BEST RELEASES AND NOTABLE RELEASES OF 2019

The lists below are my choices from the 500 or so CDs that I received for review in 2019. 

Nota bene: All of my choices are in alphabetical order by artist and thus are equally rated. 

10 BEST NEW RELEASES 

  • Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science, Waiting Game (MOTEMA MUSIC, LLC) 

  • Anat Cohen Tentet, Triple Helix (Anzic Records LLC)

  • The Diva Jazz Orchestra, Diva & The Boys (MCG Jazz) 

  • Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Bobby Kapp, Ineffable Joy (Esp Disk Ltd.)

  • Scott Robinson, Tenormore (Arbors Records)

  • Jim Robitaille, View from Within (Whaling City Sound)

  • Marcus Shelby Orchestra, Transitions (MSO Records)

  • Tyshawn Sorey and Marilyn Crispell, The Adornment Of Time (Pi Recordings) 

  • Carol Sudhalter, Live At Saint Peter's Church (Alfa Music) 

  • Rodney Whitaker, All Too Soon (Origin Records)

3 BEST REISSUE OR HISTORICAL 

  •  Louis Armstrong, Live In Europe (Dot Time Records)

  • Betty Carter, The Music Never Stops (Blue Engine Records) 

  •  Buddy Rich, Just In Time: The Final Recording (Gearbox Records)

 BEST VOCAL RELEASE

  • Calabria Foti, Prelude To A Kiss (MoCo Records) 

BEST DEBUT RELEASE

  • John Yao's Triceratops, How We Do (See Tao Recordings)

BEST LATIN JAZZ RELEASE

  • Pablo Lanouguere Quintet, Eclectico (PabloLanouguere.com)  

NOTABLE RELEASES OF 2019 

  • Casey Abrams, Jazz (Chesky Records)

  • Lolly Allen, Coming Home (Oa2)

  •  Eric Alexander, Eric Alexander With Strings (Highnote)

  •  Dave Bass, No Boundaries (Whaling City Sound)

  • Dee Bell, Lins, Lennox, & Life (Laser Records LLC)

  • Ray Blue, Work (Jazzheads) 

  • Joe Bonamassa, Live At The Sydney Opera House (J&R Adventures) 

  • Terrence Brewer & Pamela Rose, Don't Worry 'Bout Me: Remembering Ella & Joe (Strong Brew Music) 

  • Katerina Brown, Mirror (Mellow Tones Music) 

  • Dewa Budjana, Mahandini (Moonjune Records)

  • Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme (Justin Time Records)

  • Peter Clark, 20-man Music Machine (Summit) 

  • Jordon Dixon, On! (Self-produced) 

  •  Leon Lee Dorsey, Monktime (Jazz Avenue 1 Records)

  •  Hermine Deurloo, with Steve Gadd, Riverbeast (Zennez Records)

  •  Echoes of Swing with Rebecca Kilgore, Winter Days at Schloss Elmau (Act Records) 

  • Bill Evans in England (Resonance Records) 

  • Five Play, Live from the Firehouse Stage (Diva Jazz Orchestra, Ltd.)

  • Mimi Fox, This Bird Still Flies (Origin Records) 

  • Friction Quartet, Spark (Innova Records)

  • Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan, Epistrophy (ECM)

  • Hal Galper Trio, Zone: Live At The Yardbird Suite (Origin Records) 

  • Trevor Giancola , Sonnet 18 (TQM Recording Co.)

  • Gerry Gibbs, Alex Collins, Gianluca Renzi, Our People (Whaling City Sound)

  • Francesco Guerri, Su Mimmi Non Si Spara! (Rarenoise Records)

  • Zac Harmon, Mississippi Barbq (Catfood Records)

  • Gerry Hemingway, Reality Axis: The music of Sarah Weaver performed by Gerry Hemingway (Sync Source) 

  • Ian & Sylvia, The Lost Tapes (Stony Plain)

  • Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Big Band Holidays II (Blue Engine Records) 

  • Jennifer Leitham, Remnants Of Humanity (JenniferLeitham.com)

  • Roger Kellaway, The Many Open Minds of Roger Kellaway (feat. Bruce Forman & Dan Lutz) (IPO Recordings) 

  • Nancy Kelly, Remembering Mark Murphy (SubCat) 

  • Roberto Magris Sextet (Roberto Magris, Ira Sullivan, Shareef Clayton, Mark Colby, Jamie Ousley, Rodolfo Zuniga), Sun Stone (JMood Records) 

  • Matej Meštrovic, 3 Rhapsodies for Piano & Orchestra (Navona)

  • Allison Miller & Carmen Staaf, Science Fair (Sunnyside)

  • Amanda Monaco, Pirkei Avot (RMI Records) 

  • New Black Eagle Jazz Band, Missing Pieces (BlackEagles.com)

  • New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Music of Allen Toussaint (Storyville Records)

  • Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion, Because We're Night People (PetraSings.com)

  • The OBJB Quartet, Bamako (Tum Records) 

  • Tish Oney & The John Chiodini Trio, The Best Part (Blujazz) 

  • Ed Palermo Big Band, A Lousy Day In Harlem (Sky Cat Records)  

  • Diana Panton, A Cheerful Little Earful (Independent Label Services, Inc./ Diana Panton.com)

  • Evan Parker, Concert in Vilnius (NoBusiness Records)

  • Tom Pierson, Last Works (Self-produced/https://tompierson.bandcamp.com/album/last-works) 

  • Roberta Piket, Domestic Harmony: Piket Plays Mintz (Thirteenth Note Records)

  • Noah Preminger Group, Zigsaw: Music of Steve Lampert () 

  • The OHJB Quartet, Bamako (Tum Records)

  • Prism Quartet—Uri Cane, The Book of Days (XAS Records)

  • Rachael & Vilray, Rachael & Vilray (Nonesuch) 

  • Javier Red’s Imagery Converter, Ephemeral Certainties (Delmark)

  • Joshua Redman Quartet, Come What May (Nonesuch) 

  • Sam Rivers, Zenith (NoBusiness Records)

  • ROVA (Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt, Bruce Ackley), Saxophone Diplomacy (Hathut Records)

  • Adam Rudolph and Go Organic Orchestra, A Garland of Ragas (Meta)

  • Catherine Russell, Alone Together (Dot Time) 

  • Johnny Shines, The Blues Came Falling Down - Live 1973 (Omnivore Recordings)

  •  Wadada Leo Smith, Rosa Parks: Pure Love (Tum Records)

  •  Lyn Stanley, London Calling: A Toast To Julie London (A.T.Music LLC)

  •  Tierney Sutton Band, Screenplay (Bfm Jazz)

  •  Mark Turner, Gary Foster, Putter Smith, and Joe La Barbara, Mark Turner Meets Gary Foster (Capri Records)

  •  University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra, Embargo (fmua/U of T Jazz)

  •  Various Artists, New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires (Esp Disk Ltd.)

  •  Ernie Watts, Home Light (Flying Dolphin)

  •  Mark Wingfield & Gary Husband, Tor & Vale (Moonjune Records)

  •  Paul Winter Consort, Everybody Under the Sun - Voices of Solstice, Vol. 1: The Singers (Living Music)

  •  WJ3 All Stars, Lovers and Love Songs (Wj3 All Stars) 

  •  Eric Wyatt, Golden Rule for Sonny (Whaling City Sound)

  •  Yes! Trio, Featuring Ali Jackson & Aaron Goldberg & Omer Avital, Groove du Jour (Jazz & People)

  •  Nora York & Jamie Lawrence, Swoon (Nora York & Jamie Lawrence)

  •  Miguel Zenón, Sonero: The Music of Ismael River (Miel Music)