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1) Kamasi Washington "The Epic"
This should be a mess. It's three LP's worth of large scale modern improvisational music and the result is...well, epic. His take on the Ray Noble classic, "Cherokee" is worth the entire set. Probably the best release of 2015
2) Bad Plus + Joshua Redman
This is true sum of the parts CD...and the parts are very, very good. Really fun to hear how well Joshua Redman fits into the Bad Plus 'vibe'
3) Vijay Iyer "Break Stuff: (ECM)
Iyer seems incapable of making anything less than an excellent LP. Sonics definitely have the 'ECM house sound'
4) Tootie Heath "Philadelphia Beat"
Another in a run of excellent releases by a true master...with Ethan Iverson and Ben Street
5) Matthew Shipp "To Duke"
6) Terell Stafford "Brotherlee"
Superb homage to Lee Morgan. Stafford rips thru fellow Philly trumpeter's songbook, retaining the style but making it his own.
7) Rudresh Mahanthappa "Bird Calls"
Rather than playing in the style Charlie Parker, Mahanthanppa deconstructs many of Bird's best tunes and reconstructs them in his own style. As always, the ACT vinyl is spectacular.
8) Chris Potter Underground Orchestra "Imaginary Cities"
Incorporating a string section, Potter's suite is some of the most evocative jazz of 2015.
9) Jeremy Pelt "Tales, Musings & Other Reveries"
Ron Carter helps make this one of Pelt's best CD's. "Einbahnstrasse" is a highlight.
10) Ariel Pocock "Touchstone"
Local product shines on her debut release. Her vocals are still maturing but she is already a deft pianist and has the potential to be a star.
11) Brad Mehldau "10 Years Live - Solo"
An inadvertant omission. My vinyl was a little noisy and probably better as a CD purchase. The music is incredible and Mehldau sets a new standard for the art of writing liner notes.
This should be a mess. It's three LP's worth of large scale modern improvisational music and the result is...well, epic. His take on the Ray Noble classic, "Cherokee" is worth the entire set. Probably the best release of 2015
2) Bad Plus + Joshua Redman
This is true sum of the parts CD...and the parts are very, very good. Really fun to hear how well Joshua Redman fits into the Bad Plus 'vibe'
3) Vijay Iyer "Break Stuff: (ECM)
Iyer seems incapable of making anything less than an excellent LP. Sonics definitely have the 'ECM house sound'
4) Tootie Heath "Philadelphia Beat"
Another in a run of excellent releases by a true master...with Ethan Iverson and Ben Street
5) Matthew Shipp "To Duke"
6) Terell Stafford "Brotherlee"
Superb homage to Lee Morgan. Stafford rips thru fellow Philly trumpeter's songbook, retaining the style but making it his own.
7) Rudresh Mahanthappa "Bird Calls"
Rather than playing in the style Charlie Parker, Mahanthanppa deconstructs many of Bird's best tunes and reconstructs them in his own style. As always, the ACT vinyl is spectacular.
8) Chris Potter Underground Orchestra "Imaginary Cities"
Incorporating a string section, Potter's suite is some of the most evocative jazz of 2015.
9) Jeremy Pelt "Tales, Musings & Other Reveries"
Ron Carter helps make this one of Pelt's best CD's. "Einbahnstrasse" is a highlight.
10) Ariel Pocock "Touchstone"
Local product shines on her debut release. Her vocals are still maturing but she is already a deft pianist and has the potential to be a star.
11) Brad Mehldau "10 Years Live - Solo"
An inadvertant omission. My vinyl was a little noisy and probably better as a CD purchase. The music is incredible and Mehldau sets a new standard for the art of writing liner notes.
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