MY BEST (KINDA SORTA JAZZ) MUSIC OF 2004
Listening to some of these recordings again makes me think it was a mistake to divide these "Best Of..." lists into musical categories. Next year, I'll probably just list my favorite discs and leave it at that. My jazz CD purchasing has slowed to a trickle, partly due to the fact that record companies' great backlog of reissues and live material has petered out. I have most of the Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane music I'll ever want.
There are certainly new and exciting things coming along every month, but the major labels seem to have taken a big step back as far as recording fresh material goes. Independent labels have been picking up the slack to some degree, but we aren't even close to the orgy of new recordings that came out at the height of jazz's 1990s popularity.
With all of that in mind - and with the caveat that the word jazz is becoming harder and harder to define (as if that even matters) - here are some recent recordings that I've been fortunate to discover in 2004 (several of these were actually first released in 2003):
- Andy Bey: American Song - A wonderful set of standards (heavy on Ellington/Strayhorn) from one of the supreme masters. Everyone and their mother seems to be recording retro-flavored standards albums, but with Bey there is never a sense that these songs are some sort of nostalgia trip or walk down memory lane. They are just great tunes, period. This is vital music - and what a voice! Deep, dark, soulful.
- Dave Douglas: Strange Liberation - This album reminded me a lot of some of Miles Davis' mid- to late-1960s recordings with guys like Herbie Hancock and (later) Chick Corea and John McLaughlin. Mysterious, full of unpredictable twists and turns - definitely rewards repeated listenings. A great showcase for the unique sound of one of my very favorite guitarists, Bill Frisell.
- Diana Krall: The Girl in the Other Room - I really didn't expect to like this disc very much (not sure why), but I have been pleasantly surprised. Krall has the guts to record several of her own tunes (written in collbaoration with her now husband, Elvis Costello), and that is to be commended, when she just as well could have gone along doing albums of standards and collecting a hefty paycheck. Even the covers she chooses here are unusual and satisfying, such as Tom Waits' "Temptation" and Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow". My favorite cuts so far are "Departure Bay" and "Narrow Daylight". Both owe a little something to early Elton John, which isn't the worst thing in the world. Some might balk at classifying this as jazz, but as I said above, those categorical distinctions seem to be rapidly melting away.
- Dave Holland Quintet: Extended Play: Live at Birdland - A wonderful two-disc set, led by the veteran British bassist Dave Holland, who is solid as a rock. A real urban-sounding live set (makes me think of traffic in lower Manhattan), with Robin Eubanks a standout on trombone, as well as Steve Nelson on vibes and marimba. The ubiquitous saxophonist Chris Potter, who appears on the Dave Douglas album, is also in fine form here.
- Von Freeman: The Great Divide - Simply staggering, coming from someone in his early eighties. I liked Von's previous disc, which my uncle burned for me as a favor, but this one's even better. The man knows how to tell a story with his horn.
- Patricia Barber: Live: A Fortnight in France - A smart set of tunes (a few covers and some great originals) recorded during her European tour, from the Chicago pianist/vocalist unfortunately most famous for being a lesbian (the world we live in, I tell ya)!. Very tight band, excellent work by guitarist Neil Alger. Cool, intelligent music that goes its own way.
1:09:01 PM 
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