Six Picks
[David's top picks, top shows and general impressions of 2009. And the decade,
2000-2009.]
[David's top picks, top shows, fave tracks and general impressions of 2008.]
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David's monthly list of recommended CDs, as published in All About Jazz-New York
February 2010
Greg Burk, Many Worlds (482 Music)
Jozef Dumoulin & Lidlboj, Trees Are Always Right (BEE Jazz)
Ahmad Jamal, A Quiet Time (Dreyfus)
Dave King, Indelicate (Sunnyside)
Pat Metheny, Orchestrion (Nonesuch)
Jeremy Pelt, Men of Honor (HighNote)
January 2010
Samuel Blaser, Pieces of Old Sky (Clean Feed)
Charles Evans & Neil Shah, Live at Saint Stephen’s (Hot Cup)
Randy Ingram, The Road Ahead (BJU)
NYNDK, The Hunting of the Snark (Jazzheads)
Barry Romberg, Was, Shall, Why, Because: Music for Large & Small Ensemble (romhog)
Aram Shelton’s Fast Citizens, Two Cities (Delmark)
December 2009
Circulasione Totale Orchestra, Bandwidth (Rune Grammofon)
Dave Douglas, A Single Sky (Greenleaf)
Mika Pohjola, Great Tunes By My Friends (Blue Music Group)
Manuel Valera, Currents (MaxJazz)
Nelson Veras, Solo Session Vol. 1 (BEE Jazz)
Myron Walden, Momentum (Demi Sound)
November 2009
Gerald Clayton, Two-Shade (ArtistShare)
Graham Dechter, Right On Time (Capri)
Anne Drummond, Like Water (ObliqSound)
Terell Stafford-Dick Oatts Quintet, Bridging the Gap (Planet Arts)
Henry Threadgill’s ZOOID, This Brings Us To, Volume 1 (Pi Recordings)
Miguel Zenón, Esta Plena (Marsalis Music)
October 2009
Brad Dutz Quartet, Whimsical Excursion Boats (ind.)
Gordon Grdina’s East Van Strings, The Breathing of Statues (Songlines)
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside)
Joe Martin, Not By Chance (Anzic)
Linda Oh Trio, Entry (ind.)
Tyshawn Sorey, Koan (482 Music)
September 2009
Laurent Coq, Eight Fragments of Summer (88 Trees)
Crimetime Orchestra, Atomic Symphony (Jazzaway)
Herculaneum, Herculaneum III (Clean Feed)
Fred Hersch Plays Jobim (Sunnyside)
Louis Sclavis, Lost on the Way (ECM)
Anthony Wilson Trio, Jack of Hearts (Groove Note)
August 2009
Fred Anderson, Staying in the Game (Engine)
Ralph Bowen, Dedicated (Posi-Tone)
James Falzone’s Klang, Tea Music (Allos Documents)
Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Strings, Renegades (Delmark)
Edward Simon Trio, Poesía (Cam Jazz)
Jack Wilkins, Until It’s Time (MaxJazz)
July 2009
Kevin Hays Trio, You’ve Got a Friend (Jazz Eyes)
Ron Horton, It’s a Gadget World… (ABEAT)
Tony Malaby, Paloma Recio (New World)
Tim Posgate Hornband, Banjo Hockey (Black Hen)
Alan Sondheim & Myk Freedman, Julu Twine (Porter)
E.J. Strickland, In This Day (Strick Muzik)
June 2009
Jack DeJohnette/John Patitucci/Danilo Perez, Music We Are (Golden Beams)
Paul Giallorenzo, Get In to Go Out (482 Music)
Michael Musillami Trio + 3, From Seeds (Playscape)
The Naked Future, Gigantomachia (ESP-Disk)
Jeremy Udden, Plainville (Fresh Sound New Talent)
WHO Trio (Michel Wintsch/Gerry Hemingway/Baenz Oester), Less Is More (Clean Feed)
May 2009
Diego Barber, Calima (Sunnyside)
Nathan Eklund, Trip to the Casbah (Jazz Excursion)
Julian Lage, Sounding Point (Decca/Emarcy)
Joe Lovano’s US Five, Folk Art (Blue Note)
Akiko Pavolka & House of Illusion, Trust Aqua (Tone of a Pitch)
Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse, Cries from Tha Ghetto (Pi)
April 2009
Michael Blake & Kresten Osgood, Control This (Clean Feed)
Seamus Blake Quartet, Live in Italy (Jazz eyes)
Fareed Haque & The Flat Earth Ensemble, Flat Planet (Owl Studios)
Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, Muse (Creative Nation)
Ben Wendel, Simple Song (Sunnyside)
Michael Wolff, Joe’s Strut (Wrong)
March 2009
Nels Cline, Coward (Cryptogramophone)
Charles Evans, The King of All Instruments (Hot Cup)
Tom Harrell, Prana Dance (HighNote)
Jeremy Manasia, After Dark (Posi-Tone)
Jason Rigby, The Sage (Fresh Sound New Talent)
David S. Ware, Shakti (Aum Fidelity)
February 2009
Lotte Anker/Craig Taborn/Gerald Cleaver, Live at the Loft (ILK)
Ravi Coltrane, Blending Times (Savoy)
The Flatlands Collective, Maatjes (Clean Feed)
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition, Apti (Innova)
Jen Shyu, Jade Tongue (ind.)
Tar Baby (Imani)
January 2009
Interplay, Apology to the Atonists/Tritone Suite (Porter)
Jim McAuley, The Ultimate Frog (Drip Audio)
Tony Malaby, Cello Trio (Songlines)
Chico Pinheiro & Anthony Wilson, Nova (Goat Hill)
Ben Schachter, Omnibus (ind.)
Mark Sherman Quartet, Live at the Bird’s Eye (Miles High)
David's year-in-review for 2007, here and here.
David's year-in-review for 2006, here and here.
David's Best Of 2005 list.
[David's top picks, top shows, fave tracks and general impressions of 2008.]
---
David's monthly list of recommended CDs, as published in All About Jazz-New York
February 2010
Greg Burk, Many Worlds (482 Music)
Jozef Dumoulin & Lidlboj, Trees Are Always Right (BEE Jazz)
Ahmad Jamal, A Quiet Time (Dreyfus)
Dave King, Indelicate (Sunnyside)
Pat Metheny, Orchestrion (Nonesuch)
Jeremy Pelt, Men of Honor (HighNote)
January 2010
Samuel Blaser, Pieces of Old Sky (Clean Feed)
Charles Evans & Neil Shah, Live at Saint Stephen’s (Hot Cup)
Randy Ingram, The Road Ahead (BJU)
NYNDK, The Hunting of the Snark (Jazzheads)
Barry Romberg, Was, Shall, Why, Because: Music for Large & Small Ensemble (romhog)
Aram Shelton’s Fast Citizens, Two Cities (Delmark)
December 2009
Circulasione Totale Orchestra, Bandwidth (Rune Grammofon)
Dave Douglas, A Single Sky (Greenleaf)
Mika Pohjola, Great Tunes By My Friends (Blue Music Group)
Manuel Valera, Currents (MaxJazz)
Nelson Veras, Solo Session Vol. 1 (BEE Jazz)
Myron Walden, Momentum (Demi Sound)
November 2009
Gerald Clayton, Two-Shade (ArtistShare)
Graham Dechter, Right On Time (Capri)
Anne Drummond, Like Water (ObliqSound)
Terell Stafford-Dick Oatts Quintet, Bridging the Gap (Planet Arts)
Henry Threadgill’s ZOOID, This Brings Us To, Volume 1 (Pi Recordings)
Miguel Zenón, Esta Plena (Marsalis Music)
October 2009
Brad Dutz Quartet, Whimsical Excursion Boats (ind.)
Gordon Grdina’s East Van Strings, The Breathing of Statues (Songlines)
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside)
Joe Martin, Not By Chance (Anzic)
Linda Oh Trio, Entry (ind.)
Tyshawn Sorey, Koan (482 Music)
September 2009
Laurent Coq, Eight Fragments of Summer (88 Trees)
Crimetime Orchestra, Atomic Symphony (Jazzaway)
Herculaneum, Herculaneum III (Clean Feed)
Fred Hersch Plays Jobim (Sunnyside)
Louis Sclavis, Lost on the Way (ECM)
Anthony Wilson Trio, Jack of Hearts (Groove Note)
August 2009
Fred Anderson, Staying in the Game (Engine)
Ralph Bowen, Dedicated (Posi-Tone)
James Falzone’s Klang, Tea Music (Allos Documents)
Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Strings, Renegades (Delmark)
Edward Simon Trio, Poesía (Cam Jazz)
Jack Wilkins, Until It’s Time (MaxJazz)
July 2009
Kevin Hays Trio, You’ve Got a Friend (Jazz Eyes)
Ron Horton, It’s a Gadget World… (ABEAT)
Tony Malaby, Paloma Recio (New World)
Tim Posgate Hornband, Banjo Hockey (Black Hen)
Alan Sondheim & Myk Freedman, Julu Twine (Porter)
E.J. Strickland, In This Day (Strick Muzik)
June 2009
Jack DeJohnette/John Patitucci/Danilo Perez, Music We Are (Golden Beams)
Paul Giallorenzo, Get In to Go Out (482 Music)
Michael Musillami Trio + 3, From Seeds (Playscape)
The Naked Future, Gigantomachia (ESP-Disk)
Jeremy Udden, Plainville (Fresh Sound New Talent)
WHO Trio (Michel Wintsch/Gerry Hemingway/Baenz Oester), Less Is More (Clean Feed)
May 2009
Diego Barber, Calima (Sunnyside)
Nathan Eklund, Trip to the Casbah (Jazz Excursion)
Julian Lage, Sounding Point (Decca/Emarcy)
Joe Lovano’s US Five, Folk Art (Blue Note)
Akiko Pavolka & House of Illusion, Trust Aqua (Tone of a Pitch)
Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse, Cries from Tha Ghetto (Pi)
April 2009
Michael Blake & Kresten Osgood, Control This (Clean Feed)
Seamus Blake Quartet, Live in Italy (Jazz eyes)
Fareed Haque & The Flat Earth Ensemble, Flat Planet (Owl Studios)
Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, Muse (Creative Nation)
Ben Wendel, Simple Song (Sunnyside)
Michael Wolff, Joe’s Strut (Wrong)
March 2009
Nels Cline, Coward (Cryptogramophone)
Charles Evans, The King of All Instruments (Hot Cup)
Tom Harrell, Prana Dance (HighNote)
Jeremy Manasia, After Dark (Posi-Tone)
Jason Rigby, The Sage (Fresh Sound New Talent)
David S. Ware, Shakti (Aum Fidelity)
February 2009
Lotte Anker/Craig Taborn/Gerald Cleaver, Live at the Loft (ILK)
Ravi Coltrane, Blending Times (Savoy)
The Flatlands Collective, Maatjes (Clean Feed)
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition, Apti (Innova)
Jen Shyu, Jade Tongue (ind.)
Tar Baby (Imani)
January 2009
Interplay, Apology to the Atonists/Tritone Suite (Porter)
Jim McAuley, The Ultimate Frog (Drip Audio)
Tony Malaby, Cello Trio (Songlines)
Chico Pinheiro & Anthony Wilson, Nova (Goat Hill)
Ben Schachter, Omnibus (ind.)
Mark Sherman Quartet, Live at the Bird’s Eye (Miles High)
David's year-in-review for 2007, here and here.
David's year-in-review for 2006, here and here.
David's Best Of 2005 list.
Influences
Joni Mitchell, Court and
Spark
Miles Davis, E.S.P.
Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage
Wayne Shorter, JuJu
Wynton Marsalis, Black Codes From the Underground
Chick Corea, Three Quartets
John Coltrane, Crescent
Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard, vols. 1 & 2
Bill Evans, Portrait In Jazz
Jimi Hendrix, Axis: Bold As Love
Allan Holdsworth, Metal Fatigue
Pat Metheny Group, Travels
Yes, Yessongs
Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Inner Mounting Flame
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV
Judas Priest, Unleashed in the East
AC/DC, Back In Black
King Crimson, Discipline
Van Halen, Women and Children First
The Band, The Band
Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Steely Dan, Aja
Wayne Krantz, Long to Be Loose
Black Sabbath, Paranoid
Jane’s Addiction, Ritual De Lo Habitual
Me’shell Ndegeocello, Peace Beyond Passion
Nat “King” Cole Trio, After Midnight
Metallica, Kill 'Em All
There were more, many more...
Miles Davis, E.S.P.
Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage
Wayne Shorter, JuJu
Wynton Marsalis, Black Codes From the Underground
Chick Corea, Three Quartets
John Coltrane, Crescent
Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard, vols. 1 & 2
Bill Evans, Portrait In Jazz
Jimi Hendrix, Axis: Bold As Love
Allan Holdsworth, Metal Fatigue
Pat Metheny Group, Travels
Yes, Yessongs
Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Inner Mounting Flame
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV
Judas Priest, Unleashed in the East
AC/DC, Back In Black
King Crimson, Discipline
Van Halen, Women and Children First
The Band, The Band
Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Steely Dan, Aja
Wayne Krantz, Long to Be Loose
Black Sabbath, Paranoid
Jane’s Addiction, Ritual De Lo Habitual
Me’shell Ndegeocello, Peace Beyond Passion
Nat “King” Cole Trio, After Midnight
Metallica, Kill 'Em All
There were more, many more...
Questionnaire
These 10 questions originally came from a French
series, “Bouillon de Culture,” hosted by Bernard Pivot. James
Lipton, on his Bravo series “Inside the Actors Studio,” uses them to
conclude each of his celebrity interviews. Below are my
answers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
01. What is your favorite word?
“Hillock,” or “yaw."
02. What is your least favorite word?
“Culture."
03. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Road trips.
04. What turns you off?
Doctrinaire politics of all kinds. And dawdling. And bathroom attendants — not the people, but the concept.
05. What is your favorite curse word?
It’s a phrase, not a word: for fuck’s sake.
06. What sound or noise do you love?
Cat’s meow.
07. What sound or noise do you hate?
Car alarms, whispering during movies.
08. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Tenor saxophonist, foreign correspondent.
09. What profession would you not like to attempt?
Pilot, flight attendant.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Welcome to Heaven. Now please, relax.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
01. What is your favorite word?
“Hillock,” or “yaw."
02. What is your least favorite word?
“Culture."
03. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Road trips.
04. What turns you off?
Doctrinaire politics of all kinds. And dawdling. And bathroom attendants — not the people, but the concept.
05. What is your favorite curse word?
It’s a phrase, not a word: for fuck’s sake.
06. What sound or noise do you love?
Cat’s meow.
07. What sound or noise do you hate?
Car alarms, whispering during movies.
08. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Tenor saxophonist, foreign correspondent.
09. What profession would you not like to attempt?
Pilot, flight attendant.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Welcome to Heaven. Now please, relax.
About David...
~ "Some of the finest prose I've carried." - Alan
Johnson, Editor, Democratiya.com
~ "Showing no signs of wackness whatsoever." - hiphopmusic.com
~ "One of two or three music writers I don't want to punch in the face." - a New York bassist
Visit David's blog, nominated for Blog of the Year, 2009 Jazz Awards (Jazz Journalists Association).
David R. Adler writes about music, politics and culture. He covers jazz for Time Out New York, Jazz Times, Philadelphia Weekly, All About Jazz-New York and other publications. His work has also appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Down Beat, Jazziz, The New York Times, The New Republic Online, Slate, Forward, Democratiya, New Music Box, All Music Guide, Global Rhythm, Signal to Noise, Coda, Jewish Currents and more. David is also the editor of Jazz Notes, the quarterly publication of the Jazz Journalists Association.
David visited Fes, Morocco in June 2008 and wrote about the experience for the Forward. He also traveled to Dakar, Senegal in February (remarks here and here). His travelogue from a March 2006 trip to Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan begins here.
David's work for the British online journal Democratiya has been featured alongside that of Michael Walzer, Todd Gitlin and other leading thinkers of the democratic left. His most recent piece for Democratiya, a review of Kabir Sehgal's Jazzocracy, is here.
As a guitarist, David performed with a wide variety of musicians in some of New York's best venues, including Avery Fisher Hall, Roseland, Joe's Pub and Fez. During his tenure with the widely loved East Village band Keeta Speed (1996-1999), David worked with the famed producers Dave McDonald (Portishead), Patrick Dillett (B-52's, They Might Be Giants) and Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev).
Read David's "Jazz and Protest: A Reappraisal"
Z Word, April 2009
Read David's Q&A profile at Normblog.
---
"Man, you should challenge your own ideas about the world every day." - Mike Watt, Minutemen, 1985
~ "Showing no signs of wackness whatsoever." - hiphopmusic.com
~ "One of two or three music writers I don't want to punch in the face." - a New York bassist
Visit David's blog, nominated for Blog of the Year, 2009 Jazz Awards (Jazz Journalists Association).
David R. Adler writes about music, politics and culture. He covers jazz for Time Out New York, Jazz Times, Philadelphia Weekly, All About Jazz-New York and other publications. His work has also appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Down Beat, Jazziz, The New York Times, The New Republic Online, Slate, Forward, Democratiya, New Music Box, All Music Guide, Global Rhythm, Signal to Noise, Coda, Jewish Currents and more. David is also the editor of Jazz Notes, the quarterly publication of the Jazz Journalists Association.
David visited Fes, Morocco in June 2008 and wrote about the experience for the Forward. He also traveled to Dakar, Senegal in February (remarks here and here). His travelogue from a March 2006 trip to Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan begins here.
David's work for the British online journal Democratiya has been featured alongside that of Michael Walzer, Todd Gitlin and other leading thinkers of the democratic left. His most recent piece for Democratiya, a review of Kabir Sehgal's Jazzocracy, is here.
As a guitarist, David performed with a wide variety of musicians in some of New York's best venues, including Avery Fisher Hall, Roseland, Joe's Pub and Fez. During his tenure with the widely loved East Village band Keeta Speed (1996-1999), David worked with the famed producers Dave McDonald (Portishead), Patrick Dillett (B-52's, They Might Be Giants) and Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev).
Read David's "Jazz and Protest: A Reappraisal"
Z Word, April 2009
Read David's Q&A profile at Normblog.
---
"Man, you should challenge your own ideas about the world every day." - Mike Watt, Minutemen, 1985