NOTES ON JAZZ The Best of Jazz 2014

This year was an interesting one the wide diversity of music that was offered from a myriad of artists all operating under the all inclusive umbrella that is known as jazz. Like always, for one to try to limit one's appreciation of such diverse musical richness to a "top ten" is an exercise in futility and speciousness.

Here is my list of some of the most interesting and in my opinion worthy offerings that were released this year. There very well maybe some deserving artists and releases that for whatever reason I was not able to get a chance to listen to, so my apologies.This is a very subjective listing, but I believe an inclusive one making room for different genres; for new as well as established artists.

Here in no particular order is my list of the best " JAZZ" of 2104 :

Ernie Watts Quartet : A Simple Truth- Flying Dolphin Records A masterful album from a masterful musician whose sound is all his own.

Dr. John  Ske De Dat De Dat The Spirit of Louis Armstrong- Proper Records

Jane Ira Bloom Sixteen Sunsets- Outline records

Joe Beck -Get me- Whaling City Sound

Adam Unsworth/Byron Olson/John Vancore- Balance   A brilliant compositional tour de force.

Michael Blake-Tiddy Boom- Sunnyside Records. Just a wonderful album.

David Ullman 8 Corduroy- Little Sky Records   A great new work by the ambitious guitarist/composer

Click here for a sample of  Corduroy 

Matt Wilson Quartet with john Medeski : Gathering Call - Palmeto Records

Dan Weiss Fourteen- PI Records

Denny Zeitlin Trio Stairway tot the Stars- Sunnyside

Dewa Budjana Joged Kahyangan- MoonJune Records

Ben Allison: The Stars Look Very Different Today- Sonic Camera Records

Pete Robbins: Pyramid- Hate Laugh Music

Janis Siegel : Nightsongs- Palmetto Records

Jimmy Cobb: The Original Mob- Smoke Sessions

Freddy Bryant-Dreamscape-GJK Sound

Jeff Ballard Trio: Time's Tales- Okeh/Sony Masterworks

Elizabeth Sheppard- Rewind- Linus Entertainment

Dhafer Yousef: Birds Requiem-Okeh

Steven Richman's Harmonie Ensemble/New York: Henry Mancini Music for Peter Gunn - Harmonia Mundi USA

Michael Wollny Trio- Weltentraum- ACT Music

Zara McFarland: If You Knew Her - Brownswood Recordings

Sammy Figueroa/Glaucia Nasser: Talisman- Savant Records

David Bixler's Auction Project: Slink-Bixler Music

Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden: Last Dance: ECM Records

Marc Weinstien: Latin Jazz Underground: Zoho 

Click here for a sample of Latin Underground

Enjoy all of this great music and support the musicians by buying their cds and going to see them "live" whenever you get the chance. Have a wonderful holiday and keep listening and reading!