December 25-31, 2003

music

Top 10 Jazz 2003

by Nate Chinen

Andrew Hill

Passing Ships

(BLUE NOTE)

Recorded in 1969, this just-unearthed nonet session not only sheds new light on Hill's ambitious Blue Note experiments, it also foreshadows his post-millennial renaissance. Intricate, intimate and ceaselessly engaging, this music fills a niche few knew existed.

Wayne Shorter

Alegría

(VERVE)

Now universally hailed as one of jazzdom's prime composers, Shorter has only ripened with age. Here he commands a shape-shifting ensemble of orchestral dimensions, and the results are luminous. Jazz has rarely seen such an intelligent appropriation of classical and world influences -- or such a personal invocation.

Jason Moran

The Bandwagon

(BLUE NOTE)

At 28, Moran stands as one of the most proficiently gifted musicians of his generation. This album, recorded live at the Village Vanguard, captures the rapacious energies of his trio (Tarus Mateen and Nasheet Waits, on bass and drums respectively). Steeped in history but unquestionably contemporary, their explorations embody all that's great about jazz in our time.

Tim Berne

The Sublime And. Sciencefrictionlive

(THIRSTY EAR)

Last year's Science Friction (Screwgun) was a triumph; this live documentation, on two discs, furthers the cause. Berne is a daredevil colorist, and this ensemble -- with keyboardist Craig Taborn, guitarist Marc Ducret and drummer Tom Rainey -- perfectly distills his conceptual essence. For adventurous listeners, it's essential; for everyone else it's just a very good idea.

Art Ensemble of Chicago

Tribute to Lester

(ECM)

Lester Bowie was the Art Ensemble's liveliest spark, so it stands to reason that this posthumous tribute resonates with life and wit. Incredibly loose yet never formless, these open improvisations demonstrate the magic of long-standing interplay and spiritual rapport.

The Bad Plus

These Are The Vistas

(COLUMBIA)

Their rock covers endeared them to the glossy press. But the real triumph of this collaborative trio was its compositional prowess -- whether in the sprawling novellas of Reid Anderson, the conceptual exercises of Ethan Iverson or the impregnable ditties of David King. Look out for their next one, Give, this spring.

Vljay lyer

Bloood Sutra

(ARTISTS HOUSE)

Iyer has been a critical favorite for a few years now, but never before have his ideas found so articulate an expression. Together with this year's operatic epic, In What Language? (Pi), Blood Sutra reveals the pianist's acute sensitivity to theme and variation, and his experimental yet ever-accessible approach.

Dave Douglas

Freak In

(BLUEBIRD)

Douglas knocked one out of the park this year with this electro-acoustic project, a modern distillation of rock-era Miles Davis and his immediate peers. Variously thorny, lyrical or in-your-face, this album proved once again how the F-word (fusion) can be a very good thing.

Ron Miles Quartet

Laughing Barrel

(STERLING CIRCLE)

Miles is probably the most underrated trumpeter in jazz, and this session finds him on top of his game. Imbued with a wide-open prairie sensibility, the repertoire occupies a distinctively American space. Miles' tone is gorgeous, his interplay with guitarist Brandon Ross is happily elastic and his melodic gift is always at center stage. This album deserves far more attention than it received.

Dave Holland Quintet

Extended Play: Live at Birdland

(ECM)

It's almost a given that any DHQ record will top critical lists. Yet on this live double disc, the bassist outdoes himself: There's nary a dull moment here, and his band demonstrates a rare and timeless cohesion. Thoughtfully groovy and sharply exploratory, this music speaks for itself.