The year in review

The Jazz Journalists Association critics’ roundup for 2006 is now online. My entry is here. Also, the year-end edition of All About Jazz-New York is in the clubs as well as online. Our special year-end spread is available for download as a pdf.

Because I can’t help myself, and because so much excellent music came out in 2006, I thought I’d list these additional highlights:

Andrew Hill’s Time Lines made my top ten but wasn’t the only remarkable Hill-related happening this year. There was also the Mosaic Select box of rare solo piano material; Nels Cline’s beautiful tribute New Monastery: A View Into the Music of Andrew Hill; and an unforgettable performance at Merkin Hall on November 14 – for which Hill reassembled his nonet and played music from the long-lost Passing Ships album. My feature on Hill [pdf] ran in the April issue of Jazz Times.

Other memorable points:

— Hilton Ruiz, shortly before his tragic death, playing a solo rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s “Something to Live For,” on Ray Barretto’s final album, Standards Rican-ditioned (Zoho).

— John Hicks, shortly before his death, playing a solo rendition of his “One Peaceful Moment” to lead off his final HighNote release, Sweet Love of Mine.

— Fine recordings by the members of the erstwhile Jazz Composers Collective: Ben Allison’s Cowboy Justice (Palmetto), Ron Horton’s Everything in a Dream (Fresh Sound-New Talent), Ted Nash’s In the Loop (Palmetto), Frank Kimbrough’s Play (Palmetto) and Michael Blake’s Blake Tartare (Stunt).

— Worthy statements by Dave Douglas (Meaning and Mystery), Dave Holland (Critical Mass) and Brad Mehldau (House on Hill).

— Kenny Garrett’s voice-supplemented music on his Nonesuch release Beyond the Wall, which struck me as akin to Geri Allen’s unorthodox use of gospel choir on Timeless Portraits and Dreams (Telarc).

— Two albums inspired by the New York subway system: Randy Sandke’s Subway Ballet (Evening Star) and the Metta Quintet’s Subway Songs (Sunnyside).

— John Abercrombie’s appearances on Mark Egan’s As We Speak (Wavetone); Kenny Wheeler’s It Takes Two! (CAM Jazz); and the Chesky release Structures, with Eddie Gomez and Gene Jackson.

— Hank Jones’s appearances on Eddie Daniels’s Mean What You Say (IPO); One More: The Summary—Music of Thad Jones, Vol. 2 (IPO); the Chesky release West of 5^th with Christian McBride and Jimmy Cobb; and Hank and Frank, with Frank Wess, on Ilya Lushtak’s new Lineage label.

— Don Byron’s foray into modern classical composition with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, on A Ballad for Many (Cantaloupe); also his tribute to Motown legend Junior Walker, Do the Boomerang (Blue Note).

— Two strong showings by pianist/keyboardist Carl Maguire: the quartet release Floriculture (Challenge) and the experimental electronica of the trio Ergo, featuring Maguire with trombonist Brett Sroka and drummer Damion Reid (Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005 [Actuator]).

Best Debut Albums
Francisco Mela, Melao (AYVA Music)
Reuben Rogers, The Things I Am (Renwick)
Jason Rigby, Translucent Space (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Jon De Lucia, Face No Face (Jonji Music)
Gilad Hekselman, Splitlife (Smalls)

Notable Non-Jazz Releases
Elvis Costello & Allan Toussaint, The River in Reverse (Verve Forecast)
Brazilian Girls, Talk to La Bomb (Verve Forecast)
Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind (Music Maker)
Wilco, Kicking Television (Nonesuch)
OutKast, Idlewild (LaFace/Zomba)
Flaming Lips, At War with the Mystics (Warner Bros.)
The Roots, Game Theory (Island Def Jam)
Jurassic 5, Feedback (Interscope)
Prefuse 73, Security Screenings (Warp)
Kronos Quartet, Mugam Sayagi: Music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (Nonesuch)
Toumani Diabate’s Symmetric Orchestra, Boulevard de l’independence (Nonesuch)
Saint Etienne, Tales from Turnpike House (Savoy)
Groove Collective, People People Music Music (Savoy)
Chad Vangaalen, Skelliconnection (Sub Pop)
Beck, The Information (Interscope)
Squarepusher, Hello Everything (Warp)
J Dilla, Donuts (Stones Throw)
J Dilla, The Shining (BBE)
Salif Keita, M’Bemba (Decca)
DJ Logic, Zen of Logic (Ropeadope)
Donald Fagen, Morph the Cat (Reprise)
Martin Denny, The Best of Martin Denny’s Exotica (Capitol)
Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia)
Jerry Douglas, The Best Kept Secret (Koch)
Heernt, Locked in a Basement (Sunnyside)
Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche (Asthmatic Kitty)
Thom Yorke, The Eraser (XL)