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Top Ten, 2003Jan 24 '04 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line buy all ten of these
It may be a little late, but there is a time-honored tradition of posting year end top ten lists on epinions, and far be it from me to break with tradition. This is the jazz list, rock is pending. 1.) Poncho Sanchez, Out of Sight. (Concord Picante) What a fun album! Alongside the regular Latin jazz fare, are several soul classics by James Brown and Ray Charles given a Latin twist by Conga great Poncho Sanchez and band, with appearances by such special guests as Charles and former James Brown horn men Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis. My interview with Poncho: http://www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=2458. 2.)Stefon Harris, Grand Unification Theory. (Blue Note) How do you classify a record like this, a big band excursion into quantum physics? How about bold & brilliant? The young vibraphonist Harris is one of the brightest lights in new jazz, and the release also features the fine trombonist Steve Turre . 3.)David Murray Latin Big Band, Now is Another Time. (Justin Time) One of the unfair knocks on the great tenor saxophonist David Murray is that he can't make up his mind on whether he's a straight-ahead player or an avant-gardist. Well, so he likes to do both, good for him--I like to listen to both. Recorded in Cuba with his "Latin Big Band"--a mix of local artists and such longtime associates as Craig Harris and Hamiett Bluiett--this record has very traditional and very avant garde elements co-existing quite nicely. The Latin rhythms blend well with the open structure of Murray's compositions, showing that radical freedom can thrive in Castro's Cuba...at least when we are talking about music. 4.)Matthew Shipp, Equilibrium. (Thirsty Ear) Read my epinion 5.)Chick Corea, Rendezvous in New York. (Concord Records) A really nice live collection from 2001, a 2 CD set that features several of Chick's best songs and such great musicians as Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman and over a dozen more. Beautifully recorded to 16 track DSD. My interview with Chick: http://www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=1524. 6.)Dave Douglas, Freak In. (Bluebird) Trumpeter Dave Douglas and friends including Joey Baron revisit the fusion of On the Corner-era Miles Davis. It is inevitable that such an electric sounding record would generate a fair amount of controversy amongst conservative critics, but what was really discouraging was how much vitrol seemed to be directed toward Douglas for the sin of being white. As if jazz hasn't been multi-ethnic all along. 7.)Wayne Shorter, Algeria. (Verve) The legendary composer & saxophonist released his first studio album as a leader in nearly a decade, a fine, orchestrally oriented collection. 2003 Concert review of Wayne Shorter: http://www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=2126 8.)Pharoah Sanders, With a Heartbeat. (Evolver) This latest collaboration between the tenor legend and producer Bill Laswell once again finds territory in which to integrate Sanders' powerful horn, in this case an ambient recording based on the rhythms of a heart that is really quite beautiful. Another Laswell production, 9.)violinist Lili Haydn's Light Blue Sun (Private Music) uses Sanders to good effect, as well as the diverse talents of Alice Coltrane and George Clinton. This is really a pop record, but with Mrs. Coltrane & Sanders involved, it's worth including here. 10.)Jason Moran, The Bandwagon. (Blue Note) Nothing as eyepoping as his Black Stars, just an unassumingly brilliant live set from the Village Vanguard that finds the young pianist and band performing originals, standards, and pieces by everyone from J.S. Bach to Afrika Bambaataa. Four notable releases that I haven't heard yet: The two new releases by the Art Ensemble of Chicago (one on Pi Records, one on ECM). Miroslav Vitous, Universal Syncopations (ECM), featuring Corea, John McLaughlin, Jack DeJohnette & Jan Garbarek. Anthony Braxton and Wadadda Leo Smith, Organic Resonance. (Pi Records)  |
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