Top ten jazz albums of the decade

The holiday season is full of treats.  One of them, for me, is the top ten lists that invariably show up this time of year covering movies, books and music.  And this year will be extra special, as it's not only an opportunity to highlight this past years finest, but to look back on the best of the past decade.

The Times just published what they think are the Top Ten Jazz albums of the "noughties":

10. Metamorphosen by Branford Marsalis

Is there a better small group doing the rounds today? Marsalis and his long-standing sidemen play a propulsive post-bop that veers between peppery attack and moments of yearning tenderness (pianist Joey Calderazzo is outstanding on The Blossoming of Parting). A band who just continue to get better.

9 Mythologies by Patricia Barber

This cool, cerebral Chicago pianist is little known in Britain but this is her masterpiece. Each songs represents a character from Ancient Greek folklore; it is, though no learned treatise just an extraordinary exploration of moods and textures, the jazz leavened by hip-hop, funk and even an otherworldly rap.

8. Out Louder by Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood

The funky three, joined once again by guitarist John Scofield, play their irresistible groove music. But there's variety this time too - the Beatles' Julia, Peter Tosh's Legalize It and a New Orleans work-out - as well as the jam-band funk beloved of stoners across America.

7. Live in Tokyo by Brad Mehldau

The ascendant star of American piano jazz sets out his broad musical vision on this solo set. As well as staples such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Thelonious Monk, he brings Nick Drake to jazz audiences and discovers the link between Beethoven and Radiohead on an extraordinary Paranoid Android.

6. My One and Only Thrill by Melody Gardot

The story of how she discovered her musical gift after a horrific car crash made great press copy but this second album revealed she had the songwriting skills to match her angelic voice. Gardot can sing pop and the blues but it's her way with a torch song that sets her apart.

5. The Joni Letters by Herbie Hancock

On this surprise Grammy success, the pianist took the songs of his old friend Joni Mitchell and, while keeping faithful to the spirit, found something new to say about them. Meditative, reflective, it helped to have Wayne Shorter, Tina Turner and Norah Jones on board.

4. A Night in Paris by Diana Krall

She showed on The Look of Love that she can play the sultry siren cossetted by strings, and on The Girl in the Other Room that she can do singer-songwriterly introspection. Here she simply reminds us she is a great vocalist and pianist who can swing like the clappers.

3. The Soul of Things by Tomasz Stanko

A Sixties pioneer makes his mark in the Noughties. The Polish trumpeter's ethereal explorations evoke the twilight mood of Miles Davis's Kind of Blue but the mix of deep blues, swing and flashes of fire is uniquely Stanko.

2. East/West Live by Bill Frisell

Sometimes simplicity carries the biggest clout. The guitarist explores his musical loves, from American folk to avant-garde experiment via Marvin Gaye and Bob Dylan, aided only by bass, drums and some nifty effects pedals. The second set is good, the first is stunning.

1. Live in Hamburg by EST

In a decade when Scandinavia staked a claim as the home of progressive jazz, no one had more success than this piano trio, melding Keith Jarrett-style lyricism with rock rhythms, electronic textures and a restless sense of adventure. The tragic death of Esbjorn Svensson halted their march to global success.

Here's a beautiful version of Thelonius Monk's "Round Midnight" from the Esbjorn Svensson Trio (EST)

Comments

[Chanel Bags]

Thanks so much for posting these, they are fantastic! So bummed I missed what looks like a truly unique evening.