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John Sharpe's Best Releases Of 2018
by John Sharpe
Here are 12 new releases which stood out among the 200 or so discs that I heard this year, in no particular order. It's worth noting that Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii set herself the challenge to release a CD every month during 2018, to mark the milestone of her 60th birthday. Her output has been so ...
2018's best jazz recordings
‘Tis the season for the outpouring of Top 10 lists, and their many variations, for jazz, world events, etc. The jazz lists tend to have a lot of variation depending on the individual reviewer's personal tastes, as well as what he or she listened to during the year.* Bottom line, all are extremely subjective. These choices ...
Chris May's Best Releases of 2018
by Chris May
After decades in the shadow of its American parent, 2018 is the year in which British jazz is finally coming of age. A growing community of London-based musicians is emerging with a unique aesthetic which reflects both the Caribbean and African musical heritages of the majority of its vanguard players and also such locally created styles ...
Mark Corroto's Top Ten (Ok Fifteen) of 2018
by Mark Corroto
Another trip around the sun. In the AllAboutJazz universe, the stars were especially bright this year. Which is a good thing, unless you are like me, trying to pare down a huge list of favorites to just ten. At that task, I've failed once again. So here are my 15 favorite recordings of 2018 in no ...
Doug Collette's Best Releases of 2018
by Doug Collette
It wasn't hard in the least to compile a 'Best of...' list for 2018. The titles were self-evident as they rolled out, with almost clockwork regularity, over the course of the twelve months, ultimately comprising what I kept going back to most often during the year, enjoying each one more (and in a slightly different way) ...
Geno Thackara's Best Releases of 2018
by Geno Thackara
Despite (or in defiant response to) the difficulties of the streaming age, 2018 has seen another musical bumper crop--especially for those of us who particularly love the sound of the piano. There were enough top-notch offerings to make a list at least twice as long, but these have been the most frequent and satisfying staples in ...
Friedrich Kunzmann's 2018 Top 5: A fine year for the ECM catalogue
by Friedrich Kunzmann
When looking back at the year one won't find more peace or joy than on the musical side of things. For in this realm there are nor real losers. Here, disappointment is relative and success is all over the place because everyone is trying to be their best possible selves, constantly on a path of self-improvement ...
C. Michael Bailey's Best Releases of 2018
by C. Michael Bailey
The Pocket Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Stangel Beethoven Revisited Symphonies 1-9 One thing that can be bragged on regarding Beethoven's nine symphonies is their artistic durability and persistence. As the pinnacle of Western Musical thought, we might not expect any less of this music, seemingly forged in humanity's collective unconscious, as well ...
Dan McClenaghan's Best Releases Of 2018
by Dan McClenaghan
The music keeps moving forward, evolving to higher levels. My search for the best jazz recordings of 2018 led me to these marvelous CDs. Satoko Fujii Satoko Fujii Solo Libra Records A person's sixtieth birthday serves as a milestone, more so in Japan--where it is referred to as Kanreki"--than elsewhere. ...
Troy Dostert's Best Releases of 2018
by Troy Dostert
2018 was a terrific year for imaginative, well-executed recordings that cover the spectrum of instrumental configurations in creative jazz and freely improvised music. From Susana Santos Silva's mesmerizing solo trumpet to Ingrid Laubrock's formidable orchestra (and everything in between), the following choices are a cross-section of some of the best the year had to offer. Something ...