The first list is common, in part because it lets people express their tastes in a way that projects them as a relentlessly up-to-date and with-it person. I haven't seen the second list anywhere else, perhaps in part because it tells more about what people haven't been following closely, with all the inherent small embarrassments. ("I think of Bach as a focus of my performance, but I haven't listened to the Milstein recordings until now? Could I be that lame?")
As far as 2009 goes: I'm looking forward to the new releases from U2, Saxon Shore, and Gutbucket, as well as everything coming from the Cold Blue label (including new discs from John Luther Adams and Peter Garland). And there's always the huge 365 Days Project, which yields up new and fun things every time I go back to it. Not to mention two projects with which I'm personally involved: Stuart Smith's Links I-XI project on New World Records, and a disc from Easy Worship Operator, which we'll be recording over the summer.
Any of you with your own suggestions or lists should just comment your hearts out. Have a great holiday season, stay warm, and eat the cookies. They're probably delicious, and you deserve it.
Top 21 Releases of 2008:
20. (tie) Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Bach: The Art of the Fugue; Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Hommage a Messiaen (both on DG)19. Brad Mehldau Trio, Live (Nonesuch)
18. Rhymefest, Man In the Mirror (independent release)
17. John Hollenbeck, Rainbow Jimmies (GPE)
16. Mogwai, The Hawk is Howling (Wall of Sound)
15. Bennie Maupin, Early Reflections (ECM)
14. Meredith Monk, Impermanence (ECM)
13. The Great Depression, Forever Altered (Fire)
12. Dave Holland Sextet, Pass It On (Dare2)
11. Peter Garland: Three Strange Angels (Sort of 2008-- TSA is a Tzadik re-release of the out-of-print Border Music album from 1989.)
10. Chromeo, Fancy Footwork (VICE)
9. Vijay Iyer, Tragicomic (Sunnyside)
8. Sigur Ros, Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL)
7. Flying Lotus, Los Angeles (Warp)
6. Steve Reich and Musicians, Daniel Variations (Nonesuch)
5. Jean Geoffroy, Bach: Sonates, BWV 1001, 1003, 1005 (Skarbo)
4. Radiohead, In Rainbows (_Xurbia_Xendless Limited)
3. David Byrne and Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (TodoMundo)
2. Marek Konstantynowicz, Cikada Ensemble, Christian Eggen, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Feldman: The Viola in My Life I-IV (ECM)
1. Nik Bartsch's Ronin, Holon (ECM)
Top 15 I discovered in 2008:
15. Slow Six, Nor'easter (New Albion)14. Christer Bothen Trio, Triolos (LJ) (Impulse buy at Square Records in Akron. Free jazz trio with bass clarinet and Renaissance string instruments. Awesome.)
13. Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker With Strings (Verve) (Took me long enough, huh? And I used to teach jazz history.)
12. Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mother Tongue (Pi)
11. Sigur Ros, Hvarf-Heim (XL)
10. RJD2, Deadringer (Rj's Electrical Connections) (The track that samples Reich's Electric Counterpoint was playing over the store PA at Zia Records in Tempe-- the rest of it's great too.)
9. The Wailin' Jennys, Firecracker (Red House) (Heard them sing "Prairie Town" on Garrison Keillor's show. Immediately fired up iTunes.)
8. Boomish, Clearance Sale (EFA Meiden) (Thanks Rachel.)
7. Tom Waits, a swath of albums beginning with Swordfishtrombones (Island/Def Jam) and ending with Bone Machine (UMG)
6. John Luther Adams, For Lou Harrison (New World)
5. Ralph Towner and Gary Burton, Matchbook (ECM)
4. From the Kitchen Archives, No. 2: Steve Reich and Musicians, Live 1977 (Orange Mountain)
3. Nathan Milstein, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas (DG) (Aaaarggh!)
2. Hammock, Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo (Darla)
1. Elvis Costello/Brodsky Quartet, The Juliet Letters (Warner Bros.)
Posts
In Rainbows is a 2007 release
ReplyDeleteIndeed, one could have downloaded In Rainbows beginning in October 2007, but the physical release (which included beaucoup additional material) came out in January 2008. Thanks for reading, and for keeping me honest, man.
ReplyDelete