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Jakob Baekgaard's Best Releases of 2014

By Jakob Baekgaard
December 22, 2014
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2014 proved to be another fruitful year for jazz. The artists on this list represent many different musical directions, but that is the wonder of jazz. It is so many things and the world would indeed be poorer if the idiom was restricted to one particular sound. These artists all have a fresh approach to the music, but, at the same time, they respect tradition. Argentinian pianists

Francisco Lo Vuolo

" data-original-title="" title="">Francisco Lo Vuolo and

Paula Shocron

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Paula Shocron know the language of the standards and even Danish saxophonist

Lars Greve

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Lars Greve's enchanting dialogues with nature has its predecessor on saxophonist

Peter Brötzmann

woodwinds
1941 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Br?tzmann's and drummer

Han Bennink

drums
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Han Benninks Schwarzwaldfahrt (FMP, 1977).

Once again, tradition was transformed and artists collaborated across continents, and old treasures, like Ethiopian master

Hailu Mergia

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Hailu Mergia's masterpiece Tche Belew, were (re)discovered. It was also proven that the elusive Nordic sound is still thriving, with Norwegian pianist

Jan Gunnar Hoff

piano
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Jan Gunnar Hoff's Fly North being a particularly convincing example of the genre.

Paula Shocron

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Paula Shocron
Surya
(Kuai Music)

Francisco Lo Vuolo

" data-original-title="" title="">Francisco Lo Vuolo
In Walked Francis
(RivoRecords)

Hailu Mergia

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Hailu Mergia
Tche Belew
(Awesome Tapes From Africa)

Lars Greve

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Lars Greve
Breidablik
(Hiatus Label)

Simon Toldam

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Simon Toldam
Kig Op 14
Ilk Music

Mark Turner

saxophone, tenor
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Turner
Lathe of Heaven
(ECM)

Christian Vuust

piano
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian Vuust
Urban Hymn
(Self Produced)

Jan Gunnar Hoff

piano
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Jan Gunnar Hoff
Fly North
(Losen Records)

Gjertrud Lunde

" data-original-title="" title="">Gjertrud Lunde
Hjemklang
(Ozella Music)

Jakob Buchanan

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Jakob Buchanan
Some People & Some Places
(Self Produced)

Mimi Jones

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Mimi Jones
Balance
(Hot Tone Music)

Samo Salamon

guitar, electric
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Samo Salamon & The Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra
Free Strings: Orchestrology
(Self Produced)

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