Favorite Jazz CDs of 2014

[Coda]

I have a difficult time with this each year. Like most everyone I find that my favorites shift over time. And I can't listen to everything that's out there - it's simply overwhelming to keep pace with what's released each year.


Here's all the new jazz releases from 2014 that I've listened to:






and from that list I've narrowed it down to these:

Adam Lane
Angels 9
Collocutor
Nels Cline
Omer Avital
Orrin Evans - Mother's Touch
Ruben Machtelinckx
Wayne Horvitz
Marius Neset
Matt Bauder
Mark Turner

This is so difficult to do.
What would you recommend?

[peterdubya]

The Jacob Young is one of my favorites, and makes my list.

[Ron Thorne]

[Coda]

Yes, I have music on all the time. I figure I get about 10 CDs per week and listen about 10 hours a day. On average that gives me about 7 listens per CD before it hit's the collection pile. Mind you I'm also doing other things during the ten hours so I can't say that I always listen intently.

I'm an eMusic member too with each CD costing about $5 on average.

That Jarrett Haden recording almost made my list, the emotion is on full display from start to finish.

[moldyfigg]

I don't buy cds any more. 2,000 is ednough. I did buy Spike Jones Greatest Hits and a 1944 Hit Parade disc for a friend's birthday.

[Ron Thorne]

From Scott Yanow's Facebook page The Jazz World:


THE TOP JAZZ CDs OF 2014
Since there are many top 10 jazz CD lists for 2014 coming out, I decided to compile 25 of my favorites that come to mind. Nobody has heard every jazz CD of the past year, and more than 1,000 are rewarding. Only a few of the ones on my list have been mentioned by others. Are these the best? One can argue in favor of some others but few can dispute that these 15 new releases (which includes historic music from Charles Lloyd) and 10 reissues (listed in alphabetical order) are less than great. (Feel free to argue) -Scott Yanow

NEW RELEASES
Chick Corea – Triology – Concord
Akua Dixon – Akua Dixon - Akua’s Music
Echoes Of Swing – Blue Pepper – ACT
Corey Gemme’s Rolling Figs Jazz Orchestra – Let’s Get Rolling – Rolling Records
Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band – Life In The Bubble – Telarc
Louis Hayes – Return Of The Jazz Communicators – Smoke Sessions
Marty Krystall – Moments Magical – K2B2
Charles Lloyd – Manhattan Stories – Resonance
Tina May – Divas – Hep
Sally Night – Love For Sale - Venus
Freda Payne – Come Back To Me Love – Artistry Music
Sonny Rollins – Road Shows, Volume 3 – Okeh
Carl Saunders – America – Summit
Three Cohens – Tightrope – Anzic
Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra - A Beautiful Friendship - Summit

REISSUES
Louis Armstrong – Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings – Mosaic
Dave Brubeck – The Complete Storyville Broadcasts – Essential Jazz Classics
Miles Davis with John Coltrane – The Last Tour 1960 - Acrobat
Miles Davis – Miles At The Fillmore – Columbia/Legacy
Duke Ellington – The Concert At The Pleyel Paris 1958 – Sounds Of Yester Year
Chubby Jackson – Ooh, What An Outfit – New York 1949 – Uptown
Isham Jones – Happy – Archeophone
Clifford Jordan – The Complete Strata East Sessions – Mosaic
The Keynote Jazz Collection 1941-1947 – Fresh Sound
Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys – Riding Your Way 1946-1947 – Real Gone Music

[rawac]

[Tom Storer]

OK, here's mine. It's always a draft, as I'm sure there are things I've loved but can't remember right now. I'm not a list-maker by nature, and I'm not systematic about my enthusiasms (except for brief periods of obsession), and above all there is just so much I haven't heard yet. But these are some of the highlights of my jazz listening year:


Mark Turner, Lathe of Heaven. Turner has been working on this quartet (with Avishai Cohen, trumpet; Joe Martin, bass; Marcus Gilmore, drums) and its music for two or three years and it pays off with an exceptional recording.


Tom Harrell, Trip. Same instrumentation as the above, also featuring Turner, plus Ugonna Okegwo, bass, and Adam Cruz, drums. Completely different feel, as Harrell's music is more explicitly bop-derived, but equally fantastic music. Turner is a very active sideman and has learned to really put himself at the service of the music he's given. Unmistakably himself but really focused on the specifics of the material. Harrell's writing and playing is fabulous.


Kenny Barron/Dave Holland, The Art of Conversation. Perfection.


Chick Corea, Trilogy. A 3-CD set with Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade. Sparkling, energetic, virtuoso piano trio music. 2 CDs might have been enough, but it's thrilling to hear Blade and Corea swinging together.


Joshua Redman, Trios Live. With Greg Hutchinson on drums and either Reuben Rogers or Matt Penman on bass. Redman's recordings don't always communicate the excitement he can generate live, but this one does. He is a superb musician and these are inventive, high-octane performances. Hutchinson is definitely one of the best jazz drummers out there.


Frank Kimbrough, Quartet. With Steve Wilson, alto sax; Jay Anderson, bass; Lewis Nash, drums. Eloquent playing, beautiful melodies, often bittersweet. Rooted in bebop and Keith Jarrett's quartet music.


Michael Blake, Tiddy Boom. With Frank Kimbrough, piano; Ben Allison, bass; and Rudy Royston, drums. Blake's project here is to focus on Hawkins and Young, whereas he often strays much further from the mainstream. But he's confident and authoritative and this is not a pious rehash by any means. Biting, bracing, swinging, sometimes raucous playing.


Stanton Moore, Conversations. Moore, drums; David Torkanowsky, piano; James Singleton, bass. Moore is a major New Orleans drummer, usually heard in N.O. funk bands. He plays jazz here, always with that infectious second-line pulse somewhere in the mix. Drum aficionados shouldn't miss this.


Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet, The 21st Century Trad Band. Marsalis, vibes; Austin Johnson, piano; Will Goble, bass; David Potter, drums. I didn't know what to expect from this. Marsalis is an impeccable drummer with chops galore, mostly heard backing Marcus Roberts, and then he added vibes to his repertoire. This is a delightful record, not what you might expect from a Marsalis. Swinging, to be sure, but not in a reverential, polish-your-shoes-this-is-jazz kind of way. Rather, you get the full sense of his idiosyncratic universe. Lots of fun.

[jwaggs]

I think I bought one new release CD in all of 2014 -- George Cables' "Icons and Influences"