Home » Jazz Articles » Year in Review » Dan McClenaghan's Top Ten List for 2004

346

Dan McClenaghan's Top Ten List for 2004

By

Sign in to view read count
#1. Maria Schneider Orchestra A Concert in the Garden ArtistShare

A lush, gorgeous, soaring set of sounds. You could get into the "is it classical or is it jazz" argument, but don't. Just listen.

#2. Charlie Haden (with Gonzalo Rubalcala) Land of the Sun Verve

An understated and shamelessly beautiful set of songs from (mostly) Mexican composer Marroquin.

#3. Jeff Johnson Near Earth Origin Records

Bassist Johnson leading a bass/sax/drums trio on a melodic and approachable free set that feels spirtually salubrious. Music distilled to its pure essence.

#4. Jerry Gonzalez Y Los Piratas Del Flamenco Jerry Gonzalez Y Los Pirata Del Flamenco Sunnyside

An odd but captivating mix of American jazz, with Jerry Gonzalez' trumpet, and gypsy flamenco. Spare, simple and simply lovely.

#5. Steven Bernstein Diaspora Hollywood Tzadik

Jazz with a Jewish tinge; a murky, wee hours atmosphere with lots of muted trumpet/bass clarinet musings. Berstein has crafted a dark, different and very interesting sound here.

#6. Raphe Malik, Joe McPhee and Donald Robinson Sympathy Boxholder Records

Malik's trumpet conversing with McPhee's pocket trumpet and soprano sax, in a fairly cordial manner, all things considered. This is definitely "out there," but in a facinatingly measured way.

#7. Satoko Fujii Trio Illusion Suite Libra Records

Pianist Satoko Fujii's best work is either with her quartet or her trio. It's hard to decide. This one makes a case for her trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black. The thirty-four minute title track is a sprawling, energizing and always surprising masterpiece of free jazz.

#8. Fred Hess Quartet The Long and Short of It Tapestry Records A freewheeling pianoless quartet (sax/trumpet/bass/drums) blowing with an energetic abandon, superb chops, high spirits and humor.

#9. Jody Sandhaus A Fine Spring Morning Consolidated Artists Productions

A gorgeous voice and flawless delivery on some well-chosen lesser-known songs from the pens of some of the better-known songwriters, with wonderfully understated piano trio accompaniment. It's been a fantastic year for lady vocalists, but this is the finest I've heard this year.

#10. Matt Jorgenson + 451 Hope Origin Records

Two saxophones and a rhythm section sounding mainstream and modern at the same time, with covers of Coldplay and Mingus tunes, along with some forward-looking originals

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Jazz article: Dave Linn's Favorite Albums Of 2023
Jazz article: Ludovico Granvassu's Garden of Jazzy Delights 2023
Jazz article: Popular Jazz Songs: 2023
Year in Review
Popular Jazz Songs: 2023
Jazz article: Most Read Articles: 2023
Year in Review
Most Read Articles: 2023

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.