The Most Exciting Jazz Albums Since 1969: 1983-1994

In the first installment of Jazz Thrillers, I reviewed six albums from 1969 to 1983, one of which, Bitches Brew, has been thrilling millions for more than a half century. This week, I'll showcase six more jazz thrillers recorded between 1983 to 1994. One thing about this collection, spanning eleven years, is its amazing diversity of styles. All these thrillers are completely different, one-of-a-kind jazz masterpieces. I'll present them chronologically and do my best to give you a sense of why I find them so thrilling.

72 Thrilling Jazz Albums, Part 2: 1983-1994

7

Bass Desires
Marc Johnson
ECM
1983

Bassist, Marc Johnson was the leader of this genre-breaking quartet with two of the most celebrated jazz guitarists of all time, John Scofield and Bill Frisell. Scofield had already recorded ten previous albums but Frisell had only recorded two. The combination was incendiary.

Peter Erskine, took the drum chair soon after the final Weather Report album, This Is This. Even if all the rest of the songs on this album sucked (they don't), this would still be a memorable album solely due to the inclusion of the opener, "Samurai Hee-Haw." Like a theme for a Japanese Western, the guitarists trade licks and runs that still astound. Then Coltrane's "Resolution" explodes with the most stunning version since the original. The remaining songs touch on the roots of blues, rock and folk. The sound and the masterful interaction of Scofield and Frisell remain breathtakingly thrilling years later.

8

Changeless
Keith Jarrett
ECM
1987

The Keith Jarrett Standards Trio featuring Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, put out about 20 albums over a 31-year period. But one of the few albums including no standards was "Changeless." It is ecstatic groove music of the highest order consisting of four long compositions from nine to 15 minuntes in length. "Dancing" kicks off the sacred celebration where you can almost see druids prancing around Stonehenge. "Endless" is quieter, darker, a solemn prayer for peace. "Lifeline," a chilly, breezy autumn day on the banks of the Hudson River. "Ecstacy" is a meditation inward of quiet intensity. An album you can play forever and still hear and feel new worlds.

But, wait there's more. On the 1995 six-album, "At the Blue Note," the penultimate song on the sixth album, after six and one half hours of priceless standards, is the 28-minute "Desert Sun" in the same, Changeless style. Possibly the peak of Jarret's trio performances, it's a majestic march of enraptured triumph. Add this to your digital version of Changeless, and you have one of the most rapturous albums ever recorded. Thrilling would be underselling it.

9

The Dark Tree
Horace Tapscott
HatHut
1989

Recorded live, the double album The Dark Tree is one intense, emotional jazz album quite unlike any other. Tapscott's rhythmic pounding of the keyboard conjures images of magical, juju music. The Dark Tree, according to Lord of the Rings lore, is "the deification of the Dark Powers, whose Shadow plagues Middle-earth. It refers to the ever-returning threat of evil to the Free Peoples." Now, whether or not this was Tapscott's intention, who knows? But one could almost listen to it as a battle against these dark forces. It is emotional power personified. The piano trio provides the brooding atmosphere and relentless groove, while clarinetist, John Carter, offers a lyrical counterpoint that tempers the intensity. A truly thrilling masterpiece.

10

Al-Jadida
Rabih Abou Khalil
Enja
1991

Rabih Abou Khalil, a true virtuoso of the Middle Eastern oud, has recorded two dozen consistently exceptional albums. But what makes him different than other oud players is his association with several jazz musicians over the years. Al-Jadida, one of the first in that genre, teams up with Sonny Fortune on soaring alto sax. The first cut, "Catiana" is a barn-burner with an infectiously delirious rhythm. Like most of these thrilling albums, every song is good to great. From Arabian-style love songs to chases through moonlit desert nights, Khalil's mind-boggling oud solos will have you weaving and swaying to the music. Oregon's bassist, Glen Moore, provides a steady groove supported by dynamic Middle Eastern percussion. Also check out Khalil's Blue Camel featuring Kenny Wheeler and Charlie Mariano.

11

African Sunrise
Randy Weston
Antilles
1992

"African Cookbook," the opener to this stellar album has been recorded many times by Randy Weston, but this version, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest songs in the jazz canon. Is it the bass line, the interweaving of reed instruments, or Weston's percussive piano? At 17 minutes, it's a long and winding journey with nary a boring moment. Weston, after several years immersed in be-bop, started incorporating African elements into his music. In 1967 he toured Africa, with a last stop in Morocco, where he settled in Tangier and opened and ran the African Rhythms Club for five years. The music of Africa deeply infuses his music and African Sunrise may be the pinnacle of that powerful, soulful influence.

12

Going Back Home
Ginger Baker
Atlantic
1994

Cream's explosive drummer, Ginger Baker, was, at heart, a jazz musician. Too bad he didn't make more jazz albums as this is one of the finest ever recorded. In a trio with Bill Frisell and Charlie Haden, the group is as tight and dynamic as a well-oiled machine. With three originals by Baker, three by Haden, two by Frisell, and a standard each by Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman, the album grooves, rocks and swings like mad. And every song is a stone-cold gem. Frisell's guitar is the main attraction with stunningly melodic earworms; Baker bashes away with precision and abandon, and Haden's rock-steady bass keeps every song in the groove. Their synergy makes for one of the most listenable and thrilling jazz albums ever recorded.

Next week

Six more thrilling, must-own jazz albums from Charlie Hunter in 1995 to David Murray in 1996. That was a mind-blowing time for jazz.

To see all the albums in this series, scroll down the page and click on the blue MORE button.

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