Have yourself a Merry - and jazzy - Christmas

Best wishes to you, your families and friends for a very Merry Christmas 2017, joyous New Year - and hopeful 2018 - from the Jazz Notes staff.  
A toast to you all as we share some vintage musical cheer from among our holiday favorites. Raise your glass, whatever your favorite libation!
The holiday season would not be complete without the delightful animated video of The Drifters’ doo-wopping their way through “White Christmas” with feeling. This animated cartoon by Joshua Held is excellent - and quite special.

CDs of Note – Short Takes

Taking a look at new CDs by Rahsaan Barber, Ernesto Cervini, Gary Meek, Marcus Monteiro, the Lewis Porter/Phil Scarff Group, Jeff Rupert with Veronica Swift, and San Francisco String Trio….

This edition empties the Jazz Notes review bin for 2017. These autumn arrivals caught my ear. 

T'is the season...

Guitarist Nate Najar loves the Christmas season. He brought his annual Jazz Holiday concert program to Sarasota FL on Friday, December 15, one night after the same sextet performed at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg.

Nate Najar

Najar was joined by John Lamb on bass, Mark Feinman on drums, James Suggs on trumpet, Jeff Rupert on tenor sax and special guest Chuck Redd on vibes.

Chuck Redd

Most of the concert featured instrumental holiday fare - done with a jazz twist, of course . They included "Mistletoe & Holly," "Winter Wonderland" and "Angels We Have Heard on High," among others.

Highlights included ex-Ellington bassist Lamb's feature on Duke's "Love You Madly," in which he played duo segments with each other band member, and Redd's vibes feature on the 1953 Eartha Kitt hit "Santa Baby."

A bebopper through and through

Greg Abate

Greg Abate got hooked on the 1950s hard-bop style that evolved from bebop, and he has made himself a career of bringing that intense sound to audiences across the U.S. and around the globe. Much like two other alto sax players with whom he has recorded, Richie Cole and the late Phil Woods, Abate developed into one of the genre's significant modern ambassadors.

He brought that sound to the Charlotte County Jazz Society's concert series in Port Charlotte FL on Monday, December 11, for a high-powered quartet performance. His Florida rhythm section included Richard Drexler on piano, Steve Gilmore on bass and Barry Smith on drums.

This was Rhode Island native Abate's fifth visit to Port Charlotte in nine concert seasons - and it was memorable for the way the band clicked throughout the night. Each player got significant solo space and made the most of it.

Looking back at 2017'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 always 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 below (aside from top 10 new songs of the year) were submitted to the Jazz Times, Jazz Journalists’ Association and NPR Music 2016 compilations (the latter is the annual Francis Davis-produced poll that previously was published by The Village Voice and Rhapsody.com).

As I begin preparing my review of significant events and trends in jazz in 2017 for posting on allaboutjazz.com, I thought I'd share my "best of 2017" lists. *Always keep in mind the above caveats.

The 10 best new jazz releases of 2017

1.   Jimmy Scott, I Go Back Home (Eden River)

2.   Hudson, Hudson (Motéma)

3.   Matt Wilson, Matt Wilson’s Honey and Salt (Palmetto)

4.   Jeff Rupert and Richard Drexler, Imagination (Rupe Media)

5.   Ingrid and Christine Jensen, Infinitude (Whirlwind)

6.   Benedikt Jahnel Trio, The Invariant (ECM)

7.   Yoko Miwa Trio, Pathways (Ocean Blue Tear Music)

8.   Joachim Kühn New Trio, Beauty & Truth (ACT)

9.   Gary Meek, Originals (self-produced)

10. University of Northern Colorado Jazz Lab Band I, The Romeo and Juliet Project (Artist Alliance)

   

2017’s best vocal recording:

Jimmy Scott, I Go Back Home (Eden River)

The best historical/reissues of 2017 (includes any recordings made over 10 years ago, whether newly released or reissued):
 

1.  Wes Montgomery / Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin’ in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse (1966) (Resonance)

2.  Thelonious Monk, Les Liaisons Dangerouses 1960 (Sam/Saga)

3.  The Three Sounds featuring Gene Harris, Groovin’ Hard: Live at the Penthouse 1964-1968 (Resonance)

4.  Nat King Cole Trio, Swiss Radio Days Vol 43 – Zurich 1950 (TCB)

5.  Art Pepper, Art Pepper Presents West Coast Sessions! Vol. 3: Lee Konitz (Omnivore)

2017’s best Latin/Brazilian jazz recordings:

1.  Eliane Elias, Dance of Time (Concord Jazz)

2.  Ignacio Berroa, Straight Ahead from Havana (Codes Drum)

3.  Antonio Adolfo, Hybrido – From Rio to Wayne Shorter (AAM)

4.  Steve Khan, Backlog (Tone Center)

5.  Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Septet, Diablo en Brooklyn (Saponegro)

The 10 best new compositions from CDs released in 2017, listed alphabetically:   

• Ambrose Akinmusire, “Withered” from A Rift in Decorum (Blue Note)
• Lili Añel, “Another Place, Another Time” from Another Place, Another Time (Wall-I)
• Roxy Coss, “Free to Be” from Chasing the Unicorn (Posi-Tone)
• Jack DeJohnette, “Song for World Forgiveness“ from Hudson (Motéma)
• Akua Dixon, “Let’s Dance” from Akua’s Dance (Akua’s Music)
• Miles Donahue, “The Bug” from The Bug (Whaling City Sound)
• Art Hirahara, “Kin-Ka: Gold Coin” from Central Line (Posi-Tone)
• John Hollenbeck, “The Kiss” from University of Northern Colorado Jazz Lab Band I, The Romeo and Juliet Project (Artist Alliance)
• Benedikt Jahnel, “The Circuit” from The Invariant (ECM)
• Mike Longo, “Only Time Will Tell” from Mike Longo Trio, Only Time Will Tell (Consolidated Artists Productions)

Al Hixon knows talent when he hears it

Al Hixon, John Lamb

It's almost a rite of passage for newly arrived jazz musicians in Southwest Florida. Those who have resettled from northern climates or are wintering here quickly find their way to15 South Ristorante Entoteca, a restaurant on toney St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota. On Monday night's, of course. That's when drummer Al Hixon holds his weekly jam sessions upstairs in a crowded room.

He's been holding his weekly jams for a total of 27 years in Sarasota since retiring as a land use planner in New England and moving south to nearby Longboat Key, and has hosted the Monday night jams in season (October through May). at 15 South for nine years. Al is a gracious and congenial host at his jams.