Jazz Top 10 lists

It’s that time of year, when jazz writers, critics, bloggers and fans post their annual Top 10 lists. I’ve never made such a list—I know what I’ve been listening to, and I know what I like right now, at this moment, but I always suspect that two or three really great CDs are somewhere in the pile of things I haven’t yet gotten around to listening to. (For example, I'm listening to saxophonist John Devine's brand-new CD, A Little o' That, as I write this, and I like it a lot.) So I’m content to read other people’s lists and the contentious, incredulous, and occasionally rude comments they generate.

For those who also enjoy reading such lists, here’s a sampling. Some include links to other lists, so don’t blame me if you emerge, dehydrated and blinking, several hours after reading the first one. Or if you suddenly realize you’ve just spent a lot of money at Amazon.com or iTunes.

NPR’s A Blog Supreme. Patrick Jarenwattananon leads with Jason Moran’s Ten. Bill Carrothers’ Joy Spring takes the #4 spot. No argument here.

At the Jazz Journalists Association’s member site, Willard Jenkins lists his “thirteen for ’10 (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)”:

Randy Weston and his African Rhythms Sextet, The Storyteller (Motema)

Jason Moran, Ten (Blue Note)

Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green, Apex (Pi)

Azar Lawrence, Mystic Journey (Furtherance)

Regina Carter, Reverse Thread (E-1)

Charles Lloyd, Mirror (ECM)

Steve Colson, The Untarnished Dream (Silver Sphinx)

Tar Baby, The End of Fear (PosiTone)

The Clayton Brothers, The New Song and Dance (ArtistShare)

Omar Sosa & NDR Big Band, Ceremony (OTA)

REISSUES

Ahmad Jamal, The Complete Argo Sessions 1956-62 (Mosaic)

Freddie Hubbard, Red Clay (CTI)

Fela Kuti, The Best of the Black President (Kalakuta/Knitting Factory)

Canadian jazz writer Peter Hum compiled several lists of music he likes; his favorites include Dave Douglas’ Spark of Being, which more people should have gone to hear at the Walker earlier this year, and Baptiste Trotignon’s Suite…, which reminds me that I haven’t been paying enough attention to the lyrical, lovely, coincidentally handsome and French Baptiste in recent years. Time to catch up.

When Dean Minderman (second shout this week!) posts his Best Jazz of 2010 roundup, I’ll link to that here.