by Scott Yanow
Each year there are so many jazz releases (a minimum of 50 CDs per week) that compiling a “Best Of” list that everyone would agree upon is impossible. Most other writers, when compiling their “Best Of” lists, tend to emphasize cutting edge and avant-garde jazz. I prefer to cast a wider net, including releases that are creative within the context of many styles and approaches from trad jazz, swing, bop, and post-bop to vocalists and Latin-flavored jazz.
Below (in alphabetical order by the leader’s name) are my picks for 2024, choosing 25 new releases and 25 albums of reissues and historic music. All are available as CDs, a much preferred format over downloads. There are hundreds of other recordings that were released this year that I would also recommend but these are the 50 that are the most essential to me. Each one is memorable in its own way and well worth acquiring.
Ricky Alexander – Just Found Joy – Turtle Bay
Kenny Barron – Beyond This Place – Pias
Lori Bell – Recorda Me – Remembering Joe Henderson – Self-Released
Shelly Berg – Alegria – ArtistShare
Sam Braysher – That’s Him: The Music Of Kurt Weill – Self-Produced
Brian Bromberg – LaFaro – Self-Produced
Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra – And So It Goes –R.M.I. Records
Emmet Cohen – Vibe Provider – Mack Avenue
Chick Corea and Bela Fleck – Remembrance – belafleck.com
Graham Dechter – Major Influence – Capri
Jon De Lucia – The Brubeck Octet Project – Musaeum Clausum Recordings
Robert Edwards – Jay Bird 100 – LA Reserve
Diego Figueiredo – I Love Samba – Arbors
Hannah Gill – Everybody Loves A Lover – Turtle Bay
Viyay Iyer – Compassion – ECM
Danny Jonokuchi Big Band – A Decade – Bandstand Presents
Samara Joy – Portrait – Verve
The Joymakers – Down Where The Bluebonnets Grow – Turtle Bay
Rebecca Kilgore – A Little Taste – Cherry Pie Music
James Brandon Lewis – Transfiguration – Intakt
Tierney Sutton – Good People – JRL-SGS Jazz
Misha Tsigano – Painter Of Dreams – Criss Cross
Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra – Flying Colors – Summit
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra –Centennial: The Music Of Thad Jones – BCM+D Records
Petra van Nuis & Dennis Luxion – From Me To You – String Damper
Don Byas – Classic Sessions 1944-1946 – Mosaic
Classic V-Disc Small Group Jazz Sessions – Mosaic
Nat King Cole – Live At The Blue Note Chicago – Iconic
Miles Davis – Miles In France 1963 & 1964 – Columbia/Legacy
Cliff Edwards – All The Hits And More – Acrobat Music
Duke Ellington – Copenhagen 1958 – Storyville
French Preservation Hall New Orleans Jazz Band – Live In Belgium – Upbeat
Terry Gibbs Dream Band – Vol. 7: The Lost Tapes, 1959 – Whaling City Sound
Phil Haynes – The Complete American Recordings – Corner Stone Jazz
James P. Johnson – World Broadcast Recordings – Solo Art
Steve Lacy – The Classic Albums – Enlightenment
Charles LaVere & His Chicago Loopers – Retrospective
Rob Mullins – Best Of The Trio – Planet Mullins
New Orleans Night Owls – St. Louis Rag – Rivermont
Charlie Parker – Bird In Kansas City – Verve
Art Pepper – The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings – Omnivore
Spike Robinson – The Live Session – PME Records
Adrian Rollini – Swing Low – Retrospective
Sonny Rollins – Freedom Weaver – Resonance
Pharoah Sanders –Pharoah – Luaka Bop
Johnny Smith – The Last Night At Shaner’s – PME Records
Louis Stewart Trio – Louis The First – Livia
Art Tatum – Jewels In The Treasure Box – Resonance
McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson – Forces Of Nature – Blue Note
Cootie Williams – Concert For Cootie 1928-62 – Acrobat
The great jazz singer Mon David recently teamed up with pianist-keyboardist Josh Nelson and guitarist Larry Koonse (as the group DNA) to record the CD Continuum. To celebrate its release, they mostly performed selections from the album during a night at Catalina Bar & Grill.
As on the CD, the group began strong with Oscar Brown Jr.’s 5/4 blues “As Long As You’re Living” which gave Mon David an opportunity to scat in his own style. One of the highlights of the night was a slower-than-usual rendition of “Blowin’ In The Wind” that put the focus on the philosophical lyrics. The singer next performed a heartfelt interpretation of the ballad “A Time For Love” and then raced effortlessly through Jon Hendricks’ vocalese lyrics to “Four.” In addition to the top-notch vocalizing, there were concise and worthy solos from Nelson (mostly on piano but sometimes adding electric keyboard) and Koonse on many of the songs.
Departing from the album, Mon David sang a number in his native language and then played guitar and shared the vocal with his daughter Nicole David Yalong on an effective version of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” On “Spirit,” Mon David sang wordlessly while Josh Nelson contributed some charming sounds on his keyboard that gave the piece the feel of an outer space voyage. Also performed were “Duke and Billy” (a tribute to Ellington and Strayhorn), an obscure Antonio Carlos Jobim ballad, and “Mikey” which paid homage to Mark Murphy.
While Mon David in the past has been inspired by the class of Tony Bennett and the chance taking flights of Mark Murphy, he has continued evolving and now sounds quite original while retaining his charming personality. Be sure to see him whenever he appears.
James Reese Europe (1881-1919) was an arranger, composer and an early fighter for civil rights. However his most important contributions were made as a pioneering African-American bandleader. He led a huge orchestra at a Carnegie Hall concert in 1912 and recorded eight songs during 1913-14 that included adaptations of classical themes and several loose ragtime numbers that hinted at jazz. During World War I, he fought in Europe as a second lieutenant and led a highly influential band that helped to introduce jazz to France and Europe. The orchestra recorded 16 jazz-oriented numbers back in the U.S. before his early death.
The innovative pianist Jason Moran organized a ten-piece group called The Big Bandwagon to pay tribute to Europe’s World War I. legacy, performing at Disney Hall. However this was not a straightforward recreation of Europe’s band and arrangements. Instead, Moran imagined what Europe’s music might have sounded like today. His ten-piece ensemble (which included trumpet, two trombones, clarinet, alto, tenor, tuba, electric bass, drums and his own piano) alternated between modern explorations and stretches where the band came close to sounding like Europe’s. It was a bit schizophrenic but always colorful and mostly respectful, even during the wilder flights.
Heard along the way were such numbers as “Ballin’ The Jack” (few realize that Europe was that song’s composer), “Russian Rag,” “Darktown Strutters Ball,” Albert Ayler’s “Ghosts” (during a funeral medley that included “Flee As A Bird”), a few W.C. Handy tunes including “Yellow Dog Blues,” and a version of “St. Louis Blues” that never quite reached its main theme. The music was accompanied by film that was sometimes irrelevant before rare silent footage of Europe conducting his orchestra was shown. Moran’s original “For James” was played as close ups of Europe’s many musicians were shown on screen, making that closing number quite touching.
While certainly a bit eccentric, the performances were memorable. Those who were not fortunate enough to be at Disney Hall can experience the music by acquiring Jason Moran’s CD From The Dancehall To The Battlefield (available from www.amazon.com) which consists of a similar program.
When one thinks of the major contributors to the Great American Songbook, Cy Coleman (1929-2004) tends to be overlooked, partly because many of his best known songs were written in the 1960s rather than the 1930-55 period. On their recent album The Colors Of My Life, singer Janis Siegel (famous for her work with the Manhattan Transfer) and the Transfer’s regular pianist Yaron Gershovsky have sought to change all that, exploring the Cy Coleman Songbook. To celebrate the release of their CD, Siegel, Gershovsky, bassist Ken Wild, and drummer Dan Schnalle performed many of the songs from that recording at Catalina Bar & Grill.
Starting with “I’ve Got Your Number,” Janis Siegel showed that she is still very much in her musical prime. Gershovsky took a passionate piano solo on this piece and whenever he had space to stretch out. The music was mostly swinging and featured along the way were such songs as “Witchcraft” (which had a particularly inventive arrangement with plenty of tempo and rhythm changes), the ballad “With Every Breath I Take,” “Playboy Theme” (during which Ms. Siegel sang wordlessly), a duet rendition of “Why Try To Change Me Now,” the joyful “When In Rome Do As The Romans Do,” “Without You,” “You Fascinate Me So,” and “The Best Is Yet To Come” which had some hot scat-singing. For an encore, Chery Bentyne from the Manhattan Transfer joined Janis Siegel for a loose but fun version of Michel Camilo’s “Why Not.”
It made for a fun evening and a good excuse to enjoy the music of the unsung but masterful songwriter Cy Coleman.
GHOSTS OF CALIFORNIA
A bit of a departure for this column, I recently saw the debut of a documentary conceived and produced by Katie Ryan titled Ghosts Of California. The film is filled with largely untold tales about California in its early days.
Ghosts Of California utilizes vintage photos and colorful narrators including historians, journalists and songwriters to tell the stories. One learns about the truth behind the 1848 Gold Rush, the notorious but warm-hearted Rosa May of Bodie, the contributions of Chinese workers to the construction of the Trans-Continental railroad (plus the prejudice and hostility that they constantly faced), the bloodiest battle of the Mexican War, the Vaquers (cowboys of Mexican, Spanish and American Indian origin), the rarely reported horrors of the Missions of California, and the St. Francis Dam disaster of 1926.
The narratives are both entertaining and educational, the scenery is often exquisite, and the music (some of which was written for the film) perfectly fits the story telling. In fact, before the film’s debut showing at the Smoke House in Santa Clarita, the songs were performed by those who were featured on the soundtrack including Dave Stamey, a talented singer-songwriter who perfectly captured the spirit of the Old West.
Written by Katie Ryan and David Kaufman (who is the main narrator), Ghosts Of California is a valuable addition to American history.
Every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography, every CD (and even downloads) deserves informative liner notes, and important events benefit from press releases. I write all of these and more at reasonable rates. Please contact me at 661-678-3542 or at scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com for further information about my services. My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com
I have a new book that is available from amazon.com. Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist. It is subtitled My Jazz Memoirs and is my 12th book and first in a few years. I discuss in an often-humorous fashion my early days and discovery of jazz, my period as the jazz editor of Record Review, the story behind my involvement with the All Music Guide, and I reminisce about some of my adventures as an amateur musician. Included are vintage interviews with Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, and Maynard Ferguson, encounters with Clint Eastwood, summaries of the Monterey and Playboy Jazz Festivals (including a full-length review of the 1985 Playboy Festival), memories of other events (such as the IAJE Conventions), and brief snapshots of many memorable club and concert performances. There is also background information about my other books, evaluations of the jazz critics who inspired me early on, and my thoughts on jazz criticism which includes advice to up-and-coming jazz journalists. Rounding out the book is a chapter on how the jazz writing business has changed over the past 50 years, and appendixes that include the jazz greats of the past, 86 jazz giants of today, 21 young performers to look for in the future, jazz books and DVDs that everyone should own, and a dozen enjoyable Hollywood jazz films.
Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist, a paperback book, sells for $26 through Amazon.com Signed copies (which will take 2-3 weeks) are also available for $30 (which includes free postage) by sending the money via Pay Pal to scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com and by sending your mailing address to that E-mail.