Best Jazz Albums of the 2000s

[bwv 1080]

John Scofield - Uberjam
Roy Hargrove / RH Factor - Hard Groove
Nils Petter Molvær - Hamada
Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up
Nomo - Invisible Cities

[king ubu]

some top favourites, not a thought-out and sorted list:

2017

Eve Risser/Benjamin Duboc/Edward Perraud - En Corps/Generation
(that trio's first album is just as great!)

Lee Konitz - frescalalto
(a lovely late work by the grumpy grandmaster)

Eric Mingus, David Amram, Larry Simon, Groove Bacteria - Langston Hughes: The Dream Keeper
(an engaging and fascinating tribute to one of America's greatest poets)


2016

my list from last year - a very strong one, these are just the top-rated albums (guess the Braxton could get the full five as well):

1. Anthony Braxton - Ao Vivo Jazz Na Fábrica * * * *1/2
2. Wadada Leo Smith - America's National Parks * * * *1/2
3. Barry Guy - Tensegrity: Blue Shroud Band Small Formations * * * *1/2
4. Ellery Eskelin/Christian Weber/Michael Griener - Sensations of Tone * * * *1/2
6. Roscoe Mitchell - Sustain and Run (Ao Vivo Jazz Na Fábrica) * * * *1/2
7. Wadada Leo Smith/Vijay Iyer - A Cosmic Rhythm with Eath Stroke * * * *1/2
9. Mark Dresser Seven - Sedimental You * * * *1/2
10. Eric Revis - Crowded Solitude * * * *1/2
Masabumi Kikuchi - Black Orpheus * * * *1/2
Ralph Alessi - Quiver * * * *1/2
Tyshawn Sorey - The Inner Spectrum of Variables * * * *1/2
Carate Urio Orchestra - Ljubljana * * * *1/2
Pascal Niggenkemper - Talking Trash * * * *1/2
Poing & Maja S. K. Ratjke - Kapital & Moral * * * *1/2
Joelle Léandre - Can You Hear Me? * * * *1/2
Jack DeJohnette - In Movement * * * *
Barry Guy - The Blue Shroud * * * *
Andrew Cyrille - The Declaration of Musical Independence * * * *
Bobby Bradford/Hafez Modirzadeh - Live at the Open Gate * * * *
Eve Risser's White Desert Orchestra - Les Deux versants se regardent * * * *
Ran Blake - Chabrol Noir * * * *
Canto General Featuring Louis Moholo - Rebel Flames * * * *
Thomas Borgmann - One for Cisco * * * *
Steve Swell/Gebhard Ullmann/Fred Lonberg-Holm/Michael Zerang - The Chicago Plan * * * *
Evan Parker & Alexander Hawkins - Leaps in Leicester * * * *
Randy Weston - The African Nubian Suite * * * *
Fire! - She Sleeps, She Sleeps * * * *
Julie Kjaer - Dobbeltgaenger * * * *
Jean-Marc Foltz/Stéphan Oliva - Gershwin * * * *
Tony Malaby - Incantations Suite * * * *
John Lindberg BC3 - Born in an Urban Ruin * * * *
Allen Lowe Presents: In the Diaspora of the Diaspora - A Day in Brooklyn, at Ibeam * * * *
Harris Eisenstadt - Old Growth Forest * * * *
Joe Lovano - Classic! Live at Newport * * * *
Aruán Ortiz - Hidden Voices * * * *
Nels Cline - Lovers * * * *
Carla Bley/Andy Sheppard/Steve Swallow - Andando el Tiempo * * * *


2015

same as for 2016, a very strong year as well:

Maria Schneider - Thompson Fields * * * * *
Schnellertollermeier - X * * * * *
Roscoe Michell - Celebrating Fred Anderson * * * *1/2
Stephen Haynes - Pomegranate * * * *1/2
Irene Schweizer/Han Bennink - Welcome Back * * * *1/2
Jack DeJohnette - Made in Chicago * * * *1/2
Bobby Bradford/Frode Gjerstad - The Delaware River * * * *1/2
Elina Duni - Dallëndyshe * * * *1/2
Henry Threadgill Zooid - In for a Penny, in for a Pound * * * *1/2
Convergence Quartet - Owl Jacket * * * *1/2
Vijay Iyer - Break Stuff * * * *1/2
Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter 3: River Run Thee * * * *1/2
Alexander Hawkins Trio * * * *1/2
Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House - Roulette of the Cradle * * * *1/2
Allen Lowe - We Will Gather When We Gather (In the Diaspora of the Diaspora) * * * 1/2
Matthew Shipp Chamber Ensemble - The Gospel According to Matthew & Michael * * * *1/2
Ran Blake - Ghost Tones * * * *
Allen Lowe - Man with Guitar: Where's Robert Johnson? (In the Diaspora of the Diaspora) * * * *
Allen Lowe - Ballad for Albert (In the Diaspora of the Diaspora) * * * *
Chico Freeman/Heiri Känzig - The Arrival * * * *
Allen Lowe - When a Cigarette Is Smoked by Ten Men (In the Diaspora of the Diaspora) * * * *
Peter Brötzmann/Jason Adasiewicz - Mollie's in the Mood * * * *
Matthew Shipp - Matthew Shipp Plays the Music of Allen Lowe * * * *
Marilyn Crispell/Gerry Hemingway - Table of Changes * * * *
Mark Helias Open Loose - The Signal Maker * * * *
Oliver Lake/William Parker - To Roy * * * *
Géraldine Laurent - At Work * * * *
Kenny Wheeler - Songs for Quintet * * * *
Ulrich Gumpert - A New One * * * *
Tim Berne's Snakeoil - You've Been Watching Me * * * *
Mycale - Gomory: Book of Angels Volume 25 * * * *
Stephan Crump/Mary Halvorson - Emerge * * * *
Matana Roberts - always. * * * *


2014

same exercice again ... a year I didn't listen to that much jazz ... and these lists miss albums from the same years that I only explored later:

Bobby Bradford/Frode Gjerstad Quartet - Silver Cornet (Nessa) * * * *1/2
Allen Lowe - Mulatto Field Recordings: 1-4 (Or: A Jew At Large In The Minstrel Diaspora) * * * *1/2
Louis Moholo-Moholo Quartet - 4 Blokes (Ogun) * * * *1/2
Peter Brötzmann/Jason Adasiewicz/John Edwards/Steve Noble - Mental Shake (otoroku) * * * *1/2
Jemeel Moondoc - The Zookeper's House (Relative Pitch Records) * * * *
Ran Blake - Cocktails at Dusk: a Noir Tribute to Chris Connor (Impulse) * * * *
Louis Moholo-Moholo Unit - For the Blue Notes (Ogun) * * * *
Paul Bley - Play Blue (ECM) * * * *
Joe Sachse/Nils Wogram - Free and Tremendous (jazzwerkstatt) * * * *
Otomo Yoshihide/Sachiko M/Evan Parker/Tony Marsh/John Edwards/John Butcher - Quintet/Sextet/Duos (otoroku) * * * *


2013

Peter Brötzmann - Long Story Short (Trost) * * * * *
Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (Constellation) * * * *1/2
Peter Brötzmann & Steve Noble - I Am Here Where Are You (Trost) * * * *1/2
Alexander Hawkins - Song Singular (Babel) * * * *1/2
Maria Pia de Vito/François Couturier/Anja Lechner/Michele Rabbia - Il Pergolese (ECM) * * * *1/2
Roscoe Mitchell - Duets with Tyshawn Sorey and Special Guest Hugh Ragin (Wide Hive) * * * *1/2
Randy Weston & Billy Harper - The Roots of the Blues (Universal) * * * *1/2
Stephan Oliva - Vaguement Godard (Illusions) * * * *
Jim Alfredson's Dirty Fingers - A Tribute to Big John Patton (Big O) * * * *
Art Pepper/Warne Marsh - Art 'n' Warne (Widow's Taste, DL only) * * * *
Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton - Live at Maya Recordings Festival (NoBusiness) * * * *
The Convergence Quartet - Slow and Steady (NoBusiness) * * * *
John Tchicai/Charlie Kohlhase/Garrison Fewell/Cecil McBee/Billy Hart - Tribal Ghost (NoBusiness) * * * *
Kidd Jordan/Alvin Fielder/Peter Kowald - Trio and Duo in New Orleans (NoBusiness) * * * *
Elton Dean/Paul Dunmall/Paul Rogers/Tony Bianco - Remembrance (NoBusiness) * * * *
Natalie Dessay/Michel Legrand - Entre elle et lui: Natalie Dessay chante Michel Legrand (Erato) * * * *
Wayne Shorter - Without a Net (Blue Note) * * * *
Dupree - Nuesto Camino (Public Hi-Fi) * * * *
Billy Bang - Da Bang! (TUM) * * * *
Nicole Mitchell - Aquarius (Delmark) * * * *
Peter Evans - Zebulon (More Is More) * * * *


some top favourites from the two latest decades:

Elina Duni (singer)
Colin Vallon (pianist)
Alexander Hawkins (pianist)

I guess not all of their respective discographies are great, but the ECM albums by Duni (and her two earlier ones as well) and Vallon (as well as his one on hatOLOGY, maybe still his best!) are all excellent. Hawkins plays with Louis Moholo ("4 Blokes" on Ogun is very good, as is the duo album by the two), the Convergence Quartet (I know their NoBusiness albums as well as the one on Clean Feed, all worth hearing, maybe the latest one is my favourite, LP only on NoBusiness) and has released a few under his own name, from which I think I prefer the one solo album.

I also very much enjoy the strand of European improvisation that the likes of Joachim Badenhorst, Eve Risser, Frantz Loriot, Pascal Niggenkemper and others are releasing on Clean Feed. There seems to be a new stream of projects that share a love for the ensemble (without restricting the individual), which I really enjoy. This applies to Eve Risser's 2016 large group album (listed above - she has a great solo album out on Clean Feed as well, and then there's the two high-energy ones with Duboc/Perraud that are both outstanding) as well as to the Carate Urio Orchestra (one album listed above, two more just bought at their amazing concert a week ago) or the 7eme continent project by Niggenkemper, but also to smaller units such as "Baloni" (which is Badenhorst, Loriot and Niggenkemper).

Also, French pianist Stéphan Oliva, listed in one of the above annual listings, is a big favourite. His first releases date back to the 90s, but I think he found his own voice somewhat later, getting rid or reducing the strong Bill Evans influence on the way. His music is moody, open, often quiet.


An older list put together around seven years ago and not running up to that very point, had these as post-millenium favourites - I could use this and the above as a basis if I had the time to think, re-listen and all that (which alas I don't have right now). There's Atomic in the list, and I have just started exploring some of their more recent releases. "Lucidity" certainly is outstanding! Also The Thing should be mentioned, with their debut of their sophomore album (which adds Joe McPhee, a big hero of mine) ... or maybe with "The CherryThing", their boundary-breaking album with Neneh Cherry. Some of the tracks there are outstanding, but somehow it paled a bit after a dozen or so listens, and it's been a while since I played it at all. And if we're going there, there's also D'Angelo with his outstanding "Black Messiah" (2014), and then there's Kendrick Lamar with "To Pimp a Butterfly" (2015), its low-profile follow-up "untitled unmastered." (2016) and his latest "Damn" (2017) - outstanding stuff! And yeah, of course it's relevant in a jazz discussion!


Sonny Rollins - This Is What I Do (Milestone 2000)
Irene Schweizer - Chicago Piano Solo (Intakt 2000)
Cecil Taylor - The Willisau Concert (Intakt 2000)
Eric Watson - Full Metal Quartet (Owl 2000)
Gianni Gebbia - Arcana Major/Sonic Tarots Session (Rastascan 2001)
Carlo Actis Dato - Istanbul Rap (yvp 2002)
Derek Bailey - Ballads (Tzadik 2002)
Erik Friedlander - Maldoror (Brassland 2002)
Irene Schweizer & Pierre Favre - Ulrichsberg (Intakt 2003)
Atomic - The Bikini Tapes (Jazzland 2004)
Jacques Coursil - Minimal Brass (Tzadik 2004)
Richard Galliano - Ruby, My Dear (Dreyfus 2004)
Septeto Rodriguez (Roberto Juan Rodriguez) - Baila! Gitano Baila! (Tzadik ca. 2004)
Belmondo & Yusef Lateef - Influence (B Flat 2005)
Don Friedman - From A to Z (Act 2005)
David Liebman / Richie Beirach / Ron McClure / Billy Hart - Redemption: Quest Live in Europe (Hat 2005)
Paul Shapiro - It's In the Twilight (Tzadik 2005)
Colin Vallon - Ailleurs (Hat 2006)

[SimonNZ]

Best Jazz albums:
1. One More Time
2. Live at Jazzfestival Saalfelden
3. Impressions of Tokyo
4. Live at the Village Vanguard

So thats Chick Corea, David S Ware and Richie Beirach. But whose Village Vanguard album?