Finally, we have made it to the end of this fine year. Below is a smattering of the finest recordings to come my way this year, along with links to the reviews. This list is separate from my Top Ten List, which will be derived from those below.

Deanna Witkowski—Wide Open Window
New York pianist/singer/composer Deanna Witkowski is perhaps the leading prot駩 of the famous Cuban pianist Chucho Vald鳮 That alone should make most folks stand up and take notice. Her Kheaon Records debut, Wide Open Window, should make the remainder rise. Her music potently reveals the influence of Vald鳬 but this influence in no way smothers Witkowski's considerable talent. Continue...

Roland Hanna—Everything I Love
Detroit native Roland Pembrooks Hanna (b. 2/10/1932; d. 11/13/2002) began his professional career in 1958 when he joined Benny Goodman's band for a concert in Belgium. The conservatoire-trained pianist provided his services to Sarah Vaughan, Al Hibbler, Carmen McRae, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and Charles Mingus. In 1970, President William Tubman of Liberia honored Hanna with knighthood for humanitarian services — henceforth, Sir Roland Hanna. Continue...

Carrie Smith/Roland Hanna—I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues
Three types of creative authority that each spring from the same muse characterize this disc. First is the vocal authority of Carrie Smith. Second is the piano talent of the late Sir Roland Hanna. And finally, third is the lyric prowess of Harold Arlen. Continue...

Carlos Barbosa-Lima—Natalia
Guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima's previous Khaeon release, Mambo No. 5 was touted as one of the best releases of 2001. Mr. Barbosa-Lima opts for a smaller group this time, performing many of the selections solo or in duet with fellow label-mates John Benitez or Gustavo Colina on bass. Natalia picks up where Mambo No.5 left off, pursing a twentieth-century repertoire from Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The common uniting element is, of course, the selection's heavily Latin character. Jobim, Savio, Lara, Torres are all represented with an encore of the Webber/Rice crowd pleaser, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." Continue...

Ron Miles—Laughing Barrel
Trumpeter Ron Miles is a bit of jazz anomaly, in that he has taken to shunning the urban genres of jazz. His recent releases are all about wide-open spaces and Americana. Nowhere is this better heard than on his Sterling Circle debut, Heaven (Sterling Circle SCS 151, 2002). On this record from last year, Miles dueted with guitarist Bill Frisell, giving a quaint, homespun touch to original efforts as well as earthen treatments of Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A gonna Fall" and Hank Williams (the only ONE) "Your Cheatin' Heart." The pair extended that same touch to "Stompin' At the Savoy" and Monk's "We See." Continue...

Marcus Miller—The Ozell Tapes
Marcus Miller is the Paul Chambers of the electric bass. His recordings possess the same bass- leadership as Mr. PC, reflecting the spirit in the title of one of Chambers' 1950s Blue Note releases, Bass on Top. Miller mixes a potent brew of originals and modern jazz classics to produce a sumptuously funky meal of what is certainly not smooth jazz. To my conservative ears, Miller simply picked up where he left off with Miles on Tutu. He is most certainly a virtuoso, but not so troublesome as Jaco Pastorious. Miller is a traditionalist in that, like Jaco, he never abandoned the modest four-string electric bass for its sexier multi-string cousins. More than that, Miller continues to use the Fender Jazz flavor. I would simply define Mr. Miller's musical approach as no bullshit. Continue...

Rene Marie—Live at the Jazz Standard
The biggest surprise perhaps on Rene Marie's inaugural live recording is the conspicuous absence of her controversial reading of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" and the traditional "Dixie" in medley from her last MAXJAZZ recording Vertigo (MXJ114, 2001). To Marie's credit, she does cover her previously covered "How Can I Keep From Singing" (the title of her initial MAXJAZZ release). Stunning in this release is Ms. Marie's beautiful coupling of Ravel's "Bolero" and Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne." This daring association alone (the "Dixie/Strange Fruit" union not withstanding) qualifies Marie as a front-line jazz singer. Continue...

John LaPorta—I Remember Woody
The self-produced I Remember Woody was put together by educator, composer, and musician John LaPorta in honor of his former employer, the famed big band leader Woody Herman. If there ever was an independently produced recording that cried out for broader distribution, this is the one. Firmly conventional without being stodgy, traditionally swinging without being boring, I Remember Woody is a mainstream dream with a swing fan's heart. In his liner notes, LaPorta conjures the names of Ellington, Basie, and Herman in the same breath. Continue...