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Channel: Jazz Journalists Association 2015 'Best of' Jazz from JJA Members

Hrayr Attarian

Top 5 New Releases of 20151.     Rudresh Mahanthappa “Bird Calls”  (ACT) 2.     Vijay Iyer “Break Stuff” (ECM) 3.     Kris Davis Infrasound “Save Your Breath” (Clean Feed) 4.     Amir ElSaffar and the...

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Ken Franckling

The 10 best new jazz releases of 20151.    Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Thompson Fields (artistShare) 2.    Jason Miles/Ingrid Jensen, Kind of New (Whaling City Sound) 3.    Jimmy Greene, Beautiful...

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Howard Mandel

These are the "best" records of 2015 for me in that they continue to hold and repay my interest. They're all superbly realized, expressive and conceptualized in ways that appeal to me personally, but I...

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John Szwed

Best New Releases:Ran Blake.  Ghost Tones: Portraits of George Russell.  A-SideVijay Iyer.  Break Stuff.  ECMRudresh Mahanthappa.  Bird Calls.  ACTNate Wooley.  Dance to the Early Music.  Clean...

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Alex W. Rodriguez

New ReleasesVijay Iyer, Break StuffKamasi Washington, The EpicJosh Nelson, Exploring MarsAmir El Saffar, CrisisJohn Hollenbeck, Songs We Like a LotSteve Coleman, Synovial JointsJ.D. Allen,...

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Karl Ackermann

10 best New ReleasesPLS.trio: East River (Echo Chamber)Rob Mazurek: Alternate Moon Cycles (International Anthem RecordingCompany)Wayne Horvitz: Some Places Are Forever Afternoon (Songlines...

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David R. Adler

New Releases: 1. Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)2. Vijay Iyer Trio, Break Stuff (ECM)3. Julian Lage, World’s Fair (Modern Lore) 4. Matt Mitchell, Vista Accumulation (Pi)5....

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Marcela Breton

New Releases:Leny Andrade and Roni Ben-Hur “Alegria de Vivir” (Motema)Tony Bennett w/Bill Charlap, “The Silver Lining : the Songs of Jerome Kern” (RPM/Columbia)Eliane Elias, “Made in Brazil”...

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Steve Feeney

1) Matt Mitchell - Vista Accumulation (PI)2) Kamasi Washington- The Epic (Brainfeeder)3) Maria Schneider Orchestra - The Thompson Fields (artistShare)4) Dave Douglas - Brazen Heart (Greenleaf)5) Brad...

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Ralph A. Miriello

My Ten Best This YearChris Dingman’s : The Subliminal and the SublimeJD Allen’s : GraffittiCharlie Hunter Trio : Let the Bells Ring OnJose James : Yesterday I Had the BluesJohn Fedchock New York Big...

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David Hajdu

New Releases 1. Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare) 2. Steve Coleman and the Council of Balance, Synovial Joints (Pi) 3. Jen Shyu and Jade Tongue, Sounds and Cries of the World...

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Nick Bewsey

Best/Favorite Jazz Recordings of 2015Kamasi Washington The Epic (Brainfeeder)Maria Schneider, The Thompson Fields (artistShare)Ben Williams Coming Of Age (Concord Jazz)Jose James, Yesterday I Had The...

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Jim Wilke

Here are some of my favorite releases of 2015, the ones I really enjoy listening to and find new layers each time I hear them. The Maria Schneider album is tops in ANY category in my book. Full...

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Bill Milkowski

Albums of the Year Rudresh Mahanthappa, Bird Calls (ACT)                                                          Dave Douglas Quintet, Brazen Heart (Greenleaf Music)...

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Nancy Barell

My 10 best for 2015 in no particular order:Dena DeRose "We Won't Forget You" HighNote RecordsChris McNulty "Eternal" Palmetto RecordsTony Bennett and Bill Charlap "The Silver Lining" RPM/Columbia...

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Philip Booth

My favorite jazz discs of 2015NEW RELEASESArturo O'Farrill, Cuba: The Conversation Continues (Motéma)Cecile McLorin Salvant, For One to Love (Mack Avenue)Snarky Puppy, Sylva (Impulse!)John Scofield,...

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Rusty Hassan

Among my favorite recording of 2015 are these ten in no particular order: Stanley Cowell  Juneteenth   Vision Fugitive Jack DeJohnette  Made In Chicago    ECMGeorge Cables    In Good Company...

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Geoffrey Himes

GEOFFREY HIMESTWENTY BEST JAZZ ALBUMS: 1.     Rudresh Mahanthappa: Bird Calls (ACT)2.     The Maria Schneider Orchestra: The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)3.     Charles Lloyd: Wild Man Dance (Blue...

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W. Royal Stokes

Nota bene: All of my choices are in alphabetical order by artist and thus are equally rated.10 BEST NEW RELEASESMichael Gibbs & the NDR Big Band, Play A Bill Frisell Set List (CUNEIFORM...

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Bob Protzman

Just a brief comment. In what has been arguably the most violent year in many of our lifetimes, there seems to have been at least a slight trend in jazz toward making more melodic, orchestral-like,...

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Rick Mitchell

This past spring, I began doing a radio program called Jazz In the New Millennium, based on the title of the book I published in 2014. Each one-hour show focuses on an individual living jazz artist....

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Steve Monroe

My Best of List for 2015:J.D. Allen, "Graffiti"Amina Figarova, "Blue Whisper"Rudresh Mahanthappa, "Bird Calls"Gil Evans, "Lines of Color"Charles McPherson, "The Journey"Todd Marcus, "Blues for...

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Scott Yanow

Here is my list of the Top 30 Jazz Recordings Of 2015. Of course there were many more than 30 rewarding CDs released in the past year and even a list of 300 would still only tell part of the story....

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Travis Rogers, Jr.

The Jazz Owl Favorites of 2015It was an amazing year of great music from astonishing musicians. So many great vocalists and so very many great debut albums. This was the most difficult year, so far. If...

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Mirian Arbalejo

10 Favorites Of 201510 works that dignify music and therefore the existence of those who listen:THE THOMSON FIELDS. Maria Schneider Orchestra. ArtistShareTO DUKE. Matthew Shipp Trío. RogueArtAHMAD...

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Laurence Donohue-Greene

Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor (The New York City Jazz Record)BEST NEW RELEASES (2015)*Charles Lloyd - Wild Man Dance (Blue Note)*Jack DeJohnette - Made in Chicago (ECM)*Mary Halvorson -...

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Perry Tannenbaum

The Best of 2015New Releases1.    Terell Stafford – Brotherlee Love (Capri)2.   Harold Mabern – Afro Blue (Smoke Sessions)3.   The Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble – Circulation: The Music of Gary...

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Adam Baruch

2015 New Releases BALDYCH, ADAM / LIEN, HELGE / TRIO - BRIDGES - ACT 9591 CD BODTKER, ELLEN / VOLD, JAN ERIK - SOMMEREN DER UTE - LOSEN 150 CD BONES - BONES - LEO 743 CD CHOJNACKI, ZBIGNIEW -...

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