I'm not quite sure what more I could say here about jazz in 2015. There may not have been some overarching narrative that guided how art was made and released. Some folks who have worked together for years finally released an album that said so. Some folks released large ensemble albums that made huge splashes, as sprawling debuts, par for the course, or as the muscular … [Read more...]
Nextbop’s Favorite Non-Jazz Albums of 2015
I like that we make this list every year. No, it's not as well read as our other posts. It doesn't exactly fit what we do. But I like the rounded nature of this, that there's a humor in making a jazz and non-jazz list, of the other vast majority of the market share while still including folks who are still just as independent. Many on this list are jazz musicians anyway, … [Read more...]
Anthony Dean-Harris’ Favorite Jazz Albums of 2015
I've been thinking more and more about rotation lately, about the boundary that music must get through in order to find its way into my phone where I listen to everything primarily, the phone an extension of myself like these devices are for us all for better and for worse. I eschew the predatory Spotify and rather connect myself to the artist savvy enough to digitize himself … [Read more...]
Anthony Dean-Harris’ Favorite Non-Jazz Albums of 2015
We all have our favorites. We also have our need to make sense of the world. I hold to the belief that genre is important because while some can say there are only two kinds of music, good and bad, that still doesn't help describe the music much. Direction is important, so is mood. However, virtuosity rules over all. I feel like listening to many different kinds of music and … [Read more...]