Freedom Jazz Dance
Top 10 Jazz Releases of 2006

1. The Marcus Strickland Quartets – Twi-Life – Strick Musik

2. Andrew Hill – Time Lines – Blue Note

3. Jae Sinnett – The Sinnett Hearings – Jae Sinnett dot com

4. Sam Rivers, Kresten Osgood and Ben Street - Violet Violets — Stunt Records

5. Jerry Bergonzi – Tenor Of The Times – Savant Records

6. Karrin Allison – Footsteps – Concord

7. We Three (Dave Liebman/Steve Swallow/Adam Nussbaum) – Three For All – Challenge Jazz

8. The Odeon Pope Saxophone Choir – Locked & Loaded – Half Note

9. Geri Allen & The Mary Lou Williams Collective – Zodiac Suite Revisited – Mary Records

10. Billy Hart Quartet – Quartet – High Note

Doubtless, best-of lists are extremely subjective. But they do help us think a little harder about which artists are setting higher standards and what songs resonate with us the most, both mnemonically and emotionally. Feel free to submit your favorites of the year right here.

FJD Best of 2006 Show Playlist

Marcus Strickland—Oriental Folk Song—Twi-Life—Strick Muzik 2006

Geri Allen Mary Lou Williams Collective—Gemini—Zodiac Suite: Revisited—Mary Records 2006

Billy Hart Quartet—Irah—High Note 2006

The Odean Pope Saxophone Choir—Prince Lasha—Fully Loaded—2006

Jerry Bergonzi—Bob Berg—Tenor Of The Times—2006

Jae Sinnett—What Elvin Left—The Sinnett Hearings—Sinnett Records 2006

We Three—Played Twice—Three For All—Challenge 2006

Karrin Allyson—Give Me A Break—Footsteps—Concord 2006

Sam Rivers, Ben Street, Kresten Osgood—Nature Calls—Violet Violets—Stunt 2006

Andrew Hill—Timelines—Blue Note 2006

Ben Allison—Tricky Dick—Cowboy Justice—Palmetto 2006

Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet—Rhythm-A-Ning—Memories of T—Concord 2006

Records From Aunt Ruth Entry

John Faddis
“Into The Faddisphere”
Into The Faddisphere
Epic Records 1989

Result: Treasure! 5 Treasure Votes to 2 Trash Votes

Sorry about the delay in results. The majority voted that the high note improv was cool. Always a surprise from my RFAR listeners. Thanks for your calls!

Dig

K

FJD Playlist for December 17, 2006

Dodo Marmarosa Trio—Raindrops—Atomic 78—1946

Dodo Marmarosa—Dodo’s Dance—Dial 78—1947

Lester Young—D.B. Blues—Alladin 78— Los Angeles 1945

Charlie Parker—Moose The Mooche—Dial 78—1946

John D’earth—Even So—Thursday Night Live At Millers—Cosmology 1998

Paul Quinichette—Dilemma Diablo—Moods—Emarcy 1954

Chico Hamilton—Man From Two Worlds—Americans In Europe—Impulse—1963

Jay McShann & His Orchestra—Swingmatism—Decca Records 1941

Jay McShann Sextet w/ Crown Prince Waterford on vocals—Garfield Avenue Blues—Mercury Records 1945

Jay McShann—Blue Turbulence—Kansas City Hustle—Sackville 1978

Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band—Long Yellow Road—RCA 1974

Tom Harrell—Hot Licks On The Sidewalk—Labyrinth—RCA 1996

Art Blakey—Sweet Sakeena—Hard Drive—Bethlehem 1957

Paol Reimann (Denmark)—Groovy Hands—New York Sessions—Stunt Records 1999

Scott Hamilton Quintet—One O’Clock Jump—In Concert—Concord 1984

Records From Aunt Ruth Entry

Julie London
“Hot Toddy” and “Little White Lies”
Julie Is Her Name, Vol. 2
Liberty Records 1964

Result: 7 Treaure 0 Trash Vote: A Treasure!

Two-Of-A-Kind Entry

The composition “Dizzy Atmosphere” by Dizzy Gillespie

Version 1: Dizzy Gillespie from Savoy 78 recorded on February 28, 1945

Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet; Charlie Parker, alto sax; Clyde Hart, piano; Remo Palmieri, guitar; Slam Stewart, bass; Cozy Cole, drums.

Version 2: Steve Coleman & Five Elements from the recording “On The Rising Of The 64 Paths” recorded in France in March of 2002.

Steve Coleman, alto sax; Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet; Malik Mezzadri, flute; Anthony Tidd, electric bass; Reggie Washington, acoustic bass; Sean Rickman, drums.

FJD Playlist for December 10, 2006

The Ben Thomas Group—Things Happen To Bears—Triskaidekaphobia—Origin 2005

The Ben Thomas Group—Where Did Those Chickens Come From? —Triskaidekaphobia—Origin 2005

Hoagy Carmichael & His Orchestra—Hong Kong Blues—ARA 78

Sam Rivers, Kresten Osgood and Ben Street—No Time Toulouse—Violet Violets—Stunt Records 2006

Wynton Marsalis—Donna Lee—Live At The House Of Tribes—Blue Note—2005

Art Farmer—The Gap Sealer—From Vienna With Art—1970

The New Jazz Composer’s Octet—A Little Twist—Walkin’ The Line—Fresh Sound 2002

Joe Venuti—Really Blue—Encyclopedia of Recorded Jazz—RCA Victor—1930

Franz Koglmann—L’Heure Bleue—Hatology—1991

Sarah Vaughan—You’re Not The Kind—Emarcy 1954

Ted Nash—The Competitor—Still Evolved—Palmetto 2003

Jay McShann—Please Stop Playing These Blues, Boy — Mercury Records

Roland Alexander—Orders To Take Out—Pleasure Bent—New Jazz 1961

Sir Bugs Bunny, Jazz Fan

Gene Ammons—Yellow Bird—Bad! Bossa Nova—Prestige 1962

Records From Aunt Ruth Entry

“Graye-Blue”
The Tony Graye Quartet
Greenwich Village Jazz
Flair-X Records 1959 ???

Result: Trash vote by a 6-1 margin

Two-Of-A-Kind Entry

The composition “Moon Dreams” by Chummy McGregor-Johnny Mercer, Gil Evans arrangement.

Version 1: Miles Davis from Birth Of The Cool, Blue Note in 1950

Miles Davis, trumpet; J.J. Johnson, trombone; Gunther Schuller, French horn; John Barber, tuba; Lee Konitz, alto sax; Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax; Al McKibbon, bass; Max Roach, drums.

Version 2: Joe Lovano from the release Streams Of Expression, featuring The Birth Of The Cool Suite by Gunther Schuller

Joe Lovano, tenor sax, alto clarinet; Tim Hagans, trumpet; Barry Ries, trumpet; Larry Farrell, trombone; Steve Slagle, alto & soprano sax; Ralph Lalama, tenor sax, clarinet; Gary Smulyan, baritone sax; Charles Russo, clarinet, bass clarinet; Michael, Parloff, flute; James Weidman, piano; Dennis Irwin, bass; Lewis Nash, drums.