Review 2005 / Music: Ray Comiskey on the jazz albums of the year

JAZZ is a many-splendoured thing, to judge by the number and variety of CDs released during the year. Everything's there, from politics (Charlie Haden's Not in Our Name on Universal) to Walt Whitman's poetry (Fred Hersch's Leaves of Grass on Palmetto) to Greek tragedy (Arild Andersen's Electra on ECM).

And the word has multiple regional European accents: from Scandinavia, Christian Wallumrød (A Year from Easter), Iro Haarla (Northbound), Jon Balke (Batagraf), Bobo Stenson (Goodbye), and Tord Gustavsen (The Ground), all on ECM; from Italy, Enrico Pieranunzi (Les Amants, EGEA) Enrico Rava (Tati, ECM); from Spain, Jean-Marie Machado (Andaloucia, Le Chant du Monde); from Scotland, Colin Steele (Through the Waves, featuring Michael Buckley, on ACT) and Tommy Smith (Symbiosis and Forbidden Fruit, both on Spartacus).

That merely scratches the surface of a particularly good year for jazz releases. At home, activity included new CDs by guitarists Louis Stewart, Nigel Mooney, Mike Nielsen, Richard Nelson, and Lebanese-born Sami Moukaddem; Dylan Rynhart's distinctive Fuzzy Logic; Organics, the first jazz group to win a Music Network award; vibist Tom O'Hare; Zrazy; and singers Honor Heffernan, Cormac Kenevey, Grainne Brookfield and Hilary Bow.

Find of the year has undoubtedly been the Carnegie Hall recording of Monk and Coltrane at the peak of their time together in 1957, in fine sound and with the collaborative corners knocked off (Blue Note). Other notable events included Keith Jarrett's first solo recording in years (Radiance, ECM); an excellent three-way conversation between Marc Copland, John Abercrombie and Kenny Wheeler (Brand New, Challenge); superb demonstrations of the art of solo piano by Marc Copland (Time Within Time, Hatology) and John Taylor (Songs and Variations, CamJazz).

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko's Wasilewski-Kurkiewicz-Miskiewicz rhythm section made a beautiful CD (Triok, ECM), and two of them joined Stanko and Jan Garbarek to play on drummer Manu Katché's lovely ECM debut as leader (Neighbourhood). Also on ECM, after a long gap, was bassist Marc Johnson with a memorable release (Shades Of Jade) with Eliane Elias and Joe Lovano in great form.

Fans of big bands had something to cheer about, too; new albums included Bill Holman's first in eight years (Live, JazzedMedia); Michael Pagán (Pag's Groove, Capri); Gerald Wilson (In My Time, Mack Avenue); John Hollenbeck's adventurous excursion (A Blessing, OmniTone); Wynton Marsalis's Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra turning Charlie Mingus into the LCJO's rep (Don't Be Afraid, Palmetto); and Charlie Haden's anti-Bush blast.

And on it goes: Chris Potter's brilliant quartet album (Live, Universal); the John Taylor-Steve Swallow- Gabriele Mirabassi dialogue (New Old Age, EGEA); fine releases by Dave Binney (Welcome to Life, Mythology, and Bastion of Sanity, Criss Cross); Adam Rogers (Apparitions, Criss Cross); Brad Mehldau (Day Is Done, Nonesuch); and Ezra Weiss (Persephone, Umoja).

PICK 2005

Arild Andersen: Electra

Marc Copland: Time Within Time

Charlie Haden: Not In Our Name

Bill Holman: Live

Marc Johnson: Shades of Jade

Manu Katché: Neighbourhood

Monk/Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

Enrico Pieranunzi: Les Amants

Bobo Stenson: Goodbye

Taylor/Swallow/Mirabassi: New Old Age