Mark Corroto’s Best Releases of 2012

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the death of jazz have been greatly exaggerated. 2012 has been an outstanding year for jazz and improvised music. Here is a list of some of the best.

Stephen Gauci Thunk! (Not Two Records)

Matt Wilson/Arts & Crafts Attitude For Gratitude (Palmetto)

Rivers/Holland/Altschul Reunion: Live In New York (Pi Recordings)

Angles 5 By Way Of Deception (Clean Feed)

Steve Lehman Dialect Fluorescent (Pi Recordings)

New Zion Trio Fight Against Babylon (Veal Records)

Smith/Moholo-Moholo Ancestors (TUM Records)

Federico Ughi Songs For Four Cities (Skycap Records)

Elliott Sharp Aggregat (Clean Feed)

Rodrigo Amado Burning Live ( JACC)

Trio M The Guest House (Enja Records)

Aram Shelton Everything for Somebody ( Singlespeed)

Jason Stein Quartet The Story This Time ( Delmark)

Neneh Cherry/The Thing The Cherry Thing (Smalltown Superjazzz)

Rich Halley 4 Back From Beyond (Pine Eagle)

Zanussi 13 Live ( Moserobie)

Ivo Perelman The Foreign Legion (Leo Records)

Kullhammar/Aalberg Basement Sessions Vol.1 (Clean Feed)

Harris Eisenstadt Canada Day III ( Songlines)

Josh Berman/His Gang There Now (Delmark)