As the 1970s came to a close, guitarist Pat Metheny was riding high on a wave of well-received albums, from his self-named Group and Trio and as a contributor to works by vibraphonist Gary Burton, bassist Jaco Pastorius and others.
Drummer Matt Wilson must surely be in the running for the title of hardest-working man in jazz. Wilson is a composer, bandleader, producer, and teacher. As a leader, his projects include the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts & Crafts, Christmas Tree-O and the Carl Sandburg Project.
A trio setting with bassist Art Davis and drummer Elvin Jones, Inception is a strong debut, though not necessarily indicative of the monster player Tyner would become.
Guitarist Rez Abbasi is part of a generation of jazz musicians who came of age after the conservative backlash of the 1980s.
Nheap is the nom de guerre of Italian drummer/composer Massimo Discepoli. The projects he puts out as Nheap are ethereal, mostly mellow electronic excursions accompanied by his own live acoustic drum work. 'Clouds Under The Table' marks his third collection as Nheap.
Alejandro Florez's Tibagui exists to explore and expand upon the Andean music of the guitarist's native Colombia. Neither cumbia nor chichi, Florez's quartet use traditional folk melodies as starting points for very modern, sophisticated and engaging improvisations.
One of the more intriguing albums issued in the first half of 2011, Animation's 'Asiento' (RareNoise, 2011), has now begotten one of the best sets of the latter part of the year.
Good things can indeed come in small packages. Flutist Miho Wada's Para Ti, for example, clocks in at just a hair over 20 minutes, with five melodic and catchy songs that manage to combine sharp musicianship with a sense of whimsy and fun.
After the Disquiet is a beguiling EP from Tarana, a duo consisting of drummer Ravish Momin and violinist Trina Basu.
This piece originally appeared on All About Jazz, November 19, 2011
Brazilian music is tricky. It must be approached carefully as its mellow understatement can be vulnerable to sterility in production and blandness in execution. Brasil, by Israeli guitarist Yotam Silberstein (now known solely as "Yotam") is plagued by both attributes.
The Goat Rodeo Sessions is the perhaps not-so-unlikely collaboration between mandolinist Chris Thile, bassist Edgar Meyer, fiddle player Stuart Duncan and ubiquitous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. These four master musicians have together made some of the most lyrical and captivating music of 2011.