The magazine’s jazz critics look back over the past year and highlight their favorites — performances, recordings, and books.
Steve Feeney
Theater Review: “On Beckett / In Screen” — Bill Irwin Honors Samuel Beckett
Bill Irwin’s homage to Samuel Beckett explores what makes the writer so fascinating, even inspiring, for those who appreciate the knockabout beauty of his despair.
Jazz CD Reviews: Mary Halvorson and Rich Halley — Fearlessly Free
New albums from Mary Halvorson and Rich Halley march into fresh realms of freedom.
Jazz Album and Concert Review: The Sylvie Courvoisier Trio — A Tight-Knit and Adventuresome Threesome
Serious but not somber would be a succinct way to describe this trio’s work as heard on disc and in a powerful recent live performance.
Jazz Album Reviews: Strong Discs from Pianist Chick Corea and Bassist Eric Revis
A pair of beauties: an Eric Revis quintet album and a solo excursion from Chick Corea.
Jazz Album Review: Jimmy Heath’s Final “Love Letter”
The disc mixes classics and originals in a set of tunes perfect for late-night reveries or for anytime sojourns to a place of unhurried passion.
Jazz Album Review: Following the Lessons of the Master, “Thumbscrew – The Anthony Braxton Project”
The album’s set of pieces not only revels in the spirited formal experimentation of the great musician’s music, but its expressive urgency as well.
Jazz Album/Concert Review: Saxophonist Joe Lovano — x 2
No matter his musical surroundings, there is never any doubt that it is Joe Lovano you are hearing.
Jazz Album Review: Rudresh Mahanthappa’s “Hero Trio” — To the Rescue
Adventurous jazz is not always as much fun to listen to as it is on Hero Trio, a stellar meeting of compositions, arrangements, and astute performances propelled by real passion.
Jazz Concert Review: Livestream — Billy Hart Quartet at the Village Vanguard
The exhilarating power of live music in a small club blazed forth whenever the momentum built loud and hard toward a stirring transition.