Jazzwise Choices,
Jazzwise Editor's Choices - December 2021/January 2022
Jazzwise Magazine's final editor's choice picks of 2021 include a live record by the late Chick Corea's Akoustic Band, Polish violinist Adam Bałdych's latest recording for ACT Music, and a Village Vanguard set by Christian McBride. Recommended archival and reissue releases included compilations by vocalist Chris Connor and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, as well as British Conversations by Graham Collier, one of our Recordings of the Year finalists.
The following Jazzwise picks are available to purchase at Presto...
Editor's Choices
"With this album, Poland’s most striking violin player since Michal Urbaniak has arrived at the discovery many jazz virtuosi have made, that virtuosity as a-thing-in-itself can overwhelm expression, or as he puts it on the publicity notes, 'I want to tell a story, and to shape and balance simplicity'."
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
"The warmth of Corea’s liner notes about his fellow players does suggest, perhaps, this ensemble really should have recorded and played more together – as their exuberant performance of ‘Rhumba Flamenco’ attests."
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
"McBride sets a good example for contemporary definitions of ‘inside playing’ and ‘straight-ahead feel’… The excitement of the performance communicates to the audience (and vice versa), while the intensity of the mostly long tracks ensures that you don’t notice the length."
Available Format: 2 Vinyl Records
Available Format: 2 Vinyl Records
Recommended Reissues/Archive
"Prior to this commission, all Collier’s recorded work had been with smaller ensembles and while the writing on occasion could sound like an expanded small group using fairly orthodox voicings and ensemble devices, there are also episodes of adventure that demand repeated listening."
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
"For a singer who was quite as popular, well-known and long-lived as Chris Connor, touring in late 1950s packages with the likes of Brubeck and Mulligan, after working with Stan Kenton and Claude Thornill, it is surprising her fame hasn’t lasted better… This excellent compilation from Acrobat ought to do much to trigger a re-evaluation of her work, focusing on her formative years and her rise to success."
Available Format: CD
"Even if Gray’s version of Verdi’s ‘Anvil Chorus’ and Larry Clinton’s take on Debussy’s ‘Reverie’ aren’t to everyone’s taste, the 121 tracks on this 5 CD collection are all you really need of the Miller civilian band. Following on from Acrobat’s previously issued collection of airshots, this will become the cornerstone of any collection of its work."
Available Format: CD
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
