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The Most Exciting Jazz Albums since 1969: 2020-2023
by Robert Middleton
In the 72 Jazz Thrillers series we've gone from 1969 to 2023, an expansive 54-year journey. From the jazz vanguard of Bitches Brew to the dynamic movie soundtrack of Roy's World, from the sublime guitar of Bill Frisell to the singing guitar of Charlie Ballantine, the thing that all these jazz albums have in common is ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums Since 1969: 2017-2020
by Robert Middleton
As we start to wind down to the 72nd jazz thriller, in our penultimate collection of half a dozen jazz thrillers this week, it becomes clear that brilliant, compelling music comes in all shapes and sizes. From an understated quartet from Germany to an Aaron Parks masterpiece, all of these albums deserve a place in the ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums Since 1969: 2015-2017
by Robert Middleton
This week's thrilling albums are a rather obscure lot; four of them hail from Europe and one from Canada. But like all the thrilling albums that preceded them, they possess that elusive quality that keeps you engaged, offering a new discovery with each subsequent listen, ensuring their staying power and ability to seduce your soul over ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums Since 1969: 2011-2014
by Robert Middleton
What ties the albums together on our ninth installment of 72 Jazz Thrillers is the depth of emotion. Two joyous albums are followed by troubles, grace, exultation and deep sadness--albums from one of the greatest jazz composers of her age to a ramshackle bar band with a wild sense of humor. 72 Thrilling Jazz ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums since 1969: 2009-2011
by Robert Middleton
The six jazz thrillers for this week are widely diverse--from a big band outlier, a soaring two-sax front line and an expression of the ideas from an esoteric teacher. What they all have in common are their thrilling cohesiveness, gripping rhythms and compelling melodies. 72 Thrilling Jazz Albums, Part 8: 2009-20011 43 Infernal ...
The Most Exciting Jazz albums since 1969: 2006-2009
by Robert Middleton
If there were one word to describe these six thrilling albums, it would be “atmospheric." Each of them settles into its own unique and memorable soundscape. Stylistically, they are all very different, but if you listen closely to them, you'll quickly grasp their musical and emotional messages. They'll transport you to their rarefied worlds with their ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums since 1969: 2001-2005
by Robert Middleton
These six jazz thrillers from the first years of the 21st-century journey to wonderful and exotic locations with music that moves and grooves. All six albums feature influences from Middle Eastern, African, and Asian traditional music. They are all very visual in that they conjure up exotic vistas and locations, such as caravans and oases in ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums Since 1969: 1998-2000
by Robert Middleton
The recurring theme in the fifth installment of 72 Jazz Thrillers is Middle Eastern music represented by John Zorn's Bar Kokhba Sextet, Either/Orchestra's Ethiopian Suite, and Mark Gross's Riddle of the Sphinx. Middle Eastern music often features complex rhythmic patterns, such as compound time signatures and intricate polyrhythms. Jazz musicians have drawn inspiration from these rhythms, ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums since 1969: 1996-1998
by Robert Middleton
The albums featured in the fourth installment of 72 Jazz Thrillers are from some of the most famous and accomplished bandleaders in all of jazz. The artists featured here, some with careers of as long as 60 years and half of whom are still living and recording, made albums that prove the timelessness of jazz. From ...
The Most Exciting Jazz Albums Since 1969: 1995-1996
by Robert Middleton
Many people cite 1959 as one of the greatest years in jazz. Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia Records), Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic Records), Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet (Columbia Records), John Coltrane's Giant Steps (Atlantic Records), and Mingus Ah Um (Columbia Records) by Charles Mingus were the Jazz ...
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