This fall I took a break from doing my radio show on UMFM. I got into the habit of really enjoying doing year-end shows. So apologies if this seems a bit self-indulgent, but I've posted my 10 favourite jazz records here with short blurbs and links to tracks. I do hope you enjoy it. 2016 has been one of the strongest years for jazz in recent memory. In fact, each of these 10 would have probably bested anything that came out last year for me (even though people lost their shit over Kamasi last year, he's already seeming like more of an afterthought in jazz these days - I would argue this has to do with a problem of with the way Epic functions, but that's for another time), so I do hope you enjoy what comes below.
10. Vijay Iyer/Wadada Leo Smith: A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke (ECM)
Focused around the work of artist Nasreen Mohamedi, A Cosmic Rhythm is a pretty great record. It's overly sparse at time (a problem I attribute more to ECM than Iyer and Smith. Sometimes I find their production aesthetic to get in the way of an otherwise excellent recording - something that happens a bit here), but Iyer's abilities with both the piano and electronics allows him to deal with these gaps exceptionally well. And Wadada is Wadada, so you can't go wrong there either.
9. Icepick: Aramanth (Astral Spirits)
Nate Wooley has had a great year. His (Dance to) The Early Music (a surprisingly great tribute to Wynton Marsalis) nearly convinced me to re-examine my disdain for the Marsalis brothers, while Seven Story Mountain V was easily one of the more rewarding live recordings I heard all year. But it was his trio Icepick, with Ingbrigt Haker-Flaten and Chris Corsano that hit me hardest. Those of you who listened to my show might know that I tend to gravitate towards records that recall the 1960s recordings of Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. This record does exactly this fine fashion, taking free improvisation to some playful ends. I'm so thankful for Astral Spirits, who continue to pump out great experimental records across a multitude of genres. So good.
8. Anna Högberg Attack: Anna Högberg Attack (Omlot)
A long-time collaborator with Mats Gustafson, Högberg's debut as a band leader is remarkable. She's put together an all-female band playing within a genre that is heavily dominated by men (it's easy to make lines between this record and early Riot Grrl recordings). The name of her band is fitting as well, as her attack, both instrumentally and compositionally here is spot on. She is gifted at choosing the right moments to reign things in with a melody that is easy to catch. At times excruciating, at others chillingly beautiful, this record fits perfectly alongside anything by Fire Orchestra! or The Thing! and is a must listen for fans of really squawky sax sounds.
7. Selebeyone: Selebeyone (Pi Recordings)
Steve Lehmen's latest group Selebeyone plays with hip-hop and jazz forms while sounding incredibly contemporary - read: this isn't just a record for crate-diggers. The meter is all over the place, as are the harmonies (built off of Lehmen's previous explorations with spectral harmony), but the free-styling of HPrizm and Gaston Bandimic never miss a step. These are artists who are trying to innovate on every level. The surprising thing is that it all comes together in a way that's a joy to listen to as well.
6. Fire!: She Sleeps! She Sleeps! (Rune Grammofon)
The trio of Mats Gustafson, Johan Berthling, and Andreas Werliin (ie. the rhythm section of the 30-piece band Fire! Orchestra), bring things down in size and tone on She Sleeps! She Sleeps! There is more restraint show here than I am accustomed to hearing from these guys, and it makes me incredibly happy. I love Gustafson's work most when there is space in the music to allow him to absolutely wail on his horn without it becoming completely overbearing - something that happens regularly here. Oh, also, that chord at the beginning of "She Owned His Voice"!
5. Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Matthew Garrison: In Movement (ECM)
Jack DeJohnette's backbeat has been a constant presence in the jazz scene for decades. Here, those beats which reek of urgency are placed in a context (with Coltrane on sax, and Garrison on drums and electronics) that quickly recalls the players' work with Miles Davis in the 1970s. While the time signature remains fairly slow throughout the record (especially on "Blue in Green"), the intensity of the playing never wains. John Coltrane hovers above this thing throughout.
4. Wadada Leo Smith - America's National Parks (Clean Feed)
Wadada's suite inspired by the historic and often politicized physical landscape of the United States displays the trumpeters command of classical, jazz, and blues forms at its peak. No other artist playing today could compose and perform this piece, it is just that unique. The 28 page score for the suite features symbols created by Smith (and learned by his Golden Quartet) that dictate the time and space in which the melodic themes to play out. The result is a near-perfect combination of structurally determined playing and free group improvisation. Starting with funky bassline in "New Orleans" and ending with the crashing of a cymbal on "Yosemite" America's National Parks makes for a truly remarkable listen.
3. Shabaka and the Ancestors: Wisdom of Elders (Brownswood)
It's hard to put anything above America's National Parks.That I have three yet to go is a testament to just how strong a year 2016 was in jazz. Wisdom of Elders is the result of a series of visits to Johannesburg South Africa by the Barbados-born Londoner Shabaka Hutchings (whose work with Sons of Kemet is just awesome). Featuring Shabaka alongside a group of South African players, the recording is emotionally rich, and would fit alongside other great albums like Joe McPhee's It's Nation Time or Steve Reid's Nova. Such a fun listen.
2. Battle Trance: Blade of Love (New Amserdam)
I've been listening to this one consistently since it came out in August, and I still don't know what a"Blade of Love" is. What I do know is that with Blade of Love, Battle Trance has improved on their already brilliant ensemble work from 2014's Palace of Wind. The emotional depth is greater, the sonic adventures more varied (the group departs from their almost default-mode of repeated arpeggios more regularly), and the vision more well executed. This is bodily music performed at its best.
1. Mary Halvorson Octet - Away with You (Firehouse 12)
My album of the year, with a bullet. I've long been a fan of the mid-30s guitarist and composer Halvorson. Whether it's her work with Thumbscrew, Nicole Mitchel, Ches Smith, or her solo recording Meltframe, I am easily captivated by her sprawling, and perverse approach to her instrument. On Away with You, we find Halvorson at her best - setting up compostitions that allow players (this time adding Susan Alcorn on pedal steel) to engage with one another in profound ways. There is so much I could say about this record. But I'll just leave you with this perfect quote from a recent Carl Wilson article on a live performance of hers (which is no less relevant to the way I experienced this record) on Slate:
"It felt new and liberated, making all the old jazz clashes about swing versus experimentation seem like tiresome 20th century Cold War guff. That she is a woman on an instrument and in a field that has often been inhospitable to women is no doubt relevant, but not as much as her musical imagination, which is astonishing. My eyes were misting up even as my jay hung open. The clock lost all dominion."
10 favourite non jazz records (alphabetical):
Oren Ambarchi: Hubris
David Bowie - ★
Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
Steve Gunn - Eyes on the Lines
Veda Hille - Love Waves (Okay, I have to give a plug for this record - which I believe is woefully underappreciated. Please take the time to listen to "Burst" - especially if you have any young kids you love in your life. It leaves me close to tears each time I listen).
Jenny Hval - Blood Bitch
Klara Lewis - Too
Cass McCombs - Mangy Love
Angel Olsen - My Woman
Solange - Seat at the Table
