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Mark F. Turner's Best of 2013
Wayne Shorter
saxophone1933 - 2023
Without a Net
(Blue Note)
At 80 years young, the esteemed jazz patriarch continues to perform at a level of freedom and ingenuity that's well beyond peers and others who are much younger. His quartet for the past decade operate on a symbiotic level that is indeed remarkable as captured in a live recording that breathes with spontaneity and verve.
Rudresh Mahanthappa
saxophone, altob.1971
Gamak
(ACT)
With thick elements of South Indian music, Western influences that include country music and progressive rock, this release defies compartmentalization. With the help of a smoldering ensemble that includes the masterful idiosyncrasies of guitarist
David Fiuczynski
guitarb.1964
Cecile McLorin Salvant
vocalsb.1989
Womanchild
(Mack Avenue)
To be young, gifted, and boldly confident, singer Cecile McLorin Salvant has the poise of jazz matriarchs in the lineage of
Abbey Lincoln
vocals1930 - 2010
Billie Holiday
vocals1915 - 1959
Jaimeo Brown
drumsTranscendence
(Motema Music)
One of the most fascinating releases of 2013 channels inspiration from the descendants of African American slaves in Gee's Bend Alabama—women quilters whose vibrant artwork is a testament of ongoing creativity and endurance. Drummer Jaimeo Brown adds his own patterns to their fabric in a recording colored with the blues, rock, gospel music, and modernism. \
Dawn of Midi
band / ensemble / orchestraDysnomia
(Thirsty Ear Recordings)
46 minutes of hypnotic machine-like precision is brought to you by the New York based piano trio with such artistic focus and execution that might easily be mistaken as electronically programmed. But this acoustic band is not just mimicking plugged-in music but expounding on the possibilities of how patterns and sound coalesce.
Matana Roberts
saxophone, altoCOIN COIN Chapter Two:Mississippi Moonchile
(Constellation Records)
A personal journey that is part music, genealogy, and ethnomusicology, saxophonist Matana Roberts continues to conjure the rich history of her roots through her Coin Coin series. Chapter Two is softer, heartfelt, and filled with fire.
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data-original-title="" title="">RJ Miller Ronald's Rhythm
(Loyal Label)
Electronic music comes in all sounds, colors, and textures, but drummer Ron Miller exploits the ambient side with chilled themes and moody soundscapes. The soul in the machine lies in the way Miller expertly juxtaposes his drum kit with piano, keyboards, and analog synthesizers through infectious melodies that move and groove.
"
data-original-title="" title="">Thiefs Thiefs
(Melanine Harmonique Recordings)
Germinated from the seeds of a French American Jazz Exchange grant, the talented trio collective of drummer
Guillermo E. Brown
drumsb.1974
Keith Witty
bass
Vijay Iyer
pianob.1971
Mike Ladd
synthesizerHolding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project
(Pi Recordings)
Pianist Vijay Iyer and poet/emcee Mike Ladd continue their longtime collaboration through progressive music and spoken word. This time they explore the recorded experiences of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the medium of their dreams in a project that is compelling, disturbing, and thoroughly thought-provoking.
Yeahwon Shin
vocalsLua Ya
(ECM Records)
South Korean singer Yeahwon Shin's debut on ECM is filled with innocent wonder and tenderness. The ambiance of Mechanics Hall, where the project was recorded; the intuitive playing from Shin's trio mates pianist
Aaron Parks
drumsb.1983
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data-original-title="" title="">Emmanuel Bex / Mike Ladd
synthesizerB2BILL: A modern tribute to Bill Evans
(Bonsai Music)
Add this the list of inventive trios with the collaboration of French musicians organist Emmanuel Bex and pianist Nico Morelli, joining forces with New York spoken word artist Mike Ladd. They spin and reinterpret covers and original tunes from the great Bill Evans served up with plenty of panache that's totally hip.
Valerie June
guitarb.1982
Pushin' Against A Stone
(Sunday Best Recordings)
Straight out of blues and roots music, by way of Tennessee, singer/guitarist Valerie June brings an unpretentious authenticity as she mixes rural, gospel, and folk music with lyrics laced with tenderness at one moment and hard life realities the next.
Tags
Best of / Year End
Wayne Shorter
Mark F. Turner
United States
Rudresh Mahanthappa
David Fiuczynski
Cecile McLorin Salvant
Abbey Lincoln
Billie Holiday
Jaimeo Brown
Dawn of Midi
Matana Roberts
RJ Miller
Thiefs
Guillermo E. Brown
Keith Witty
Vijay Iyer
Mike Ladd
Yeahwon Shin
Aaron Parks
Emmanuel Bex
Valerie June
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