Jan 4, 2014
Rather than attempt to make a conventional list of "Best of" CDs at the end of each year, I take stock of what artists impressed me the most, what CDs found their way back into the player most often, and whose music continued to move me after the initial novelty of a first listen wore off. Then I break these into a few handy categories, like "Memorable Reissues" or "Tribute Albums of Note". It seems unfair to me to match, say, John Coltrane's Sun Ship Session against Chris Potter's latest CD to say which is "better". The two musicians are from different times and take different approaches to music, although both play the saxophone extremely well.
So without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things of 2013. It was a very good year.
Great New Things from Old Friends
Chris Potter – The Sirens
Wayne Shorter Quartet – Without a Net
Joe Lovano UsFive – Cross Culture
Dave Holland – Prism
Christian McBride & Inside Straight – People Music
New Artists and Those Hitting Their Stride
Cécile McLorin Salvant- WomanChild
Craig Taborn Trio – Chants
Warren Wolf - Wolfgang
Gregory Porter – Liquid Spirit
Aaron Diehl - The Bespoke Man's Narrative
Etienne Charles – Creole Soul
Memorable Reissues, Compilations, and Posthumous or Archival Albums
Jack DeJohnette - Special Edition [Box set]
John Coltrane Quartet - The Complete Sun Ship Session
Charles Lloyd - ECM Box Set
Paul Motian - ECM Box Set
Miles Davis - Live in
Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2
Tribute Albums of Note
Tierney Sutton – After Blue
Marc Carey – For the Love of Abbey
Rene Marie – I Wanna Be Evil: With Love to Eartha Kitt
Geri Allen - Grand River Crossings – Motown & Motor City
Terri
Lynne Carrington - Money
Jungle; Provacative in Blue
Reunions and Collaborations of Note
Fred Hersch & Julian Lage – Free Flying
Charles Lloyd & Jason Moran – Hagar’s Song
Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway – Duke at the Roadhouse – Live in Santa Fe
The Swallow Quintet – Into the Woodwork
Bob James and David Sanborn – Quartette Humaine
Podcast 402 gives you a chance to hear music from some of these memorable CDs, one from each category, including:
Christian McBride & Inside Straight – “Gang Gang” from People Music
Cécile McLorin Salvant – “Baby Have Pity On Me” from WomanChild
Miles Davis – “No Blues” from Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2
Geri Allen – “ Save the Children” from Grand River Crossings – Motown & Motor City
The Swallow Quintet – “Exit Stage Left” from Into the Woodwork