Jazz – Best of 2017

Jan 8 2018

So… about 2017, Part V: Two, not one

 

There’s some stuff I just don’t want to listen to anymore.

I’m a blogger, not a journalist.  When I write, the words are meant to convey here’s what I like, not here’s what it is.  That said, my perspective isn’t one of me me me.  It’s not always about what I like.  Many times, I recommend an album because I think others might like it, because what it is eclipses my personal preferences.  Even if it’s an album that doesn’t much appeal to me in terms of casual enjoyment, there can be compelling aspects of the recording that make it deserving of a recommendation.  It can be any number of factors that drive the decision making process, and even though the ratios may change, the theory of the math is pretty consistent:  Feature compelling music.

It’s the same attitude I take to constructing these Best Of lists.  I’m trying to represent the best jazz had to offer in a particular year.  Among those included are albums that will get deleted from my music library once it’s a wrap on year-end projects.  I listened to them as much as required to provide a well-balanced, thoughtful rundown.  Tangentially, there are albums not included in the Best Of list that will never leave my music library, and will remain a fixture in my life.  These favorite albums don’t always get included in a Best Of list, or if they do, their ranking may not accurately reflect the way they connect with me personally.

For any one particular year, my Best of list always looks different than my Favorites Of list.  The Best Of list is something you see every year, but, in fact, there are two lists.  My Favorites list is something I keep to myself.  I’m not entirely sure why, but my gut tells me it’s important to do it that way, and so I do.

That said, I’d like to share some of my favorite albums of 2017, in no particular order, and some thoughts on each.  These were albums that didn’t receive a mention on the Best of 2017 list.  It’s an opportunity to feature even more music that brings some happiness to a world that needs as much of it as it can get.

 

Olivier Bogé – When Ghosts Were Young (Jazz & People)

Over the course of four recordings, Olivier Bogé has developed a talent at unleashing enchanting melodies that is as potent as anyone on the scene.  His blend of modern jazz and folk is seriously charismatic, and the shifts between states of introspection and intensity should appeal to anyone who enjoys that same quality from the Brian Blade Fellowship.  When Ghosts Were Young was one of the final cuts for the Best of 2017 list, and it’s indicative of just how deep the talent pool ran on that year.  This is a solid album, and one I’m pretty well addicted to.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

 

Christian Meass Svendsen – Avin (Nakama Records)

I have been captivated by Avin since its opening notes first hit my hears many months ago.  The reverie on a relationship by bassist Christian Meass Svendsen has all of the melancholy heartbreak and sublime joy of that subject, and susses it out in a way that incites introspection yet carries with the ease of a lullaby.  Nakama Records, which is really the loose collective of like-minded musicians, isn’t really a jazz label per se… their music spans a number of influences and genre.  As such, Avin is very much a work of folk and chamber, and even with my very broad definition of what qualifies as jazz for this site, I decided to exclude it from Best Of list consideration.  But of greater importance is the observation that Avin may very well be the most gripping, beautiful album I’ve heard in 2017.  Svendsen’s emotional weight carries through loud and clear, and forges a connection to the music through an empathy from anyone who’s ever experienced the peaks and valleys of love.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

 

Hampshire and Foat – Galaxies Like Grains of Sand (Athens of the North Records)

The modern distillation of cosmic jazz from keyboardist Greg Foat and guitarist Warren Hampshire is one where rich melodies melt away into an atmospheric bliss, and the cadence of the melt are the building blocks of the casual grooves that gently propel each song forward, providing a sense of structure to the otherwise formless parade of vivid imagery.  Galaxies Like Grains of Sand is a natural extension of Foat’s excellent 2015 release The Dancers at the Edge of Time, an album that Hampshire contributed to and which earned the #7 slot on this site’s Best of 2015 list.  Their 2017 release was one of the final cuts for the Best of 2017 list, but remains a fixture on my personal listening queue.  This is a gorgeous recording, and I don’t anticipate ever feeling any less strongly about it as the years pass on by.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

 

Zach Rhea – Zach Rhea’s New Music Collective (Self-Produced)

Read up a little bit on Zach Rhea, and you’ll find his music interests span a pretty wide array of sounds and influences.  The drummer’s listening habits clearly translate to his own music, because this eponymous debut of the New Music Collective mixes in some rock and pop and cinematic ambiance with its personal styling of a post-bop sound.  Sometimes the music is catchy, sometimes it’s punchy, sometimes it coos softly and other times it burns wildly out of control.  I find all of it quite charming, especially when the variations of expression are viewed in the context of the album as a whole, like the changing of seasons over the course of a year… all of those differences reveal themselves as facets of a singular event.  It’s why I keep returning to this album time and again.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

 

Morgan’ – Sémaphore (Self-Produced)

Ever since I first laid ears on this 4-track EP by the Morgan’ duo of clarinetist Hugo Proy and guitarist Vincent Guiot, I’ve been fascinated by its friendly chatter and moments of stunning beauty.  They collaborate with one guest on each track, and each guest brings an unconventional instrument to the affair:  sitar, didgeridoo, mandolin and synthesizers & effects.  This album came out at the tail end of 2016, after the books were closed on the year, and at a time when the potential is high for an album to slip under the radar.  I’m glad this one didn’t make it past mine, because I am truly enamored with it.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

 

Saagara – 2 (Instant Classic)

Every year, there’s an album (or three) whose exclusion from the Best Of list truly haunts me.  For 2017, it would appear Saagara‘s 2 has earned that distinction.  Waclaw Zimpel’s Indian Orchestra concocted an intoxicating blend of Indian classical, folk and electronica, and it’s the kind of thing that becomes increasingly addictive with frequency of use.  Clarinets and khanjira and thavil and violin and the electronic production of mooryc are the ingredients for this dizzying display of textures and kaleidoscopic transformations in expression.  I guess I excluded it because it really falls outside the auspices of the jazz sphere, but I should’ve just said to hell with it and included this album.  It’s amazing.

Read more on the Bird is the Worm.

And before signing off, one final mention should go to Jon De Lucia‘s 2017 release As the River Sings.  You’ll be reading about that album tomorrow, but it’s music that has been filling up my house for many yesterdays all year long.

By • Essays & Columns & Lists, Other Writing • 2 • Tags:

Jan 4 2018

So… about 2017, Part II: We are everywhere

 

Next year, this post will be better.

For the 2017 year-in-review, you get only half an idea.

These things come to me in the moment, and I write stuff down and in the deluge of music, that stuff gets forgotten and buried under stacks of lists and one-sheets and drafts.  But I thought it would be fun to map out where the Best of 2017 music was coming from.  I didn’t remember this great idea until, well, like just yesterday.  I cobbled this map together real quick:

The purple dots represent the home turf of a musician whose album appeared in the Bird is the Worm Best of 2017.  If I’d been a bit more prepared, I’d have gotten those dots to scale in size based on total count of albums for that city.  For instance, the dot for New York City should be pretty damn large… something like 15 different albums could trace roots to Jazz Central.  And if I’m really badass, then I’ll get the map to represent every album I write about for this site (or other outlets)… which will really light that map up.

Another thing I’m gonna do next year is expand the definition of “home turf.”  As Vijay Iyer wisely pointed out during a twitter discussion, music that comes from New York City doesn’t necessarily reflect the breadth of the geographical influence upon the album.  For instance, I’ve got Diego Barber listed as repping NYC, but he hails from the Canary Islands.  Yazz Ahmed is tagged as London, but her Bahrain birthplace influences her music.  Fabian Almazan was born in Cuba and raised in Florida; does his time in New York dramatically affect his current sound?  Probably.  But does that mean it’s in the absence of places he’s previously set down roots?  No, probably not.  And what of the dramatic influence of Camila Meza on Almazan’s Alcanza?  Why shouldn’t we have a point on that map for her?  Guillermo Klein lives in upstate New York, and that relocation was critical in the Upstate Project album happening… but to ignore his Argentinean roots and not put a dot on South America is probably a misrepresentation of the diversity of the music hitting this site’s Top 50.  These are considerations that will go into next year’s map.  If I get started early on my data tables, and maintain them throughout the year, we could have a pretty cool map for 2018.

Let’s wrap up with some videos, because, hey, I don’t ever want to post something on this site where you aren’t able to hear some music.

Here’s a video from the Sandcatchers.  Their album What We Found Along the Way earned the #47 slot on the Best of 2017 list.

Next up is a video from the quartet MAP, whose Guerra e Paz received the #32 slot on the Best of 2017 list.

And let’s wrap up with a video from the Anne Quillier 6tet, whose album Dusty Shelters earned the #7 slot on the Best of 2017 list.

 

By • Essays & Columns & Lists, Other Writing, These are videos that I like • 1 • Tags:

Jan 3 2018

So… about 2017, Part I: Me and the NPR Music Jazz Critics poll

 

This was my fifth year to be invited to participate in the Jazz Critics Poll at NPR Music.  Begun originally by respected jazz critic Francis Davis back when the Village Voice was his home turf, this nifty compilation of Jazz’s best of 2017 is now housed over at the NPR site.  This was the poll’s 12th edition, the 5th since switching residence to NPR.  I’m no less flattered today than I was the first time around I was asked to submit a ballot.  I’m amazed it’s already been five years for me.  When I first began putting this column together, I was thinking maybe three years.  Time does slip on ahead whether or not you’re paying attention, don’t it?

The amalgamated results feature the top ten and list the top fifty, as well as some sub-categories.  It includes comments from Davis on each of the top ten results.  They also have sample tracks from each of the albums that fell in the top ten, and links to various other articles about the artists.  Also, Davis talks further on 2017 in jazz and his own ballot with a separate column on the NPR site.  I’ve embedded some music that appears on his list and the amalgamated list throughout this column.

Also, the individual ballots are compiled and maintained by Tom Hull over on his site, Hullworks.  In addition, there’s a list of all of the jazz critics, with links leading to their specific ballots.  My ballot (Dave Sumner) can be found HERE.

Every year that I compile and create my own site’s year-end Best Of list reinforces my genuine respect for the work Davis, Hull and the NPR staff put into making this thing happen.  It’s a mammoth undertaking.

Here was my ballot:

Album of the Year

  1. Yazz Ahmed – “La Saboteuse” – (Naim Records)
  2. Jaimie Branch – “Fly or Die” – (International Anthem)
  3. Brooklyn Raga Massive – “Coltrane Raga Tribute” – (Self-Produced)
  4. Nicole Mitchell – “Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds” – (FPE Records)
  5. Collectif Spatule – “Le vanneau huppé” – (Aloya Records)
  6. Marco Santilli’s CheRoba & il Fiato delle Alpi – “La Stüa” – (Unit Records)
  7. Anne Quillier 6tet – “Dusty Shelters” – (Label Pince-Oreilles)
  8. Red Planet with Bill Carrothers – “Red Planet with Bill Carrothers” – (Shifting Paradigm Records)
  9. Irreversible Entanglements – “Irreversible Entanglements” – (International Anthem)
  10. Hvalfugl – “By” – (Self-Produced)

Best Debut:  Jaimie Branch – “Fly or Die” – (International Anthem)

Best Latin Jazz:  Fabian Almazan & Rhizome – “Alcanza” – (Biophilia Records)

Best Vocals Jazz:  Irreversible Entanglements – “Irreversible Entanglements” – (International Anthem)

Reissue/Historical:  No submission

There’s no sense talking about any of my Album of the Year selections, since I covered that territory on my Best of 2017 list.  Well, except for one thing.  The number six slot on my NPR submission and this site’s Best of 2017 went to Marco Santilli and his CheRoba ensemble.  Except on the NPR submission, I chose his excellent La Stüa, whereas for Bird is the Worm, I went with L’occhio della betulla.  Both albums came out in 2017, and both are brilliant, though in different ways.  The thing is, I’m not going to call a “tie” and name both to a single slot, nor will I give two slots to the same musician in the top ten… at least, not unless the musician makes two wildly different albums with two wildly different ensembles… maybe then I would.  In any event, I decided to name one of the albums to the NPR ballot and the other for Bird is the Worm.  That way both albums gets some special end-of-year attention, and I get to retain a small remnant of my sanity.

As with recent tradition, I didn’t vote for anything in the Reissue/Historical category.  I just don’t have time to dig into that stuff.  I’m focused on music being made today, not on music from the last century.  Besides, there’s certainly no shortage of writers who are focused on Jazz’s past.  It’s not an easy decision to make, since I do see some interesting stuff passing through the “new releases” section.  One in particular that caught my attention was an archival find of the Thelonious Monk soundtrack to Les Liaisons Dangereuses.  These were tapes that had gone lost until quite recently.  Monk, as I’ve stated a number of times, is one of my top three musicians (any genre), and is arguably the musician who first got me hooked on jazz.  It was pretty damn exciting to get the opportunity to hear “new” Monk tunes.  However, I found it a bit underwhelming.  There’s nothing wrong with it, and the physical production of the CD… liner notes and photos and all that good stuff… is outstanding.  But many of these archival finds, in my opinion, don’t often live up to the excitement.  On the other hand, Resonance Records has been chugging along with new productions of old music, and there’s plenty of good stuff to be scooped up from their catalog.  Lately I’ve been enjoying their 2016 release of Larry Young’s Paris stint.

Of the ten albums I selected for album of the year, six of those recordings didn’t receive a vote other than my own.  Much to my surprise (and, honestly, disappointment), only one other person voted for my selection for album of the year:  Yazz Ahmed‘s La Saboteuse.  Interestingly enough, that person (Phil Freeman of Burning Ambulance) also chose it for the top slot.  I am genuinely surprised the album didn’t get more attention.  Two people other than myself put in a vote for the excellent Irreversible Entanglements.  Eighteen other critics joined me in recognition of Jaimie Branch‘s thrilling Fly or Die and a whopping 23 other critics also voted for Nicole Mitchell‘s visionary Mandorla Awakening II, which I believe is the first time one of my top ten selections also fell in the amalgamated list top ten.

Some thoughts about the amalgamated top ten recordings of 2017:

Here’s the Critics’ amalgamated list (with total points and total voters following each):

  1. Vijay Iyer Sextet, Far From Over (ECM) 347.5 (53)
  2. Steve Coleman’s Natal Eclipse, Morphogenesis (Pi) 208.5 (28)
  3. Tyshawn Sorey, Verisimilitude (Pi) 183 (31)
  4. Craig Taborn, Daylight Ghosts (ECM) 158.5 (25)
  5. Nicole Mitchell, Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds (FPE) 150 (24)
  6. Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dreams and Daggers (Mack Avenue) 135.5 (22)
  7. Roscoe Mitchell, Bells for the South Side (ECM) 133.5 (20)
  8. Matt Wilson, Matt Wilson’s Honey and Salt (Palmetto) 127 (21)
  9. Charles Lloyd New Quartet, Passin’ Thru (Blue Note) 113 (20)
  10. Ambrose Akinmusire, A Rift In Decorum: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note) 110 (23)

So, in addition to Nicole Mitchell’s album appearing on my own ballot (and, naturally, my site’s Best of 2017 list), the Tyshawn Sorey Verisimilitude received a slot on Bird is the Worm’s Best of 2017.  Steve Coleman’s Morphogenesis was one of my Best of Bandcamp Jazz selections, and one of the final cuts from the Best of 2017 list.  Other than Vijay Iyer‘s Far From Over, I didn’t write about any of the other albums for Bandcamp or Bird is the Worm (though there is a draft out there for Matt Wilson‘s interesting ode to Carl Sandburg).  Read into that whatever you want.  That said, ignoring 2017 recording output, if you were going to put together a list of the top musicians on the scene, all of those represented in the list above would be obvious inclusions.  There isn’t a musician on that list who hasn’t at some point lifted me up with some glorious music.

As per usual, both Blue Note and ECM Records are severely over-represented on these year-end polls.  Look, Blue Note & ECM… if you’re out there reading this… I love you.  I really do.  You and me, we go waaaaaay back to when jazz first blessed my life.  If either of you showed up on my doorstep and stabbed me in the heart, my dying words would be either Thank you for Dexter Gordon’s One Flight Up or Thank you for Codona III.  But, damn, critics need to get out of the house more and explore the wilderness of the new releases section.  This list makes it look like these two labels are the only ones making quality jazz these days, and I can prove beyond any doubt that is not the case.

But all that said… were you to go scoop up any one of the albums on that list, you can have the peace of mind that you’re buying some quality stuff.  There ain’t nothing cheap about the talent or the music on that list.  Any negativeness you may be picking up in my words is only reflective of my desire that these lists become more inclusive and better represent the breadth and depth of the modern jazz scene, in any way you want to measure it.

And that about wraps it up for today.  Remember, as I stressed previously, go to town on that NPR Music Jazz Critics list… and not just the top ten list, but all the albums that received votes.  Many of them have been written about on this site, but this is a great opportunity for you to revisit some albums that maybe you didn’t give enough attention before.  Or, inconceivably, albums I might not have sufficiently recognized for their genius and joy.

Thanks again for stopping by.  I hope 2018 is the best year ever.

Cheers.

By • Essays & Columns & Lists, Other Writing • 17 • Tags:

Dec 31 2017

Bird is the Worm 2017 Album of the Year: Yazz Ahmed – “La Saboteuse” (Naim Records)

 

La Saboteuse is a statement album.  It’s Yazz Ahmed illustrating who she is as a musician, and how the fuzzy math of past experiences, current environment and future aspirations equate to the composite of the notes she composed for her 2017 release and those that were adapted along the way.  This isn’t unusual.  In fact, it’s the foundation of any sincere creative endeavor.  But that her 2017 release also possesses the quality of being a universal statement on the modern jazz and improvised scenes, of throwing open a window to a view of where the music can go for any that choose to launch themselves into it… that’s not so common at all.  In fact, it’s pretty damn special, and that is one of the primary drivers of why the trumpeter’s La Saboteuse is the Bird is the Worm 2017 Album of the Year.

But before I go much further with this, let’s not lose sight of the essential quality that this album is a joy to hear, that it incorporates challenging elements into a fabric of embraceable ones, and that it all synthesizes down into a sharp drink that goes down smooth.  It is immensely fun to just kick back and listen to La Saboteuse.  It’s not obligatory to be studied up on Ahmed’s ingenious use of Arabic scales and melodic improvisation to warp and reshape a UK modern jazz sensibility and render it both alluring and catchy.  Knowing that she’s lent her trumpet to the music of ambient-rockers Radiohead isn’t a prerequisite to dive into the mesmerizing drones and harmonic surges that wash over La Saboteuse like waves across sand.  And it’s not required reading to be aware of Ahmed’s predilection for a forward-thinking cosmic jazz expressionism, nor how that wondrously ties back to the music influence of the trumpeter’s Bahrain birthplace.  All of those characteristics lend intrigue and display the intelligence of an album that can be enjoyed for no other reason than it happens to be seriously beautiful music.

But those influences and how Ahmed wields them in the crafting of La Saboteuse, they’re a model for how others can go about seeking the convergence of past, present and future.  So, too, is how Ahmed went about the practical construction of the album… of collaborating in the studio with other musicians, of weaving in separately prepared sections into the final work, of manipulating what was originally there into something new and fascinating, and yet leaving untouched the quality of it sounding as if in its original form.  Every bit of the creativity and craft that went into this recording is something special, and situates itself as a path for others.  La Saboteuse is a statement of what could be.

And all of that is why La Saboteuse is the Bird is the Worm 2017 Album of the Year.

Music from London.

Read more on Bird is the Worm, including links to a Yazz Ahmed interview, a cool video, to learn about the outstanding album art, to hear more of the album, and for artist, label and retail links.

By • Recap: Best of 2017 • 7 • Tags: , , ,

Dec 30 2017

Best of 2017 #02: Jaimie Branch – “Fly or Die” (International Anthem)

 

The music of Jaimie Branch is constructed with the sounds of things falling apart.  Fly or Die is the echo of metal ripped in half and set to fire with wires as the kindling.  It’s not pretty, and yet it has a serious allure.  It’s laid back and casual, and yet has a charismatic appeal that locks the attention in place.  And when it all comes together with a laser beam melody and harmonic surge breaking through the dissonance like the morning dawn through darkness, everything just falls into place and begins making sense again.  The trumpeter’s core unit of cellist Tomeka Reid, bassist Jason Ajemian and drummer Chad Taylor are birds-of-a-feather, and certainly no stranger to the art of building through deconstruction.  These are musicians that see the poetry of decay, and how that leads to the rebirth of things anew.  Jaimie Branch’s debut album not only cycles through both states, but gives the impression that they’re not viewed as even being separate.  Everything about this album is different.  It’s a strange vision Branch delivers, and yet it’s so simple to embrace.  In a year that saw an astounding collection of singular displays of personality, Branch’s stands out as the most individualistic.  This easily could’ve been the album of the year.

Music from NYC and Chicago.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

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