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Good Jazz in a Bad Year: The Best Jazz Recordings of 2001Dec 14 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Of course it's impossible to pick ten best records, even from a single year. These are the ones I happen to have enjoyed.
The tragic events of September 11th will no doubt remind us this holiday season that this is not only a time for rejoicing but also for reflection, but they will also remind us that life does go on, and with it, art, and what better way to reflect on that than to put together our annual list of the Top Ten Jazz Recordings. Besides, 2001 saw another tragedy, much less dramatic but much more inevitable, and one that has been seen with increasing frequency in recent years - the passing of several more great jazz musicians to whom we owe our enjoyment of this great music. Two of them - John Lewis and Billy Higgins - made their final recordings just this year. So here they are, just like last year, in no particular order. My only criteria, as before, is that the record must have been released in 2001 and I must have heard it in its entirety. Bob Belden, Black Dahlia (Blue Note) An orchestral work, complete with strings, of unequalled scope, executed, to these ears, without a slightest flaw. The writing, all Belden's own, is fantastic, but the arrangements are something beyond this world entirely. Inspired by the life of Elizabeth Short and the events leading up to her tragic, brutal, and still-unsolved murder in Los Angeles in 1947, the music simultaneously conjures up images of booming post-war LA, the seedy underworld that eventually swallowed Short, and the intense personal longing that rendered her unable to escape. Brilliant stuff. Dave Holland Quintet, Not for Nothin' (ECM) Referring to this band, I have heard someone ask once, "What can't these guys do?," and I couldn't agree more. Picking up right where their previous release, Prime Directive, left off, Not for Nothin' features collective improvisation that doesn't stop fascinating for a moment, great songs contributed by all band members, and top-notch playing from everyone that earned this disc the proverbial permanent spot in the CD changer. This has to be the most talented, inspired, and polished steady group in contemporary jazz. Who could complain? Marilyn Crispell/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian, Amaryllis (ECM) Unlike the Holland set, which serves as evidence that ECM's reputation for cold, melancholy and detached music is not entirely deserved, Crispell's latest fits right in with the label's famed Nordic aesthetic. Having moved away from dramatic Cecil Taylor-inspired structures, Crispell patiently and intimately explores inner emotional and intellectual space with a sensitivity that, dare I suggest, only a woman can bring to the table. Peacock and Motian, consistently the most rewarding players from the more abstract side of the music, are perfect foils, understanding Crispell's intentions from a merest gesture. Yes, this is very sad music, but it is a gorgeous kind of sadness. Ralph Towner, Anthem (ECM) While we're on the subject of ECM, Towner's latest is a perfect example of why the label has been such a thorn in critics' sides ever since its inception in the early seventies. Is this classical music? Maybe - solo nylon-string guitar and carefully laid-out theme-and-variations. Is this jazz? Maybe - the variations are improvised. Is this world music? Maybe - Indian ragas rear their heads more than once. Through it all, Towner plays with characteristic brilliance and every song keeps you riveted to your seat. A must not only for jazz fans, but for everyone who even remotely cares about good music. Brad Mehldau, Progression: Art of the Trio, Volume 5 (Warner Bros.) While this double set, which finds Mehldau and his trio back at the Village Vanguard where he recorded two of his earlier albums, probably will not hold one's attention as completely and consistently as last year's Places, it is further evidence that Mehldau is not just another "young lion" but a truly innovative player with something important to say. Same goes for his bandmates. An extended trio version of "Resignation" will be a treat for long-time fans. John Lewis, Evolution II (Atlantic) This is it - legendary Modern Jazz Quartet founder and pianist's latest and last. The second installment of what originally was supposed to be a series of recordings, each one showcasing a particular form of jazz (solo, combo, big band, etc.), it will instead have to stand as Lewis's final legacy. Like everything Lewis did, the music here is in impeccable taste, and the sparse arrangements make us marvel how so little can communicate so much in the hands of a true master. Charles Lloyd, Hyperion with Higgins (ECM) Another last - Billy Higgins did not even live to see the album's release. I admit that not all tunes are consistently good, but those that are, are excellent, and the album is worth including for the sake of honoring Higgins' final work if nothing else. We can even forgive Lloyd the cheesy title for the same reason. Culled from the same sessions as last year's widely praised but to these ears dismissible The Water is Wide, this is the better of the two records. Charlie Haden, Nocturne (Verve) Although it may seem on the surface that Haden is just trying to grab a piece of the Cuban craze of the last few years, closer examination reveals a record fundamentally different from the seemingly countless Buena Vista Social Club offshoots. Dedicating themselves almost entirely to the bolero form, Haden and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who gets equal billing, take a decidedly intimate, small-scale approach to the music of Cuba. Several special guests, most notably Joe Lovano and Pat Metheney, not only increase the record's star appeal but flesh out the music to make it complete. Working equally well as a soundtrack to brooding loneliness or a romantic dinner with a loved one, in the end the music proves capable of shedding all trappings of ambiance and standing steadily on its own merits. Various Artists, Calle 54, Music from the Motion Picture (Blue Note) A rare instance of film serving the music rather than the other way around. There is plenty of enjoyable material here, with performances by Eliane Elias, Michel Camilo and Bebo Valdes (Chucho's father) being highlights, but the disc works best as a one-volume primer in Latin Jazz. Even those completely unfamiliar with the genre can be well on the way to understanding it without any other examples. The film may or may not prove enjoyable, but the soundtrack is a must. Bill Evans, The Paris Concert (Editions I and II) (Blue Note) This is a reissue, on CD for the first time, of one of the last concerts the great pianist had ever played. This is far from Evans's best playing, but it serves an important historical function, allowing us to hear what he sounded like just a couple of months before his death. The playing is surprisingly exuberant and assertive - qualities we rarely associate with Evans, and although nominally these are trio records, there is plenty of extended solo moments for the pianist. The two volumes are available separately, but even taken together they are much more cost-effective than a recently-issued monstrous box set of San Francisco performances of similar vintage. Great records that were issued last year but contributed to this year's enjoyment: John Scofield, Works for Me (Verve) John Surman, Corruscating (ECM) Bobo Stenson, Serenity (ECM) Either/Orchestra, More Beautiful than Death (Accurate) Bill Charlap Trio, Written in the Stars (Blue Note) Larry Goldings Trio, As One (Palmetto) David Berkman, Communication Theory (Palmetto) Happy Holidays!  |
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