Music Director Joe Kocherhans Picks Jazz 88.3 Top 10 Jazz of 2018
Jazz 88.3 Music Director and host of "The Jazz Morning Drive" and "Portrait in Jazz", Monday through Friday, 6 to 10am PT, picks the Jazz 88.3 Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2018, including some of this thoughts on why. Hear them played in their entirety, countdown starts at 9am PT
- Joey Alexander "Eclipse": "15 year old pianist, with another outstanding release, featuring many of his originals, and spent many weeks at #1 on the Jazzweek chart."
- Stefon Harris & Blackout "Sonic Creed": "Session led by a vibraphonist, which ended the year with a long run at #1 on the Jazzweek chart."
- Don Braden "Earth, Wind and Wonder": "Saxophonist, leading a quartet with nice, jazzy versions of the songs of Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder."
- Christopher Hollyday "Telepathy": "Saxophonist, with San Diego's finest rounding out his quintet, with interesting takes on familiar material. First release by Chris in many years, and a very welcome addition to our library."
- “Looking back, there was too much talk about how young I was, you know ‘the youngest cat to play the Village Vanguard’ instead what I brought to the music. One thing we all had in common was being dead serious about the music.” [Dead serious about the music, Robert Bush, San Diego Reader]
- Kenny Barron Quintet "Concentric Circles": "Legendary pianist, performing his unique originals."
- “...a pianist, composer and bandleader of apparently infinite resource and ingenuity, he records albums as close to perfection as anyone could wish.”[Kenny Barron Quintet: Concentric Circles – infinite ingenuity, Dave Gelly, The Guardian]
- Jeff Hamilton Trio "Live From San Pedro": "Live recording of a marvelous trio."
- "Ellis Marsalis Quintet Plays The Music of Ellis Marsalis": "Pianist, with a quintet of young lions, performing his one-of-a-kind compositions."
- Eddie Henderson "Be Cool": "Venerable trumpet player hits all the right notes on this straight-ahead session."
- Richie Cole "Cannonball": "Alto madman paying tribute to his fellow altoist, Cannonball Adderley, leading a sextet with outstanding versions of tunes written/made famous by Cannonball."
- Doug Webb "Fast Friends": "Outstanding sax player, leading a quintet, with a great collection of original compositions."
Jazz 88.3 Staff and Hosts Pick Their Top Jazz and Blues of 2018
Some of your favorite Jazz 88.3 On-Air Hosts and Staff have shared their favorites from the best of 2018...
Ric's Jazz Cafe Says Cecile McLorin Salvant "Nails It"
"She nails it" - Ric. "Somewhere" by Cecile McLorin Salvant from "The Window" is Ric's Top of 2018! LISTEN TO "Ric's Jazz Cafe", Saturday, 7 to 10 am PT - SHOW PAGE / PLAYLIST / LISTEN LINK
MCTony's Late Evening Jazz Tuesday Can't Pick Just One
“I couldn’t decide on just one new release.” So Tony McGee, host of “Late Evening Jazz Tuesday”, Tuesday 10 pm to Midnight PT, and @MCTony on Twitter, sent us 7 (and we added some reviews)!
- Corcoran Holt: The Mecca - Raven’s Wing
- Corcoran Holt Releases “The Mecca” (NoTreble.com, Kevin Johnson): “After honing his craft with some of the top jazz musicians in the world, bassist Corcoran Holt has released his debut solo album called The Mecca. Holt, who is a regular with sax legend Kenny Garrett’s band, dishes out a mix of original songs and standards with unshakeable bass lines.”
- JD Allen: Love Stone - Why Was I Born
- Dan Bilawsky's Best Releases Of 2018 - All About Jazz
- “rather than cast his own pen in a new light again, Allen took to the challenge of investing his strong-willed spirit into a series of time-tested ballads. The results are simply breathtaking. “ [JD Allen: Love Stone, Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz]
- Renee Rosnes: Beloved of the Sky - Let the Wild Rumpus Start
- “If you have any doubt about the creative forces bubbling out of this woman just listen to the driving opener titled “Elephant Dust,” a reference to an allergic reaction to petting a circus elephant. “ “simply a superlative session that stimulates the senses on so many levels and provokes serious and rewarding listening for those willing to take the time.” (Renee Rosnes “Beloved of the Sky”, Notes On Jazz, Ralph Miriello)
- Keith Jarrett trio: After the Fall - Bouncin With Bud
- Keith Jarrett / Gary Peacock / Jack DeJohnette: After The Fall (AllAboutJazz.com, Karl Ackerman): “In the year between ECM releases Tokyo '96 (1997) and Whisper Not (1999), Keith Jarrett's iconic Standards Trio returned to live performances following a two-year break. Jarrett's bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome left him physically and emotionally drained, but with the condition in check, his expressive passion and physical enthusiasm return in full force with After The Fall. “
- Brad Mehldau trio: Seymour Reads the Constitution - De Dah
- Christian McBride: New Jawn - Seek the Source
- John Scofield: Combo 66 - Combo Theme
Jazz and Blues Writers, Critics, Artists, and Fans Pick Best Jazz and Blues of 2018
- "Jazz, like no other music, is in a constant state of re-invention — simultaneously celebrating and re-inventing its rich past, while constantly pushing forward. Those are the exact qualities my favorite jazz albums of 2018 share." - Best jazz albums of 2018, from Wayne Shorter and Henry Threadgill to Myra Melford and Miguel Zenón, George Varga, San Diego Union Tribune
- "...it wasn’t hard in the least to compile a ‘Best of Jazz’ list for 2018. In fact, these most noteworthy of releases were self-evident from the very beginning of the year, their distinction(s) readily apparent upon release." - Doug Collette, Glide's Best of Jazz 2018: Cline, Mehldau, Lage, Scofield, and More
- "Consider the range of expression below, and you'll find that many jazz artists feel the same way — and are doing something about it. What a time to be listening." - Nate Chinen's Favorite Albums Of 2018, NPR NOTE: Author of "Playing Changes" a great Jazz book in 2018.
