1. Kamasi Washington - The Epic
Enough has been written in the media about this album that most of it does not need to be repeated here. I think it is a singular effort and will go down as one of the best for its time. If it brings a lot of people back to jazz, good for Kamasi and good for jazz, but I don't really care about that. I care about the music. He has created a three disc album that never devolves into shredding for shredding's sake; is cohesive; can be listened to in pieces but is better from beginning to end; and makes you feel at the end is if you have been taken on a very satisfying journey. It has spiritual Coltrane-esque passages, fusion and great interplay between players, not to mention beautiful balladry. Five stars and Album of the Year.
"ReRun Home" Live on KCRW
2. Bad Plus Joshua Redman
The Bad Plus is my favorite jazz band, they consistently push the boundaries of what a piano/bass/drums jazz band can do, and I love every one of their albums. But when I heard they were releasing an album with saxophone player Joshua Redman, I wondered if it would measure up to their other albums. I had seen them play with him in the past and it was a great show, but it seemed like he was playing his riffs over their music, and vice versa. Fun live, but I was't sure if it would translate to an album. I was more than pleasantly surprised. This album sounds as if the four of them have been playing together for ten years. They are a band, and it is a fully realized and cohesive album. The playing is great as always, but it is the songs themselves that makes this such an enjoyable listen. I love the way the piano works with the horn, love the way the drums go from jazz to rock and back again and love the way the music flows. Would have been Album of the Year if not for Kamasi.
"As This Moment Slips Away"
As someone who came to jazz through progressive rock and fusion, (albeit a long time ago), I tend to like the more composed, less jammy/shreddy form of jazz music. Not that I don't love a good quartet with saxes blowing down the house or jaw dropping piano runs, I just seem to default to song structure and melody over outright displays of chops. The next set of albums are more or less in the same class and make up the best of this year's jazz albums.
3. Tigran Hamasyan - Mockroot
I saw this described as "Metal Jazz" and while that is a stretch to my ears, I do love the bombast, big drums, prog textures and meters and Armenian Folk singing!
"Road Song" Live
4. Antonio Sanchez - The Meridian Suite
Best known as Pat Metheny's drummer and for his percussive soundtrack to the the movie "Birdman,"Antonio Sanchez made an impressive artistic statement with The Meridian Suite that I have enjoyed for the last few months. It was released simultaneously with "Three Times Three" a 3CD set of trio recordings that is also very strong. But this album really struck me because of its jazz/fusion/prog feel. I like the fact that he is also a Berklee trained pianist but wrote a lot of the riffs on the drums then transposed them to piano. The creative mind blows me away some times!
Meridian Suite Trailer
5. Dylan Howe - Subterranean, New Designs on Bowie's Berlin
Dylan is the son of Steve Howe. the guitarist from Yes, one of the greatest prog bands. Yet the story goes that he only ever wanted to play jazz after seeing Buddy Rich as a kid. This is a wonderfully creative jazz take on Bowie's Berlin period, with a great version of "Warszawa" from "Low."
"Warszawa"
Here are two local bands that made the LA Weekly's list this year, and I really enjoyed both albums.
6. Josh Nelson - Exploring Mars
Another piano-based, jazz prog album that is fully realized, spacy and interesting.
"Exploring Mars"
7. Kneebody and Daedelus - Kneedelus
This band sounds a bit like BadBadNotGood, one of my favorite bands from last year (and 2015 concert of the year contender), but with more electronics. Another jazz prog album that is interesting all the way through.
Live Collaboration
8. Perez, Patitucci and Blade - Children of the Light
Wayne Shorter's band of 10 years, each an all star in his own right. Brian Blade plays drums like no one else on the planet. So good...
"Children of the Light"
9. Vijay Iyer - Break Stuff
Downbeat's favorite artist, wins best artist every year. Not sure if I always agree, but damn this is a strong album!
Break Stuff Trailer
10. Mark Giuliana Jazz Quartet - Family First
Great jazz album from one of the best young drummers in music. He blew me away last year in the electronic prog/jazz duo with Brad Mehldau but this album comes from the other side of the music spectrum, acoustic jazz ... They do an amazing version of the reggae song "Johnny Was" on this album that is worth the price on its own!
Family First Live
Speaking of Brad Mehldau ...
He released "10 Years Solo" - a 5-1/2 hour, 33 song solo piano masterwork this year. That's an awful lot of solo jazz and classical piano, even for me. But, there are some moments on this collection that are truly spellbinding and goose bump inducing. He's been my favorite jazz pianist for a while now and the dude can really play.
Brad Mehldau Live 2010
Here are my favorite rock albums of the year, (sigh). I wish there were more!
Facemeat - Questions for Men
Now this is a fun and exciting album! Not for the timid or for those who do not like the music of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa. This is avant garde rock music for today with funny, profane lyric, lots of horns and guitar and a real "fuck you" attitude.
"Compliments to your Band"
Le Butcherettes - A Raw Youth
The front woman, Teri Gender Bender is one of the most exciting performers in all of music. This band plays a very raw form of Art Punk, and with this album they focused more on songwriting with great results.
A Raw Youth Trailer
Esmerine - Lost Voices
A combination of chamber music and electronic rock, this album is atmospheric without being boring and has some stirring passages filled with emotion and a bit of prog bombast. Just the way I like my chamber music!
"A River Runs through this City"
Fidlar - Too
Finally some punk rock! Gere and I saw them open for Off! at the Whiskey a couple years back and were really impressed with their songs and attitude. They've become a local big deal since then and deservedly so. This is their second album, made after the singer finished rehab, neither of which is generally a good thing but surprise, its a good album!
"40 oz on Repeat"
