Jazz New Releases - January 2011

New releases and re-releases for January 2011. The best new jazz album releases this month. And some good hard bop re-releases

Some really good looking jazz new releases coming up this month. Look out for the second batch of releases in the excellent series 'Live At Smalls- Jimmy Greene, Peter Bernstein, Ari Hoenig, Ben Woolfe, Spike Wilner, Omer Avital. And new albums from Mike DiRubbo and Bill Frisell. In vocal jazz, there are new releases from Ella Fitzgerald and Kurt Elling. And more excellent music is slated for February release.....

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Here is the listing:

Tuesday January 4th 2011

Mike DiRubbo - Chronus (Posi-Tone)
Ella Fitzgerald - 12 Nights in Hollywood: Vol 1 & 2 (Verve)
Ella Fitzgerald - 12 Nights in Hollywood: Vol 3 & 4 (Verve)

Tuesday January 11th 2011

Joe Lovano and Us Five - Bird Songs (Blue Note)
Jimmy Greene - Live At Smalls (SmallsLive)
Peter Bernstein - Live At Smalls (SmallsLive)
Ari Hoenig Punk Bop - Live At Smalls (SmallsLive)
Ben Wolfe - Live At Smalls (SmallsLive)
Spike Wilner - Live At Smalls (SmallsLive)
Omer Avital - Live At Smalls (SmallsLive)
Laurence Hobgood Trio with Kurt Elling - Crazy World (Naim)
David Liebman - Lieb Plays The Blues A La Trane (Daybreak)
John Scofield - Out Like A Light (Enja Weber)
Joe Henderson - Barcelona (Enja Weber)

Tuesday January 25th 2011

Bill Frisell & Vinicius Cantuaria - Lagrimas Mexicanas (Entertainment One Music)

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Jazz Albums of the Year 2011

The Top 20 best jazz albums of the past year.
Some great new music makes this one of the best years in recent times for innovative jazz.

1.           Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden - Jasmine (ECM) Review

2.          Tom Harrell - Roman Nights (HighNote) Review

3.          Charles Lloyd - Mirror (ECM) Review


4.           Bobby Hutcherson- Wise One (Kind Of Blue) Review


5.            Paul Motian - Lost In A Dream (ECM) Review


6.           Christian Scott - Yesterday You Said Tomorrow (Concord) Review

7.            Bill Frisell - Beautiful Dreamers (Savoy Jazz) Review

8.           Herbie Hancock - The Imagine Project (Sony) Review

9.           Tomasz Stanko - Dark Eyes (ECM) Review

10.     John McLaughlin & The Fourth Dimension- To The One (Abstract Logix) Review





11.     Ralph Bowen - Due Reverence (Posi-Tone) Review

12.     Dave Holland Octet - Pathways (Dare2) Review

13.     Jake Hertzog - Patterns (Buckyball) Review

14.    Randy Halberstadt - Flash Point (Origin) Review

15.    Jim Rotondi - 1000 Rainbows (Posi-Tone) Review

16.    Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes - Double Portrait (Blue Note) Review

17.     Chad McCullough / Michal Vanoucek - The Sky Cries (Origin) Review

18.     Nathan Eklund Group - Coin Flip (OA2) Review

19.    Richard Sussman - Live At Sweet Rhythm (Origin) Review

20.     Brad Mehldau - Highway Rider (Nonesuch) Review




For another, New York, view - check out the Village Voice Jazz Critic's Poll




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Chad McCullough / Michal Vanoucek - The Sky Cries

Album review. Trumpeter Chad McCullough teams up with Slovakian pianist Michal Vanoucek in a breakthrough album of innovative jazz

Origin

Recorded at Robert Lang Studios, Seattle WA on 23rd October 2009

Release date: October 19th 2010

Availability: CD, MP3 Download




As in last year's excellent 'Dark Wood, Dark Water', Chad McCullough teams up with saxophonist Mark Taylor – also featured on Randy Halberstadt's recent 'Flash Point' - and two other mainstays of the North West jazz scene, Dave Captein (bass) and Matt Jorgensen (drums). The added dimension on 'The Sky Cries' is Slovakian pianist Michal Vanoucek.

It is probably too easy to say that Michal Vanoucek brings a classical European sensibility (the Conservatory, Bratislava, the Royal Conservatory, The Hague, Holland) to Chad McCullough's equally well-honed North Western take on jazz (University of Washington, Lionel Hampton Scholar at University of Idaho) though that is certainly in evidence here. There is a musical understanding between the two that is special.

This can be seen particularly clearly in two of the compositions. Michal Vanoucek's 'Blue in Breed', a resonant ballad, provides space and the opportunity for some of Chad McCullough's finest soloing to date – and room for an arresting bass solo from Dave Captein – with the composer's piano solo supplying only a short coda. Chad McCullough's 'Krasna' sets up an equally compelling theme carried on trumpet that allows Michal Vanoucek's piano playing to weave around it expressively. It's the understanding of the making of musical opportunities for each other that is so impressive.

Chad McCullough, photo by Steve Korn

The composing duties on the ten tracks are equally shared; five Chad McCullough originals, five Michal Vanoucek originals.

In the remaining Chad McCullough compositions, the opening 'Where The Sky Cries' is upbeat with fine soloing from Mark Taylor. 'Urban Grassland' builds on a strong theme on harmonized horns that leads into lucid solos on alto sax from Mark Taylor and trumpet from the composer. 'Time Lapse' has an interesting plucked bass and piano backing underpinning expressive horn work. Chad McCullough's final contribution, 'Soliloquy for D.G.' starts quietly on piano before opening out into fiery improvisation.

In the remaining Michal Vanoucek compositions, 'Tryskac Part 1' and 'Tryskac Part 2' are edgy conceptions with time signature variations, providing a basis for an almost experimental jazz at times just this side of in. 'Katia' offers a beautiful near classical theme, taken up in fine style on trumpet and then piano, the nearest of all the tracks to an accompanied duet. 'Bosa' ends the album on a note similar to that of the opening track, bringing the music back full circle, offering a sense of completion.

Look out for Chad McCullough's new trio project with Michal Vanoucek and Jose Martinez with the cd release and tour 'Imaginary Sketches' expected in early 2011.

Highly recommended. One of the best jazz albums released this year.







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Jazz New Releases - December 2010

New releases and re-releases for December 2010. The best new jazz album releases this month. And some good hard bop re-releases

Not a great month for new jazz releases - the jazz labels put out what they were planning for the Holiday season in November. But there are some good hard bop re-releases which, if you don't know them, are a real treat. And Charlie Haden pops up with an interesting vocal jazz album......

More details on the above releases here





Here is the list:

Tuesday December 7th 2010

Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come (Essential Jazz Classics)
Dave Douglas - Spirit of Being (3 CD) (Greenleaf)
Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson - Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson (Essential Jazz Classics)
Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster - Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster (Essential Jazz Classics)
Charlie Haden - Sophisticated Ladies (Universal)
Clifford Brown and Max Roach - Complete Studio Recordings (Essential Jazz Classics)
Hank Mobley - Jazz Message 1 (Columbia)
Hank Mobley - Jazz Message 2 (Columbia)

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