Of the nearly 200 performances I attended in 2008, here are the 25 that defined my year, in chronological order:
1. Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society North
IAJE Conference, Toronto
January 10
2. Orchestra 2001, Pierre Boulez’s
Le marteau sans maître
Swarthmore College
January 27
3. PIMA Group, Look!
Dance/performance art piece
Powel House, Philadelphia
February 3
4. Wayne Krantz Trio
Chris’s Jazz Café, Philadelphia
February 8
5. Tim Berne’s Bloodcount
International House, Philadelphia
February 10
6. Matt Davis’s Aerial Photograph
Tritone, Philadelphia
February 28
7. Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures
Painted Bride, Philadelphia
March 1
8. Wayne Shorter Quartet
Kimmel Center, Philadelphia
March 28
9. Jack Quartet, Helmut Lachenmann’s
Grido and Gran Torso string quartets
Irvine Auditorium, Philadelphia
April 7
10. The Roots
Festival Pier, Philadelphia
June 7
11. Tartit
Batha Museum, Fes Festival of World Sacred Music
Morocco
June 10
12. Nass El Ghiwane
Bab Boujloud, Fes Festival of World Sacred Music
Morocco
June 14
13. Brian Blade Fellowship
Village Vanguard
June 18
14. Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley Duo
Village Vanguard
July 20
15. Brinsk/Interplay
Sci Fi Philly at Gojjo, Philadelphia
July 27
16. Daniel Blacksberg’s Synthesis Music/
Matt Davis Solo Guitar/Aram Shelton’s Arrive
Gershman Y, Philadelphia
July 30
17. Herculaneum
Sci Fi Philly at Gojjo, Philadelphia
August 24
18. Roy Hargrove Quintet
Detroit Jazz Festival
August 31
19. Adam Rudolph’s Go: Organic Orchestra
Roulette
November 10
20. Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet
Jazz Standard
November 19
21. Meat Beat Manifesto
Bowery Ballroom
November 19
22. Ravi Coltrane Quartet
Village Vanguard
November 20
23. Miguel Zenón’s Plena Project
Jazz Gallery
December 4
24. Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale,
Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphonie
Carnegie Hall
December 14
25. Steve Lehman Octet
Jazz Gallery
December 20
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