Here are my favorite CDs of the Year. In no particular order:
Joel Frahm with Brad Meldau - Don't Explain (Palmetto): I don't usually like Brad Mehldau; he strikes me as overly intellectual and detached, even bland. But lately I've heard two CDs that feature him in a duo, and I've loved both. This is one; the other is by bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz (Like a Dream - Crypto Gramophone). Somehow, Mehldau becomes much freer and melodic in a duo setting.
Don’t Explain teams him with tenorist Joel Frahm, who possesses an incredibly warm tone and a unique style of improvisation. Friends since childhood, Frahm and Mehldau perfectly compliment each other so that written melody and improvisation are almost indistinguishable. I can't emphasize enough how good this CD is. Every time I listen to it, I feel tingly all over. If only they would tour together; Frahm is a member of Jane Monheit’s band. She doesn't deserve him!
Joe Lovano - I'm All For You (Blue Note): Lovano is officially on fire, what with his CDs On This Day and now I'm All For You. It is a collection of ballads, save "Countdown" - a welcome selection from the Coltrane songbook. As any jazz musician will tell you, ballads are harder to play than fast tunes. Yet, with the help of veteran pianist Hank Jones, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Paul Motian (what a band!), Lovano shapes every song into a thing of beauty.
and now a short departure from saxophonists' CDs (don't worry. there'll be more.)...
Jeff "Tain" Watts -Detained (Half Note): Jeff Watts is my favorite drummer today. I've seen him with Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker (Watts’s playing was the only redeeming part of that concert), and with his own group. In the past, his CDs have been uneven, especially 2002’s Bar Talk (Sony). Although they've had some magnificent music, they've also had some...less magnificent music. Well, Detained sets the record straight. With guest saxophonist Kenny Garrett (who is my god) on hand, this is hard-driving bliss. And Watts has a sense of humor: His composition "JC Is The Man", according to the liner notes, was written for a bartender, not Coltrane or the Christian savior.
The CD’s best moment comes on "Sigmund Groid" when Garrett propels the band forward until it is so funky I can hardly stand it. Watts also tries his hand at singing on "...Like The Rose." Although his vocal skills can’t be compared to his technique on drums, the performance is strangely beautiful.
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