Jazz 2012 - Suggestions

[PiscesPraematurus]

I'm just looking for some suggestions for 2012 releases.

The only styles I typically avoid are swing/big band and free jazz. Smooth jazz, too. I tend to like bop through fusion. I've recently enjoyed Bartsch's (sp?) Ronin stuff. I like some of Zorn's latest. I always seek out odd instrumentation and combinations. Trumpet is my least favorite solo instrument; flute is my favorite.

I'd like to grab a few of the better releases from the year.

Thanks!

[Wounded Land]

These are some that I dug this year:

Billy Hart All Our Reasons
Kat Edmonson Way Down Low
Tim Berne Snakeoil
Vijay Iyer Trio Accelerando

NP: Carol Akerson Duke Is the 1

[mogrooves]

flute is my favorite.

Check out Jamie Baum


I'd like to grab a few of the better releases from the year.

Steve Lehman Trio - Dialect Flourescent
Matthew Shipp Trio - Elastic Aspects
Tyshawn Sorey - Oblique - 1
Joe Locke/Geoff Keezer - Signing
Wadada Leo Smith - Dark Lady of the Sonnets
Ronnie Cuber - Infra-Rae
Darius Jones Quartet - Book of Mae'bul
Trio M - The Guest House
Tim Berne - Snakeoil
Fly ~ Year of The Snake
Joe Chambers ~ Moving Pictures Orchestra
Kenny Wheeler ~ The Long Waiting
Wayne Escoffery ~ The Only Son Of One
Billy Hart ~ All Our Reasons
Henry Threadgill ~ Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry
Orrin Evans ~ Flip The Script
Steve Davis ~ Gettin' It Done
Ravi Coltrane ~ Spirit Fiction
Mike Formenak ~ Small Places
Donny McCaslin ~ Casting For Gravity

[rcarlberg]

Check out the samples here:
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/

[Poisoned Youth]

[COLOR=#8b4513][FONT=century gothic][SIZE=2]I'm just looking for some suggestions for 2012 releases.

Andy Emler Mega Octet - E Total: Large Ensemble performing off beat slightly avant-garde jazz. Really tasty stuff with odd rhythms.
Samples here: http://player.qobuz.com/#!/playlist/167622

Aka Moon - Unison: This is just the group in trio format. Very good stuff, perhaps not a starting point for their albums, but one of my favorite jazz groups.

http://youtu.be/VxlI878Wg4I

Adam Baldych & The Baltic Gang - Imaginary Room: This violinist's last few albums are fantastic.

http://youtu.be/u07SA8pTVPY

Tim Berne - Snakeoil: If you're a fan of Berne, it's hard to go wrong. If you don't know him, not sure I'd start here, but...

http://youtu.be/4AtCP7mCUpk

[Poisoned Youth]

Forgas Band Phenomena - Acte V: Really more of a composed jazz/prog rock fusion, but well worth a dive into their catalog if you've never heard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to04N4P93cM

Gonzalo Rubalcaba - XXI Century: This album just smokes. You get some Afro-Cuban stylings mixed with rather complex compositions.

http://youtu.be/P__kHucUdAE

Louis Sclavis Atlas Trio - Sources: Another rather solid release from Mr. Sclavis.

http://youtu.be/wEjkLHqRiDU

[Poisoned Youth]

Michael Formanek - Small Places: If you're familiar with his work or Mr. Berne's, this is a no brainer.

http://youtu.be/PMf4fRwdjaE

Magic Malik - Alternate Steps: It has FLUTE! :D
(couldn't find a clip from that album, but here's one from an older album

http://youtu.be/gcdjYx3eLzE

[Trane]

quickly (noy much time ) : Jazz only (no JR/F)

Henry Threadgill ~ Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry
Ravi Coltrane ~ Spirit Fiction
McCoy Tyner - Guitars
Aka moon - Unison


And my fave

Fabrizzio Cassol - Strange Fruits

[Poisoned Youth]

quickly (noy much time ) : Jazz only (no JR/F)
Fabrizzio Cassol - Strange Fruits

I was going to mention this, but found it hard to describe as it's really more of a performance work.

Here's a live excerpt though...


http://youtu.be/PyumRMfklCk

[AdventAlan]

Greetings,

Pierrejean Gaucher's Melody Makers II is probably my top candidate. Here are a pair of corresponding teaser videos:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3dx7HX1rZs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWx7JrYNO0o

Cheers,


Alan

[Trane]

I was going to mention this, but found it hard to describe as it's really more of a performance work.

Here's a live excerpt though...


http://youtu.be/PyumRMfklCk

Yeah, it's not a "pure jazz" thing, but it can fall under its umbrella

[rapidfirerob]

Here are my fusion picks for 2012:
Bombastic Meatbats- Live Meat and Potatoes
Jimmy Herring- Subject To Change W/O Notice
Spectrum Road
Micahel Landau- Organic Instrumentals
The Avengers- On A Mission
HBC
RTF- Mothership Returns
John McLaughlin- Now Here This
Gary Husband- Dirty and Beautiful-Volume 2
Tribal Tech-X
Hiromi-Move
Chad Wackerman- Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations
Fazjaz- Season IV

[Trane]

quickly (noy much time ) : Jazz only (no JR/F)

Henry Threadgill ~ Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry
Ravi Coltrane ~ Spirit Fiction
McCoy Tyner - Guitars
Aka moon - Unison


And my fave

Fabrizzio Cassol - Strange Fruits

Sorry to quote myself, but McCoy's Guitars album is from 08

[jkelman]

I'm just looking for some suggestions for 2012 releases.

The only styles I typically avoid are swing/big band and free jazz. Smooth jazz, too. I tend to like bop through fusion. I've recently enjoyed Bartsch's (sp?) Ronin stuff. I like some of Zorn's latest. I always seek out odd instrumentation and combinations. Trumpet is my least favorite solo instrument; flute is my favorite.

I'd like to grab a few of the better releases from the year.

Thanks!
You can check out a whack of my jazz reviews at All About Jazz here (http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/review_center.php?in_artist=&in_album=&in_label=&in_author=kelman).

Should help you make some informed decisions..at least I hope so! :)

[Trane]

Joe Locke/Geoff Keezer - Signing



Is this the John Locke from Spirit??

[Planechant]

The Mike Formanek and Tim Berne releases are at the top of my list.

[mogrooves]

Is this the John Locke from Spirit??

No, Joe Locke, a vibes player.

[Reid]

Terje Rypdal- Odyssey In Studio/In Concert

[walt]

The reissue of Gary Burton Quartet-Live at Carnegie Recital Hall 1968,with Burton on vibes, Larry Coryell on guitar, Steve Swallow on acoustic bass, and Bob Moses on drums.

Good stuff.

[Jerjo]

Terje Rypdal- Odyssey In Studio/In Concert

yeah, that's monster.

Here's NPR's list of the best jazz of 2012

http://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2012/2012/12/07/166760734/top-10-jazz-albums-of-2012

[Reid]

Henry Franklin-The Skipper 2012 re-issue.

Some great early 70s modern hard bop with electric piano.
Henry Franklin-Fender & acoustic bass
Oscar Brasheer- trumpet
Charles Owens-tenor & soprano sax
Bill Henderson-electric piano
http://www.blackjazz.com/main.html

http://c3.cduniverse.ws/resized/250x500/music/007/8829007.jpg

[Poisoned Youth]

Here's NPR's list of the best jazz of 2012

http://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2012/2012/12/07/166760734/top-10-jazz-albums-of-2012


I'm a big Vijay fan, but thought Accelerando was one of his weakest efforts personally.

[Poisoned Youth]

Henry Franklin-The Skipper 2012 re-issue.


Awesome. I dig.

[Reid]

Awesome. I dig.

This one sounds great too. Franklin on bass w/ two keyboard players.

Roland Haynes-2nd Wave
http://www.blackjazz.com/019.html

[walt]

A recent reissue(first time on cd) thats been getting spins here is Frank Wess-Johnny Coles-Two At The Top.A 1983 session that i dug on LP and have been hoping it saw the light of day on cd for some time.

Frank Wess on alto and tenor,Johnny Coles on flugelhorn/trumpet,Kenny Barron-piano,Reggie Johnson-bass,and Kenny Washington-drums.Firmly in the modern/hard bop tradition but done with panache and brio.A bonus cd is included with a live session from 1988 with Wess and Coles with a different rhythm section.Lots of alternate cuts from the studio session, great Rudy Van Gelder studio sound,and very good live sound.

A winner.

I need to check out that Henry Franklin -The Skipper cd.

[Trane]

Latin-jazz with some early 70's-like track

Santana's Shape Shifter... easily their best since Amigos

[Scott Bails]

This was in Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer. (http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20121209_Karl_Stark_s_Best_in_Jazz.html)

I know nothing about any of these, but I'm hoping to check some of them out.

[Progmatic]

There is new album by Kostarev Band called Kosmobob: Vegetarian...anyone heard it yet?

[Poisoned Youth]

This was in Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer. (http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20121209_Karl_Stark_s_Best_in_Jazz.html)

I know nothing about any of these, but I'm hoping to check some of them out.

Of those, I've heard the Amit Friedman and Mehldau. I'm sure the Rosenwinkel (which just came out) is good too.

Lots of great jazz being released every year though. It's really a hidden secret, in some ways moreso than prog rock.

[Steve F.]

It's really a hidden secret, in some ways moreso than prog rock.I have to disagree. It may be a hidden secret for people that only frequent PE, but jazz has more magazine coverage, more 'fan sites', more radio interest, more festivals, more shows and more general opportunities. etc etc etc.

I know you know this Sean, but I'm pointing this out for folks who don't.

Jazz is also a much bigger 'thing' than prog, and while there is huge amounts of interest and coverage of music from earlier times, there isn't the over-arching fixation on 'the past' as there is in prog and there's more younger folks at the shows than there are at the prog fests.

IMO. YMMV. GOOTAHAB.

[Poisoned Youth]

I'm glad you pointed all this out. I agree that, pound for pound, jazz has much more publicity - more festivals, more recognition of the art form, etc.

I suppose I should clarify that, like prog, a lot of jazz culture is also fixated on the past, banking on big name artists who recorded 40-50 years ago. And the definition of jazz in popular culture has changed dramatically. So, like prog, you have all kinds of new artists today creating music fighting to be heard or recognized. And, like prog, an artist that can manage to sell 1,000 copies of his album is a huge win.

[No Pride]

I have to disagree. It may be a hidden secret for people that only frequent PE, but jazz has more magazine coverage, more 'fan sites', more radio interest, more festivals, more shows and more general opportunities. etc etc etc.

I know you know this Sean, but I'm pointing this out for folks who don't.

Jazz is also a much bigger 'thing' than prog, and while there is huge amounts of interest and coverage of music from earlier times, there isn't the over-arching fixation on 'the past' as there is in prog and there's more younger folks at the shows than there are at the prog fests.

Agree 100%, Steve.

There's many folks who never even heard of prog, but you'd be hard pressed to find anybody who hasn't heard of jazz. They might have a very misinformed idea about what jazz actually is in general, but they at least know it exists.

And yes, it's at least as alive and well as prog ever was.

[Steve F.]

additionally, the magazines don't only feature Miles, Sonny, Monk and Herbie on the covers. Think of the prog magazines. It's (nearly) always someone from the 70s or the original early 80s neo bands on the covers.

There is plenty of 'backwards gazing' in jazz (PLENTY), but there's more in prog. IMO.