Harbor, Joel Harrison (High Note) - I now understand that Harrison isn't quite the rock-fusion acolyte I once made him out to be. But that doesn't change how much he has in common with the Zappa/Frith continuum...and it doesn't change what a great disc he made with the serpentine, utterly fascinating and delectable composition Harbor.
Third Quartet, John Abercrombie (ECM) - Abercrombie surprised the hell out of me with this ambient, vaguely dark and mystical collection done with violinist Mark Feldman, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Joey Baron. Surprise or not, though, it sure was gorgeous.
Mirror, Jacky Terrasson (Blue Note) - There's no shortage of deeply intimate solo piano recitals, but this is among the warmest imaginable. From the dazzlingly tricky "Cherokee" to the autumnal take on Carole King's "You've Got A Friend," to his Schumann-esque original "Juvenile," Terrasson may have done his best work here, and his most decisive break from mainstream safety.
Mistico, Charlie Hunter (Fantasy) - Jazz finds its way into back-country roadhouses, fusing with southern rock and seeming, to the casual listener, to leave bop-based matrices behind. Impressive.
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP 20:
13. In My Element, Robert Glasper (Blue Note)
14. Prezens, David Torn (ECM)
15. Dreams and False Alarms, Andy Milne (Songlines)
16. Kids: Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Joe Lovano and Hank Jones (Blue Note)
17. "Joint Happening," Mushroom with Eddie Gale (Hyena)
18. Metheny-Mehldau Quartet (Nonesuch)
19. From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, Wynton Marsalis (Blue Note)
20. Cinco de Mowo!, Mocean Worker (Mowo)
Archival Release:
Is there really another choice, besides Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy at Cornell, 1964? It's a magical piece from the Wayback Machine, one that shows the sick rapport the band had onstage and Mingus' respect for his players. My personal favorite among these is trumpeter Johnny Coles, who might have had his finest showpiece had this been released roughly around the time of its performance.
RIP:
Donald Ayler.
Michael Brecker.
Art Davis.
Joel Dorn.
Andrew Hill.
Frank Morgan.
Cecil Payne.
Oscar Peterson.
Herb Pomeroy.
Joe Zawinul.
And Max Roach - the most gigantic figure of them all.
Michael J. West is a writer, editor, and dilettante jazz critic in Washington, D.C. In addition to BlogCritics, he writes for JazzTimes, Washington City Paper, and AllAboutJazz.com. He occasionally writes at Pop Musicology, too. He's very cute. …
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Article comments
1 - Pico
The Eubanks is probably my #2 jazz album, too. Very, very inventive and stands up well over many listens.
I had high hopes for Mistico and they were fulfilled...via Hunter's latest Groundtruther record with Previte and Medeski.
Both you and Saleski are trumpeting that Terresson, which is plenty enough impetus for me to try it out.
And I can't believe I missed out on an Abercrombie release.
Enjoyed the list and look forward to more of your reviews in 2008.
2 - Glen Boyd
That goes double for me (what Pico said at the end there). Happy New Year West!
-Glen