMusic column. I always meant to write more about this album, something that would make more apparent my feelings on how strong this recording is. But it just never happened. Maybe later. Slotting it at number nine of my Best of 2012 list will have to suffice for now.

Released on the Blackout Music label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

10.  Blommor Inomhus – Blommor Inomhus

I just can’t get enough of this album. A trio of trombone, piano, and vocals who add orchestration for some tracks, the tunes shift between sweet ferocity and edgy lightness. Melodies are so damn catchy, but have a rustic bite to them. Almgren’s evocative vocals have a carefree appeal that could give indie-pop stars a run for their money. I love how orchestra goes from gilded accompaniment to washing everything over. This is fun music. It sounds Alive. There is a freshness to this music that is so buoyant, and which fills me with enthusiasm each time it starts up again. Perhaps a slightly unconventional choice at #10 on the list, but this is one of those recordings that says to me, This Is What Music Is All About.

This album is Self-Produced.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

Tomorrow I’ll reveal the Bird is the Worm 2012 number 2-5 albums of the year.

Cheers.