Hey Stu, re your question on good jazz a few posts ago, I've had a reasonable year on that front (probably more so than in the pop rock vein). A few that I think are really interesting are:

Phenomenology, by Liam Sillery. Fantastic. Somewhat "free" in style though it has enough structure and melody to hold your interest. Definitely hear some peak-period Wayne Shorter influence. Grows with each listen.

Yesterday You Said Tomorrow - by Christian Scott. Really strong modern trumpet based jazz, with tons of soul, groove, and indigo moods. Might be the first of these to try.

Tapestries for Small Orchestra - by Bill Dixon. He's an old free jazz war horse, but this is brilliant stuff. So much space and mood in these long lingering pieces. Not for all tastes but I love it.

Mirror - Charles Lloyd Quartet. Mr reliable....this is a nice, expressive ballad-based bop session with Chuck bringing out the most from each number - many of which are standards. He has a remarkable band, sounding somewhat classic-Coltrane-quartet-esque at times. The version of the Beach Boys' Caroline No is a good starting point.

Things Have Got to Change - Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet. Another record filled (from late 09) with creative jazz built loosely from the bop tradition. Piano-less quintet with the horns up front, but with a a focus on rhythm and interplay. The lack of piano opens up the core of the music as it always does.

Weary Already of the Way - Matt Bauder. Sax player who works (on this record) on large scale modern composition (though small number of instruments and found sounds)....same school as Bill Dixon above, if anything, more chaotic.

Saturn Sings - Mary Halvorson Quintet. My second record by this guitar player, diverse and complex music. Horns play a big part, often muting the guitar bases of these songs. Some tracks are energized and wild, others like Crack in Sky much softer and layered. Very interesting.

The new Guillermo Klein sounds really interesting 0 I loved his record form a couple of years back, and I discovered pianist Craig Taborn this year - his last album where he led the session was "Light Made Lighter" from 2007, which is a stunner. He also plays on Michael Formanek's much-lauded 2010 release The Rub and Spare Change...which I like a little less than his own work. Jim Rotondi's 100 Rainbows from 2010 is really good - fairly straight ahead post-bop with his trumpet front and centre.


I'll try to catch up on some other posts over the Christmas break.