The event horizon for jazz is set at infinity. There is no shortage of finely crafted music being performed within this uniquely American and pragmatically international genre. This year is about baker's dozens. No, make that Bailey's dozens.

Presented here are links to 14 reviews of what I considered the best recordings released between December 2007 and December 2008. Allowing that no writer can listen to or write about the bulk of the music released, 14 more reviews have been added, written by colleagues at All About Jazz, of discs the column was unable to review or that were reviewed more tellingly by other writers.

We have an embarrassment of riches among both jazz (and related) recordings released in 2008 and the writers writing about them. We should celebrate them both.

Maceo Parker
Roots and Grooves
Heads Up International
2008

In jazz, the term swing is used to describe that special thing that makes jazz jazz... continued

Connie Evingson
Little Did I Dream: Songs by Dave Frishberg
Minnehaha Music
2008

The late Tip O'Neill once said, all politics is local. This certainly can be said for jazz also... continued

The Ellis Marsalis Quartet
An Open Letter to Thelonious
elm music
2008

Pianist Thelonious Monk is jazz's biggest enigma. Called the high priest of bebop, the jazz Monk composed and performed was anything but... continued

Art Pepper
Art Pepper: Unreleased Art, Vol. III; The Croydon Concert, May 14, 1981
Widow's Taste
2008

Laurie Pepper, widow of alto saxophonist Art Pepper, has single-handedly made the most significant contribution to her late husband's legacy... < continued

Uri Caine
The Othello Syndrome
Winter and Winter
2008

Pianist Uri Caine, in his own unique way, surveyed music from the classical era with The Classical Variations (Winter and Winter, 2008)... continued

Trio West
An Upper Westside Story
Yummy House Records
2008

Tobias Gebb and Trio West debuted on disc with < Trio West Plays Holiday Songs (Yummy House Records, 2007)... continued

Perez
It's Happenin'
Zoho Music
2008

Diana Perez is the new voice of this bunch, in spite of the fact she has been actively performing as both actor and vocalist for several years... continued

The Roy Hargrove Quintet
Earfood
a target=_blank href=http://www.emarcy.com/>Emarcy
2008

Trumpeter Roy Hargrove emerged into jazz consciousness as one of the young lions who beamed into the late 1980s and early 1990s... < continued

The Carla Bley Big Band
Appearing Nightly
Watt
2008

Bandleader and musical provocateur Carla Bley is the Hector Berlioz of jazz. Her command of her large ensembles is complete and potent... < continued

The James Moody and Hank Jones Quartet
Our Delight
Ipo Records
2008

Are there any other two jazz musicians whose presence on a recording gives it more urbanity and class than pianist Hank Jones and reed player James Moody... < continued

Lee Konitz and Minsarah
Deep Lee
Enja Records
2008

Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz (born 1927) is only one of two living musicians out of the original twelve who took part in... continued

Corey Christiansen
img hspace=12 align=left vspace=2 border=1 width=100 height=100 src=/coverart/2008/connieevingson.jpg /> Connie Evingson
Little Did I Dream: Songs by Dave Frishberg
Minnehaha Music
2008

The late Tip O'Neill once said, all politics is local. This certainly can be said for jazz also... continued

The Ellis Marsalis Quartet
An Open Letter to Thelonious
elm music
2008

Pianist Thelonious Monk is jazz's biggest enigma. Called the high priest of bebop, the jazz Monk composed and performed was anything but... continued

Art Pepper
Art Pepper: Unreleased Art, Vol. III; The Croydon Concert, May 14, 1981
Widow's Taste
2008

Laurie Pepper, widow of alto saxophonist Art Pepper, has single-handedly made the most significant contribution to her late husband's legacy... continued

Uri Caine
The Othello Syndrome
Winter and Winter
2008

Pianist Uri Caine, in his own unique way, surveyed music from the classical era with The Classical Variations (Winter and Winter, 2008)... continued

Trio West
An Upper Westside Story
Yummy House Records
2008

Tobias Gebb and Trio West debuted on disc with Trio West Plays Holiday Songs (Yummy House Records, 2007)... continued

Perez
It's Happenin'
Zoho Music
2008

Diana Perez is the new voice of this bunch, in spite of the fact she has been actively performing as both actor and vocalist for several years... continued

The Roy Hargrove Quintet
Earfood
Emarcy
2008

Trumpeter Roy Hargrove emerged into jazz consciousness as one of the young lions who beamed into the late 1980s and early 1990s... continued

The Carla Bley Big Band
Appearing Nightly
Watt
2008

Bandleader and musical provocateur Carla Bley is the Hector Berlioz of jazz. Her command of her large ensembles is complete and potent... continued

The James Moody and Hank Jones Quartet
Our Delight
Ipo Records
2008

Are there any other two jazz musicians whose presence on a recording gives it more urbanity and class than pianist Hank Jones and reed player James Moody... continued

Lee Konitz and Minsarah
Deep Lee
Enja Records
2008

Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz (born 1927) is only one of two living musicians out of the original twelve who took part in... continued

Corey Christiansen
Roll With It
Origin Records
2008

If jazz is America's soundtrack, periodically updated by tonal seismic shifts, then Corey Christiansen's third release, Roll With It... continued

Bill Cunliffe
The Blues and the Abstract Truth, Take 2
Resonance Records
2008

Oliver Nelson (1932-1975) was a saxophonist, arranger, and composer who seemed everywhere in the 1960s... continued

Don Hales
Unified String Theory
Chicken Coup Records
2008

Guitarist Don Hales is one of those jazz musicians almost too good to be true, one who has had a lengthy local career who finally bobs to the surface with a head-turning release... continued

Enough from the C. Michael Bailey 2008 archive. Here is a Bailey's dozen of reviews by other All About Jazz writers:

Carla Bley
The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu
Watt
2008
Reviewed by John Kelman

Once Carla Bley finds musicians she likes, she sticks with them. Bassist Steve Swallow, also Bley's life partner, dates back... continued

Gov't Mule
Holy Haunted House
Independent
2008
Reviewed by Doug Collette

It's hardly a surprise that Gov't Mule performed Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy (Atlantic, 1973) in its entirety in sequence on Halloween, 2007... continued

James Carter
Present Tense
Emarcy
2008
Reviewed by Greg Camphire

Multi-reedist James Carter has been steadily chugging along as a master of many instruments and styles since his auspicious recording... continued

Marcin Wasilewski trio
January
ECM
2008
Reviewed by Chris May

With January, pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz step out of the benign shadow of... continued

Tim Hagan
Alone Together
Pirouet Records
2008
Reviewed by Budd Kopman

Just as the term jazz is notoriously hard to define, so are many terms within its world including mainstream... continued

Enrico Rava / Stefano Bollani
The Third Man
ECM
2008
Reviewed by Laurel Gross

Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava and pianist Stefano Bollani have been collaborators for more than a dozen years... continued

Jessica Williams
Deep Monk
Red and Blue Records
2008
Reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

Do we really need another tribute to Thelonious Sphere Monk? Everybody who is anybody in the jazz game has put a Monk song on an album... continued

Corey Wilkes
Drop It
Delmark Records
2008
Reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

It was in 2002 that Corey Wilkes (trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet) made his presence on the Chicago jazz scene... continued

Bryan Beninghove
Organ Trio
Self Published
2008
Reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

Bryan Beninghove puts a different spin on the jazz trio. Instead of piano or guitar with bass and drums, he heads a sax-organ-drums combo... continued

Roy Assaf and Eddy Khaimovich quartet
Andarta
Origin Records
2008
Reviewed by John Barron

Pianist Roy Assaf and bassist Eddy Khaimovich are true musical soul mates. Much like the legendary partnerships of saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie... continued

Sonny Rollins
Road Shows, Vol. 1
Doxy
2008
Reviewed by Mark Corroto

The sound of saxophonist Sonny Rollins is unmistakable. Instantly recognizable when he plays just one note... continued

Gene Harris
Live in London
Concord Records
2008
Reviewed by Jim Santella

A never-before-release can be of great value or it can be entirely forgettable. this live session from London, featuring veteran pianist Gene Harris with a stellar quartet... continued

Julia Hulsmann Trio
The End of a Summer
ECM
2008
Reviewed by John Kelman

Why do some artists achieve popularity in their own country and fail to make an impression elsewhere, while others cross that boundary with apparent ease?... continued

Jeff Beck
Performing This Week...Live at Ronnie Scott's
Eagle Rock Entertainment
2008
Reviewed by Doug Collette

Performing This Week... Live at Ronnie Scott's, recorded during a 2007 run at the renowned London club, is guitarist Jeff Beck's first release on the Eagle label... continued

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