Music Year 2008

Of course, it's too early for a year-end list. But as the proto-fascist organization of my youth insisted, one should always be prepared. For records in hand, * identifies an advance copy, ** something borrowed. % indicates an album with a 2007 release date that appeared here as new in 2008 -- these are mostly imports or self-releases and often hard to figure out, but there was no reasonable way they could have been considered in 2007.

I keep adding to the 2007 until the end of calendar 2008, especially where the record was known to exist in 2007 and I'm just getting around to it.

New Records

William Parker: Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM Fidelity)
The Roots: Rising Down (Def Jam)
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin: Holon (ECM)
The Mountain Goats: Heretic Pride (4AD) **
Rob Brown Ensemble: Crown Trunk Root Funk (AUM Fidelity)
Hayes Carll: Trouble in Mind (Lost Highway)
Vandermark 5: Beat Reader (Atavistic)
Drive-By Truckers: Brighter Than Creation's Dark (New West) **
Scott Fields Freetet: Bitter Love Songs (Clean Feed)
Old 97's: Blame It on Gravity (New West) **
The Roy Campbell Ensemble: Akhenaten Suite (AUM Fidelity)
Vijay Iyer: Tragicomic (Sunnyside)
Les Amazones de Guinée: Wamato (Sterns Africa) **
James McMurtry: Just Us Kids (Lighting Rod) **
Orchestra Baobab: Made in Dakar (Nonesuch)
Tokyo Police Club: Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek) **
Kris Davis: Rye Eclipse (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Steve Reid Ensemble: Daxaar (Domino)
Mike Ellis: Bahia Band (Alpha Pocket)
The B-52s: Funplex (Astralwerks) **
Ben Allison & Man Size Safe: Little Things Run the World (Palmetto)
Cassandra Wilson: Loverly (Blue Note)
Liz McComb: The Spirit of New Orleans (GVE/Sunnyside)
The Gust Spenos Quartet: Swing Theory (Swing Theory)
Dick Hyman/Chris Hopkins: Teddy Wilson in 4 Hands (Victoria) %
Satoko Fujii Trio: Trace a River (Libra)
No Age: Nouns (Sub Pop) **
Scott DuBois: Banshees (Sunnyside)
Dave Douglas & Keystone: Moonshine (Greenleaf Music)
Maceo Parker: Roots & Grooves (Heads Up, 2CD)
Steven Bernstein: Diaspora Suite (Tzadik)
Mary Lou Williams: A Grand Night for Swinging (1976, High Note)
Duke Robillard: A Swingin' Session With Duke Robillard (Stony Plain)
Radiohead: In Rainbows (TBD)
Paul Shapiro's Ribs and Brisket Revue: Essen (Tzadik)
Robert Forster: The Evangelist (Yep Roc) **
Toumast: Ishumar (Real World) **
Dominique Cravic & Les Primitifs du Futur: Tribal Musette (Sunnyside)
Horace Silver: Live at Newport '58 (1958, Blue Note)

Pending:

Records in hand, but which haven't yet been graded.

Jason Ajemian: The Art of Dying (Delmark)
Eric Alexander Quartet: Prime Time: In Concert (High Note, CD+DVD)
Misha Alperin: Her First Dance (ECM) *
The Stephen Anderson Trio: Forget Not (Summit)
Ab Baars Trio & Ken Vandermark: Goofy June Bug (Wig)
Jon Balke: Book of Velocities (ECM)
Patricia Barber: The Cole Porter Mix (Blue Note) *
Kenny Barron: The Traveler (Sunnyside)
John Beasley: Letter to Herbie (Resonance) *
Bryan Beninghove: Organ Trio (no label)
David Berger Octet: I Had the Craziest Dream: The Music of Harry Warren (Such Sweet Thunder)
Jerry Bergonzi: Tenor Talk (Savant)
Massimo Biolcati: Persona (Obliqsound) *
Raoul Björkenheim/William Parker/Hamid Drake: DMG @ the Stone: Volume 2 (DMG/ARC)
Ketil Bjørnstad/Terje Rypdal: Life in Leipzig (ECM)
The Black Keys: Attack & Release (Nonesuch)
Ron Blake: Shayari (Mack Avenue)
Walt Blanton: Monuments (Origin)
Blink: The Epidemic of Ideas (Thirsty Ear) *
Jane Ira Bloom: Mental Weather (Outline)
Boston Horns: Shibuya Gumbo (Boston Horns)
Theresia Bothe/Peter Croton: I'll Sing a Song for You (Zah Zah)
Geof Bradfield: Urban Nomad (Origin)
Brazilian Trio: Forests (Zoho)
Wolfert Brederode: Currents (ECM) *
Georg Breinschmid & Friends: Wien Bleibt Krk (Zappel Music)
Bobby Broom: The Way I Play (Origin)
Butcher/Muller/van der Schyff: Way Out Northwest (Drip Audio)
George Cables: Morning Song (1980, High Note)
California Guitar Trio: Echoes (Inner Knot)
François Carrier/Michel Lambert/Jean-Jacques Avenel: Within (Leo)
James Carter: Present Tense (Emarcy)
Cephas & Wiggins: Richmond Blues (Smithsonian/Folkways)
CNY Jazz Orchestra: Then, Now & Again (CNY)
Nick Colionne: No Limits (Koch)
Marilyn Crispell: Vignettes (ECM)
Jamie Davis: Vibe Over Perfection (Unity Music)
Hamilton de Holanda & André Mehmari: Continuous Friendship (Adventure Music)
Dominique Di Piazza Trio: Princess Sita (Sunnyside)
DJ Yoda: Fabriclive.39 (Fabric)
Armen Donelian Trio: Oasis (Sunnyside)
Mathias Eick: The Door (ECM) *
Cynthia Felton: Afro Blue: The Music of Oscar Brown Jr. (Felton Entertainment)
Fieldwork: Door (Pi)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Verve Forecast)
Al Foster Quartet: Love, Peace and Jazz! (Jazz Eyes)
Lori Freedman & Scott Thomson: Plumb (Barnyard)
Paolo Fresu/Richard Galliano/Jan Lundgren: Mare Nostrum (ACT)
Fulminate Trio (Generate)
Ricardo Gallo Cuarteto: Urdimbres y Maranas (Ladistrito)
Jacob Garchik: Romance (Yestereve)
Melody Gardot: Worrisome Heart (Verve) *
Tobias Gebb & Trio West: An Upper West Side Story (Yummy House)
Lionel Hampton Orchestra: Mustermesse Basel 1953 Part 2 (1953, TCB)
Gene Harris: Live in London (1996, Resonance) *
Joel Harrison: The Wheel (2008, Innova)
Todd Herbert: The Tree of Life (Metropolitan)
Warren Hill: La Dolce Vita (Koch)
Hiromi's Sonicbloom: Beyond Standard (Telarc)
Maurice Horsthuis: Elastic Jargon (Data)
Wayne Horvitz and Sweeter Than the Day: A Walk in the Dark ([no label])
Wayne Horvitz Gravitas Quartet: One Dance Alone (Songlines)
Fernando Huergo: Provinciano (Sunnyside)
Adrian Iaies Trio + Michael Zisman: Vals de la 81st & Columbus (Sunnyside)
Anne Mette Iversen: Best of the West + Many Places (Bju'ecords, 2CD)
Stanley Jordan: State of Nature (Mack Avenue) *
Darrell Katz/Jacc Composers Alliance Orchestra: The Same Thing (Cadence Jazz)
Grace Kelly/Lee Konitz: GraceFulLee (Pazz Productions)
Oleg Kireyev/Feng Shui Jazz Project: Mandala (Jazzheads)
Tom Lellis/Toninho Horta: Tonight (Adventure Music)
The David Leonhardt Trio: Explorations (Big Bang)
Lionel Loueke: Karibu (Blue Note)
Joe Lovano: Symphonica (Blue Note) *
Gene Ludwig Trio with the Bill Warfield Big Band: Duff's Blues (18th & Vine)
Frank Macchia: Landscapes (Cacophony)
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Kinsmen (Pi) *
Rebecca Martin: The Growing Season (Sunnyside)
Louis Mazetier: Tributes, Portraits and Other Stories (Arbors)
Marilyn Mazur/Jan Garbarek: Elixir (ECM)
Marc McDonald: It Doesn't End Here (No End in Sight)
Kate McGarry: If Less Is More (Palmetto) *
Andy Middleton: The European Quartet Live (Q-rious Music) %
Mike & the Ravens: Noisy Boys! The Saxony Sessions (Zoho Roots)
Jason Miles: 2 Grover With Love (Koch) *
Bob Mintzer Big Band: Swing Out (MCG Jazz)
Moonbound: Confession and Release (Unsung)
Sal Mosca Quartet: You Go to My Head (Blue Jack Jazz)
Motel: Lost and Found (MGM) %
David Murray/Mal Waldron: Silence (Justin Time)
Kate Nash: Made of Bricks (Geffen)
New Guitar Summit: Shivers (Stony Plain)
No-Man: Schoolyard Ghosts (K-Scope, CD+DVD)
Judith Owen: Mopping Up Karma (Courgette)
Ozric Tentacles: Sunrise Festival (Snapper, CD+DVD)
Evan Parker: Boustrophedon (ECM) *
Aaron Parks: Invisible Cinema (Blue Note) *
Rosa Passos: Romance (Telarc)
Bennett Paster & Gregory Ryan: Grupo Yanqui Rides Again (Miles High)
Nicholas Payton: Into the Blue (Nonesuch)
Sacha Perry: The Third Time Around (Smalls)
Houston Person/Ron Carter: Just Between Friends (High Note)
Anne Phillips: Ballet Time (Conawago)
Portinho Trio: Vinho do Porto (MCG Jazz)
Andy Pratt: Masters of War (It's About Music)
Noah Preminger Group: Dry Bridge Road (Nowt)
Bobby Previte & the New Bump: Set the Alarm for Monday (Palmetto)
Dafnis Prieto: Taking the Soul for a Walk (Dafnison)
Mike Reed's Loose Assembly: The Speed of Change (482 Music)
Mike Reed's People, Places & Things: Proliferation (482 Music)
REM: Accelerate (Warner Bros.)
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog: Party Intellectuals (Pi) *
Roedelius/Story: Inlandish (Gronland) *
Thom Rotella 4tet: Out of the Blues (Four Bar Music)
Roswell Rudd Quartet: Keep Your Heart Right (Sunnyside)
Curtis Salgado: Clean Getaway (Shanachie)
Matt Savage: Hot Ticket: Live in Boston (Savage) *
Jamshied Sharifi: One (Ceres)
Peter Schärli Trio Feat. Ithamara Koorax: Obrigado Dom Um Romão (TCB)
Avery Sharpe: Legends & Mentors (JKNM)
Jim Shearer & Charlie Wood: The Memphis Hang (Summit)
Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra: Harriet Tubman (Noir, 2CD)
Chip Shelton & Peacetime: Imbued With Memories (Summit)
Judi Silvano: Cleome: Live Takes (JSL)
Simon & Garfunkel: Live 1969 (1969, Columbia/Legacy) *
Martial Solal Trio: Longitude (CAM Jazz)
Spring Heel Jack: Songs and Themes (Thirsty Ear) *
Jesse Stacken: That That (Fresh Sound New Talent)
The Stone Quartet: DMG @ the Stone: Volume 1 (DMG/ARC)
Swamp Cabbage: Squeal (Zoho Roots)
Wayman Tisdale: Rebound (Rendezvous)
Daby Touré: Stereo Spirit (Real World) %
Rokia Traoré: Tchamantché (Nonesuch) *
Steve Turre: Rainbow People (High Note)
Von Garcia: I Think a Think (Sluggo's Goon Music)
Ulf Wakenius: Love Is Real (ACT)
Torben Waldorff: Afterburn (ArtistShare)
Wayne Wallace: The Nature of the Beat (Patois)
Walter "Wolfman" Washington: Doin' the Funky Thing (Zoho Roots)
Marcin Wasilewski Trio: January (ECM)
Glenn White: Sacred Machines (OA2)
Corey Wilkes: Drop It (Delmark)
Ben Wolfe: No Strangers Here (MaxJazz)
Eri Yamamoto: Duologue (AUM Fidelity)
Eri Yamamoto Trio: Redwoods (AUM Fidelity)
Alon Yavnai: Travel Notes (ObliqSound) *
Jacob Young: Sideways (ECM)
Yuganaut: This Musicship (ESP-Disk)
Carlos "Zingaro"/Dominique Regef/Wilbert DeJoode String Trio: Spectrum (Clean Feed)

Also Noted:

Records in hand, graded B+ or below, in roughly declining order:

Peter Brötzmann/Peeter Uuskyla: Born Broke (Atavistic, 2CD)
Roberta Gambarini & Hank Jones: You Are There (Emarcy) **
Louis Armstrong All Stars: Live in Zurich, Switzerland 18.10.1949 (1949, TCB)
Los Campesinos!: Hold on Now, Youngster . . . (Arts & Crafts) **
Giacomo Gates: Luminosity (Doubledave Music, CD+DVD)
Adam Kolker: Flag Day (Sunnyside)
Ryan Blotnick: Music Needs You (Songlines)
Sha's Banryu: Chessboxing Volume One (Ronin Rhythm)
Luis Lopes: Humanization 4Tet (Clean Feed)
Marc Copland: Another Place (Pirouet)
Ramón Díaz: Unblocking (Fresh Sound New Talent)
The Michael Pedicin Quintet: Everything Starts Now . . . (Jazz Hut)
Al Green: Lay It Down (Blue Note) **
Bill Dixon: 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur (AUM Fidelity)
JD Allen Trio: I Am I Am (Sunnyside)
Jason Kao Hwang/Edge: Stories Before Within (Innova)
John Zorn: The Dreamers (Tzadik) **
Frank Hewitt: Out of the Clear Black Sky (2000, Smalls)
Third World Love: New Blues (Anzic) **
Shot x Shot: Let Nature Square (High Two)
Erykah Badu: New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War (Universal Motown) **
Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans (Blue Note)
Howard Alden and Ken Peplowski's Pow-Wow (Arbors)
Hot Chip: Made in the Dark (Astralwerks) **
Louie Bellson & Clark Terry: Louie & Clark Expedition 2 (Percussion Power)
Sumi Tonooka Trio: Long Ago Today (ARC)
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Live in Zurich, Switzerland 2.5.1950 (1950, TCB)
Van Morrison: Keep It Simple (Lost Highway) **
DeVotchKa: A Mad and Faithful Telling (Anti) **
Tim Hagans: Alone Together (Pirouet)
Eric McPherson: Continuum (Smalls)
Omer Klein: Introducing Omer Klein (Smalls)
Emmylou Harris: All I Intended to Be (Nonesuch) **
Libby York: Here With You (Libby York Music)
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: Real Emotional Trash (Matador) **
Brad Mehldau Trio: Live (Nonesuch, 2CD) **
Cynthia Sayer: Attractions (Plunk)
Vince Seneri: The Prince's Groove (Prince V)
Chris Byars: Jazz Pictures at an Exhibition of Himalayan Art (Smalls)
Esmée Althuis/Albert Van Veenendaal: The Mystery of Guests (Evil Rabbit)
Long Ago and Far Away: Kelly Harland Sings Jerome Kern (Origin)
Aaron Weinstein & John Pizzarelli: Blue Too (Arbors)
Bo's Art Trio: Live: Jazz Is Free and So Are We! (Icdisc)
Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Avatar (Blue Note)
The Paul Carlon Octet: Roots Propaganda (Deep Tone)
Santogold (Downtown) **
Ed Reed: The Song Is You (Blue Shorts)
Jessica Williams: Songs for a New Century (Origin)
Spoon 3: Seductive Sabotage (Evil Rabbit)
The Roger Davidson Trio: Bom Dia (Soundbrush)
Speak in Tones: Subaro (Alpha Pocket, 2CD)
John Hiatt: Same Old Man (New West) **
The Harry Allen-Joe Cohn Quartet: Stompin' the Blues (Arbors)
Junk Box: Sunny Then Cloudy (Libra)
Paul West/Mark Brown: Words & Music (OA2)
Michael Dessen Trio: Between Shadow and Space (Clean Feed)
Perez: It's Happenin' (Zoho)
Bridge Quartet: Day (Origin)
Jean Martin/Evan Shaw: Piano Music (Barnyard) %
John Zorn: Filmworks XIX: The Rain Horse (Tzadik) **
The Alon Farber Hagiga Sextet: Optimistic View (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Conrad Herwig: The Latin Side of Wayne Shorter (Half Note)
Clinic: Do It! (Domino) **
Dengue Fever: Venus on Earth (M80) **
Jovino Santos Neto: Alma do Nordeste (Soul of the Northeast) (Adventure Music)
Bill Dixon With Exploding Star Orchestra (Thrill Jockey)
Michael Jefry Stevens Quartet: For the Children (Cadence Jazz)
John McNeil/Bill McHenry: Rediscovery (Sunnyside)
The Raveonettes: Lust Lust Lust (Vice) **
Fergus McCormick: I Don't Need You Now (Fergus McCormick Music)
Tom Dempsey & Tim Ferguson: What's Going On? (City Tone)
John McLaughlin: Floating Point (Abstract Logix)
Marian McPartland: Twilight World (Concord Jazz)
Derrick Gardner and the Jazz Prophets: A Ride to the Other Side . . . of Infinity (Owl Studios)
The Klobas/Kesecker Ensemble: No Gravity (KKEnsemble)
Willie "The Lion" Smith & Don Ewell: Stride Piano Duets: Live in Toronto, 1966 (1966, Delmark)
Toumani Diabaté: The Mandé Variations (Nonesuch)
Moby: Last Night (Mute) **
Guillermo Klein/Los Guachos: Filtros (Sunnyside)
Madonna: Hard Candy (Warner Brothers)
Dapp Theory: Layers of Chance (Contrology/ObliqSound) *
Susie Arioli Band: Live at Le Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (Justin Time, CD+DVD)
Cindy Blackman: Music for the New Millennium (Sacred Sound, 2CD)
Sheryl Crow: Detours (A&M) **
CRAM: For a Dog (Broken)
Steve Allee Trio: Dragonfly (Owl Studios)
Cy Touff & Sandy Mosse: Tickle Toe (1981, Delmark)
Benjamin Lapidus: Herencia Judía (Tresero)
Mitch Paliga: Fall Night (Origin)
Charles Lloyd Quartet: Rabo De Nube (ECM)
Soul Summit: Live at the Berks Jazz Fest! (Shanachie)
The Magnetic Fields: Distortion (Nonesuch) **
Cannon Re-Loaded: An All-Star Celebration of Cannonball Adderley (Concord Jazz)
Michael Winograd: Bessarabian Hop (Midwood Sounds)
Sylvia Bennett: Songs From the Heart (Out of Sight Music)
Mike Ellis: Chicago Spontaneous Combustion Suite (Alpha Pocket)
Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple (Atlantic) **
The Spencer Katzman Threeo: 5 is the New 3 (6V6)
Rave Tesar Trio: You Decide (Tesar Music)
Joe Beck & John Abercrombie: Coincidence (Whaling City Sound)
Alexis Cuadrado: Puzzles (Bju'ecords)
Guus Janssen: Out of Frame (Geestgronden)
The Malchicks: To Kill a Mockingbird (Zoho Roots)
Larry Vuckovich Trio: High Wall (Tetrachord Music)
Frank Catalano: Bang! (Savoy Jazz)
Chris Flory: For You (Arbors)
Tone Dialing: Rigop Me (Evil Rabbit)
Joanna Pascale: Through My Eyes (Stiletto)
Duke Ellington Legacy: Thank You Uncle Edward (Renma)
The Service Industry: Limited Coverage (Sauspop) **
Alan Pasqua, Dave Carpenter & Peter Erskine Trio: Standards (Fuzzy Music) %
Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra: Song for Chico (Zoho)
Shea Breaux Wells: A Blind Date (Ultimate)
Matt Haviland: Beyond Good and Evil (Connotation) %
Hadley Caliman: Gratitude (Origin)
Jessica Jones Quartet: Word (New Artists)
Little Annie & Paul Wallfisch: When Good Things Happen to Bad Pianos (Durtro Jnana)
John Ellis & Double Wide: Dance Like There's No Tomorrow (Hyena)
Laszlo Gardony: Dig Deep (Sunnyside)
Hans Glawischnig: Panorama (Sunnyside)
Al Basile: The Tinge (Sweetspot)
Pat Metheny: Day Trip (Nonesuch)
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien: Eleventh Hour (Definitive Jux) **
Sãlongo (DBCD) %
The Five Blind Boys of Alabama: Down in New Orleans (Time Life) **
Bob Belden: Miles From India (Times Square/4Q, 2CD)
Piers Lawrence Quartet: Stolen Moments (JazzNet Media)
Francesco Tristano: Not for Piano (Sunnyside)
Russ Nolan & the Kenny Werner Trio: With You in Mind (Rhinoceruss)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu (Heads Up)
Virginia Mayhew Septet: A Simple Thank You (Renma)
Buddy DeFranco: Charlie Cat 2 (Arbors) %
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band: Season of Changes (Verve) *
David Liebman/Roberto Tarenzi/Paolo Benedettini/Tony Arco: Negative Space (Verve)
Lyrics Born: Everywhere at Once (Anti-) **
Enrico Pieranunzi: As Never Before (CAM Jazz)
Jorge Albuquerque/Marcos Amorim/Rafael Barata: Revolving Landscapes (Adventure Music)
Amos Hoffman: Evolution (RazDaz/Sunnyside)
Norman Winstone: Distances (ECM)
Bob Brozman: Post-Industrial Blues (Ruf)
Diane Schuur: Some Other Time (Concord)
Kelly Brand: The Door (Origin)
Elli Fordyce with Jim Malloy: Something Still Cool (EF Music) %
Drew Gress: The Irrational Numbers (Premonition)
Willie Nelson: Moment of Forever (Lost Highway) **
The Joe Ascione Quartet: Movin' Up (Arbors)
Grupa Janke Randalu: Live (Jazz 'n' Arts)
Peter Erskine/Tim Hagans & the Norrbotten Big Band: Worth the Wait (Fuzzy Music)
DJ Logic/Jason Miles: Global Noize (Shanachie)
Bernard Emer Lackner Ferber: Night for Day (Bju'ecords)
The Joel Futterman/Alvin Fielder/Ike Levin Trio: Traveling Through Now (Charles Lester Music)
Paul Bley: About Time (Justin Time)
Phil Markowitz: Catalysis (Sunnyside)
Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet (Summit)
Shelby Lynne: Just a Little Lovin' (Lost Highway) **
Empty Cage Quartet: Stratostrophic (Clean Feed)
Kenny Wheeler: Other People (CAM Jazz)
Sheila Cooper: Tales of Love and Longing (Panorama) %
Ken Serio: Live . . . in the Moment (Tripping Tree Music, 2CD)
Kathleen Edwards: Asking for Flowers (Zoë) **
Fight the Big Bull: Dying Will Be Easy (Clean Feed)
Gato Libre: Kuro (Libra)
Emilio Solla y Afines: Conversas (Al Lado del Agua) (Fresh Sound World Jazz)
Katie King: Harry's Fight (OA2)
Giacomo Merega/David Tronzo/Noah Kaplan: The Light and Other Things (Creative Nation Music)
The Teenagers: Reality Check (XL) **
Tom McDermott and Connie Jones: Creole Nocturne (Arbors)
Esperalda Spalding: Esperanza (Heads Up)
Ambrose Akinmusire: Prelude (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Mark Sherman Quartet: Live @ the Bird's Eye (Miles High, 2CD)
Amos Garrett: Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield (Stony Plain)
Jon Irabagon's Outright! (Innova)
Elliott Sharp: Octal Book One (Clean Feed)
Carmen Lundy: Come Home (Afrasia)
Sam Barsh: I Forgot What You Taught Me (RazDaz/Sunnyside)
The Marty Sheller Ensemble: Why Deny (PVR)
Alex Sipiagin: Out of the Circle (Sunnyside)
Bill Bruford/Michiel Borstlap: In Two Minds (Summerfold)
Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore: A Calculus of Loss (Clean Feed)
Stebmo (Mount Analog)
Tom Tallitsch: Medicine Man (OA2)
Foals: Antidotes (Sub Pop) **
Thomas Marriott: Crazy: The Music of Willie Nelson (Origin)
Kali Z Fasteau/Kidd Jordan: Live at the Kerava Jazz Festival: Finland (Flying Note)
Mike Doughty: Golden Delicious (ATO) **
Wayne Escoffery and Veneration: Hopes and Dreams (Savant)
Melody Breyer-Grell: Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin (Rhombus)
Doug Munro: Big Boss Bossa Nova 2.0 (Chase Music Group)
Chuck Manning: Notes From the Real (TCB)
Plamen Karadonev: Crossing Lines (Mu)
The Stein Brothers Quintet: Quixotic (Jazzed Media)
Diane Hoffman: My Little French Dancer (Savsomusic)
Whit Williams: Featuring Slide Hampton and Jimmy Heath (MAMA)
Dawn Clement: Break (Origin)
Jean Martin/Colin Fisher: Little Man on the Boat (Barnyard) %
Industrial Jazz Group: Leef (Evander Music)
Fleurine: San Francisco (Sunnyside)
Louise Rogers: Come Ready and See Me (Rilo)
Kevin Ayers: The Unfairground (Gigantic) % **
NYNDK: Nordic Disruption (Jazzheads)
Bill O'Connell: Triple Play (Savant)
Helena: Fraise Vanille (Sunnyside)
Akrobatik: Absolute Value (Fat Beats) **
Poolplayers: Way Below the Surface (Songlines)
Kirk Knuffke Quartet: Bigwig (Clean Feed)
Nicolas Bearde: Live at Yoshi's: A Salute to Lou (Right Groove)
Claudio Roditi: Impressions (Sunnyside)
Kelley Polar: I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling (Environ) **
Antonio Ciacca Quintet: (Motéma)
Robert Walter: Cure All (Palmetto) *
Bryan Doherty Band: Rigamarole (Origin)
Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada: The Alchemist Manifesto (ESL Music)
The Jeff Gauthier Goatette: House of Return (Cryptogramophone)
Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath: Eclipse at Dawn (1971, Cuneiform)
Tony Grey: Chasing Shadows (Abstract Logix)
Gerald Cleaver: Gerald Cleaver's Detroit (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Todd Sickafoose: Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophone)
Jamie Baum Septet: Solace (Sunnyside)
Andrew Sterman: The Path to Peace (Orange Mountain Music)
Michael Moore Trio: Holocene (Ramboy)
Lisle Ellis: Sucker Punch Requiem: An Homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat (Henceforth)
Jordi Rossy Trio: Wicca (Fresh Sound New Talent)
The Steve Elmer Trio: Fire Down Below (Steve Elmer)
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Lil' Tae Rides Again (Hyena)
James Silberstein: Expresslane (CAP)
Kat Parra: Azucar de Amor (Patois)
The David Finck Quartet: Future Day (Soundbrush)
Doug Miller: Regeneration (Origin)
Freddie Hubbard & the New Jazz Composers Octet: On the Real Side (4Q/Times Square)
The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely (Warner Bros.) **
Scott Robinson: Plays the Compositions of Thad Jones: Forever Lasting (Arbors)
The Bennie Maupin Quartet: Early Reflections (Cryptogramophone)
Robyn (Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope) **
Saxophone Summit: Seraphic Light: Dedicated to Michael Brecker (Telarc)
Howard Britz: Here I Stand (Tee Zee) *
Raheem DeVaughn: Love Behind the Melody (1228/Jive/Zomba) **
Pete Levin: Certified Organic (P Lev)
Alison Ruble: This Is a Bird (Origin)
Larry Ham: Just Me, Just You (Arbors)
Sten Sandell/Mattias Ståhl: Grann Musik (Neighbour Music) (Clean Feed)
Pete Robbins: Do the Hate Laugh Shimmy (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Matana Roberts Quartet: The Chicago Project (Central Control) *
Nick Vayenas: Synesthesia (World Culture Music)
Bill Stewart: Incandescence (Pirouet)
Enrico Granafei: In Search of the Third Dimension (Miles High)
Brownout: Homenaje (Freestyle)
Carlene Carter: Stronger (Yep Roc) **
Hendrik Meurkens: Sambatropolis (Zoho)
Morcheeba: Dive Deep (Ultra) **
Larry Willis: The Offering (High Note)
Richard Boulger: Blues Twilight (City Hall)
Ellis Marsalis Quartet: An Open Letter to Thelonious (ELM)
Matt Jorgensen + 451: Another Morning (Origin)
Jamie Leonhart: The Truth About Suffering (Sunnyside)
Deepak Ram: Steps (Golden Horn)
Tim Collins: Fade (Ropeadope)
Delirium Blues Project: Serve or Suffer (Half Note)
Frank Kimbrough: Air (Palmetto)
The Stance Brothers: Kind Soul (Ricky Tick)
Rolling Stones/Martin Scorsese: Shine a Light (Polydor, 2CD)
Out to Lunch: Excuse Me While I Do the Boogaloo (Accurate)
Mark Weinstein: Straight No Chaser (Jazzheads)
Taeko Fukao: One Love (Flat Nine)
Grand Pianoramax: The Biggest Band in Town (ObliqSound) *
Enrico Rava/Stefano Bollani: The Third Man (ECM)
Cuong Vu: Vu-Tet (ArtistShare)
Marco Benevento: Invisible Baby (Hyena)
Public Record (High Two)
Bobby Watson: From the Heart (Palmetto) *
Taylor Eigsti: Let It Come to You (Concord)
Jerry Leake: Vibrance: Jazz Vibes & World Percussion (Rhombus Publishing)
Alex Graham: Brand New (Origin)
The Puppini Sisters: The Rise & Fall of Ruby Woo (Verve)
Pam Purvis: I Had a Ball! (Progressive Winds)
The Amazing World of Arthur Brown: The Voice of Love (Zoho Roots)
Marcus Miller: Marcus (Concord Jazz) **
Aphrodesia: Lagos by Bus (Cyberset)
Spirits in the Material World: A Reggae Tribute to the Police (Shanachie)
Dave Corp: The Sweet Life (Sluggo Music) %
David "Fathead" Newman: Diamondhead (High Note)
Stanton Moore Trio: Emphasis on Parenthesis (Telarc)
Robin McKelle: Modern Antique (Cheap Lullaby)
Yun Sun Choi/Jacob Sacks: Imagination (Yeah-Yeah)
Yellowjackets: Lifesycle (Heads Up)
Gary Morgan & PanAmericana!: Felicidade (Happiness) (CAP)
Cyro Baptista: Banquet of the Spirits (Tzadik) **
Raya Yarbrough (Telarc)
Caribbean Jazz Project: Afro Bop Alliance (Heads Up)
Rigmor Gustafsson: Alone With You (ACT)
Elliott Sharp/Scott Fields: Scharfefelder (Clean Feed)
Paradigm: Melodies for Uncertain Robots (Ropeadope)
Karrin Allyson: Imagina: Songs of Brasil (Concord Jazz) **
Jon Zeeman: Zeeland (Membrane)
Keith Marks: Foreign Funk (Markei)
Ashton Shepherd: Sounds So Good (MCA Nashville) **
Lindha Kallerdahl: Gold (ESP-Disk)
Patrick Arena: Arenamusic (Arenamusic)
Moss (Sunnyside)
Gene Bertoncini: Concerti (Ambient)
Dolly Parton: Backwoods Barbie (Dolly) **

Compilations/Vault Music:

Steinski: What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective (Illegal Art, 2CD) **
Gabi Lunca: Sounds From a Bygone Age, Vol. 5 (1956-78, Asphalt Tango)
Kid Creole: Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1976-1983 (Strut) **

Pending:

Be Kind Rewind (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Lakeshore) *
Curlew: 1st Album/Live at CBGB (1980-81, DMG/ARC, 2CD)
Cryptogramophone Assemblage 1998-2008 (1998-2008, Cryptogramophone, 2CD+DVD)
Grupo Fantasma: Sonidos Gold (High Wire Music)
T.D. Jakes: Praise & Worship (1978-98, Legacy/Verity)
JSL Records 20th Anniversary Sampler (1988-2006, JSL) *
Kopacoustic: Music From the KopaFestival 2006 Volume 1 (2006, Kopasetic) %
Kopalectric: Music From the KopaFestival 2006 Volume 2 (2006, Kopasetic) %
Princes Amongst Men: Journeys With Gypsy Musicians (Asphalt Tango)
Putumayo Presents: African Party (Putumayo World Music)
Putumayo Presents: Café Cubano (Putumayo World Music)
Putumayo Presents: Québec (Putumayo World Music)
The Rough Guide to Congo Gold (World Music Network)
Vickie Winans: Praise & Worship (2003-06, Verity/Legacy)

Also Noted:

Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette: Setting Standards: New York Sessions (1983, ECM, 3CD)
Classic Piano Blues From Smithsonian Folkways (1944-76, Smithsonian/Folkways)
Disco Not Disco: Post Punk, Electro & Leftfield Dance Classics 1974-1986 (!K7/Strut) **
Wally Rose: Whippin' the Keys (1968-71, Delmark)
Wynton Marsalis: Standards & Ballads (1983-98, Columbia/Legacy)
Putumayo Presents: Latin Reggae (1995-2006, Putumayo World Music)
Droppin' Science: Greatest Samples From the Blue Note Lab (1966-74, Blue Note)

Reissues

Reissues are new releases of old records: records that have been previously released under the same name (although we're also on the lookout for trivial rename jobs). They may have extra bonus cuts, maybe even a whole extra disc of cuts; "twofers" are also included here.

Nick Lowe: Jesus of Cool (1975-78, Yep Roc) **
Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners (1956, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
Paul Bley Trio: Closer (1965, ESP-Disk)
Bill Evans Trio: Portrait in Jazz (1959, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
Wes Montgomery: Incredible Jazz Guitar (1960, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
Steve Lacy: The Forest and the Zoo (1966, ESP-Disk)
Nat Adderley: Work Song (1960, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
Blue Mitchell: Blue Soul (1959, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
New York Art Quartet (1964, ESP-Disk)
Art Pepper: Unreleased Art, Vol. III: The Croydon Concert, May 14, 1981 (1981, Widow's Taste, 2CD)
Coleman Hawkins: The Hawk Flies High (1957, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)

Pending:

John Patton: Soul Connection (1983, Just a Memory)
Alvin Queen: Jammin' Uptown (1985, Just a Memory)
Tuner: Totem (2005, Unsung)

Also Noted:

Sonny Rollins: Freedom Suite (1958, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
Bob James Trio: Explosions (1965, ESP-Disk)
Ornette Coleman: Town Hall, 1962 (1962, ESP-Disk)
Milt Jackson/Wes Montgomery: Bags Meets Wes! (1961, Riverside/Keepnews Collection)
Albert Ayler: New York Eye and Ear Control (1964, ESP-Disk)
Lou Donaldson: Here 'Tis (1961, Blue Note) **
Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls and Marches [Definitive Edition] (1979-81, Matador) **
James Zitro: Zitro (1967, ESP-Disk)
McCoy Tyner: Fly With the Wind (1976, Milestone/Keepnews Collection)
The Cannonball Adderley Sextet: In New York (Keepnews Collection) (1962, Riverside)
Mike Ladd: Nostalgialator (2004, Definitive Jux) **
Don Cherry: Live at Café Montmartre 1966: Volume Two (1966, ESP-Disk)
Frank Lowe: Black Beings (1973, ESP-Disk)
Mission of Burma: The Horrible Truth About Burma [Definitive Edition] (1983, Matador) **

DVDs

I don't review DVDs. I don't watch DVDs. I don't record them in my database -- well, almost never, anyhow. Part of this is that I don't have the time, the eyes, or at the moment even the equipment. I never request DVDs. Still, some publicists insist on sending them anyway. Here's a list. They're all pending, and will probably remain that way until hell freezes over.

Inside Out in the Open (ESP-Disk)
Wynton Marsalis: Congo Square (Shanachie)
John McLaughlin: Remember Shakti: The Way of Beauty (Sunnyside)
John McLaughlin: The Making of Floating Point (Abstract Logix)
The Very Best of Praise & Worship (Verity/Legacy)

Songs

I've never bothered to flag songs before, so I've always come up empty at year-end poll time. So I thought I'd start here.

Hayes Carll: "She Left Me for Jesus" (Trouble in Mind)