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Friday, December 28, 2012

End-of-year Lists Galore

Allright, here they are then, the albums of the year 2012 as selected by the entire review team of the Free Jazz Collective. Each reviewer presented his (unfortunately not her) list of the ten best albums of the year. Based on the commonalities between those lists, we selected the top-10 that we all favoured.

The Free Jazz Collective Top-10 albums of 2012

  1. Eve Risser, Benjamin Duboc & Edward Perraud - En Corps
  2. Angles 8 - By Way Of Deception
  3. The Thing With Barry Guy - Metal!
  4. Aram Shelton Quartet - Everything for Somebody
  5. Henry Threadgill Zooid – Tomorrow Sunny / The Revelry, Spp
  6. Nicole Mitchell - Arc Of O
  7. Mary Halvorson Quintet - Bending Bridges
  8. Martin Küchen - Hellstorm
  9. Levity - Afternoon Delights
  10. Stian Westerhus - The Matriarch & The Wrong Kind Of Flower


Every contributor to the blog also made his own list of preferred albums.


Denti Alligator

1.             Eve Risser, Benjamin Duboc & Edward Perraud - En Corps
2.             Aaron Novik - Secret of Secrets
3.             Neneh Cherry & The Thing -  The Cherry Thing
4.             Bester Quartet -  Metamorphoses
5.             Charles Gayle - Streets
6.             Keith Rowe -  September
7.             Mats Gustafsson - Bengt
8.             David Krakauer -  Pruflas -  The Book of Angels Volume 18
9.             King Tears Bat Trip -  King Tears Bat Trip
10.          The Thing With Barry Guy -  Metal!


Paul Acquaro

1.             Mary Halvorson Quintet - Bending Bridges
2.             Elliot Sharp Trio - Aggregat
3.             9 Volt - Open Circuit
4.             Elephant9 with Reine Fiske - Atlantis
5.             Joe Morris, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver - Altitude
6.             Paul Dunmall & Tony Bianco - Thank You To John Coltrane
7.             Eivind Opsvik - Overseas IV
8.             Aych - As the Crow Flies
9.             Scorch Trio with Mars Williams - Made in Norway
10.          Tim Berne - Snake Oil

Tom Burris

1.             Eve Risser, Benjamin Duboc & Edward Perraud – En Corps 
2.             Nicole Mitchell – Arc of O 
3.             Jooklo Duo & Bill Nace – Scratch 
4.             Mary Halvorson Quintet - Bending Bridges 
5.             Henry Threadgill Zooid – Tomorrow Sunny / The Revelry, Spp 
6.             Rob Mazurek Pulsar Quartet – Stellar Pulsations 
7.             Sam Rivers, Dave Holland & Barry Altschul – Reunion: Live in New York 
8.             Hairy Bones – Snakelust 
9.             Noah Bernstein – Six 
10.          Ballister – Mechanisms 


Daniel Sorrelis

1.             Eve Risser, Benjamin Duboc & Edward Perraud - En Corps
2.             Eli Keszler - Catching Net
3.             Angles 8 - By Way of Deception: Live in Ljubjana
4.             Angharad Davies, Tisha Mukarji, Dimitria Lazaridou-Chatzigoga - Outwash
5.             Pedro Sousa & Hernâni Faustino - Falaise
6.             Martin Küchen - Hellstorm
7.             Way Out Northwest - The White Spot
8.             Mikołaj Trzaska, Ollie Brice, Mark Sanders - Riverloam Trio
9.             John Tilbury - For Tomasz Sikorski
10.          Henry Threadgill Zooid - Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry, Spp.


Phil Coombs

1.             Angles 8 - By Way of Deception - Live in Ljubljana
2.             Nicole Mitchell - Arc of O
3.             Steve Lehman Trio - Dialect Fluorescent
4.             Daniel Erdmann - How to Catch a Cloud
5.             MMM Quartet - Live at Metz' Arsenal
6.             Emile Parisien - Chien Guepe
7.             Aram Shelton Quartet - Everything for Somebody
8.             Matthew Shipp Trio - Elastic Aspects
9.             Max Johnson Quartet
10.          Eve Risser - En Corps


Joe Higham

1.             John Butcher and Toshimaru Nakamura - Dusted Machinery
2.             Levity - Afternoon Delights
3.             Aram Shelton Quartet - Everything for Somebody
4.             Daniel Erdmann - How to Catch a Cloud
5.             Marc Ducret - Tower Vol. 4
6.             Eve Risser - En Corps
7.             Outhouse - Straw, Sticks + Bricks.
8.             Arts and Sciences - New You
9.             Kay Grant & Alex Ward - Fast Talk
10.          Fred Lonberg-Holm's Fast Citizens - Gather


Paolo Casertano

1.             Stian Westerhus - The Matriarch And The Wrong Kind Of Flowers
2.             Joe McPhee & Eli Keszler - Ithaca
3.             Nate Wooley/Peter Evans - Instrumental Vol. 1
4.             Colin Stetson & Mats Gustafsson - Stones
5.             The Thing with Barry Guy - Metal
6.             Steve Lehman Trio - Dialect Fluorescent 
7.             Martin Küchen - Hellstorm
8.             Peter Kolovos - Black Colors
9.             Paradoxical Frog - Union
10.          John Tilbury - For Tomasz Sikorski


Ananth Krishnan

1.             Thomas Heberer – Cookbook
2.             Angles 8 - By Way of Deception: Live in Ljubjana
3.             Levity - Afternoon Delights
4.             Trespass Trio - Bruder Beda
5.             Maya Homburger and Barry Guy - Tales of Enchantment


Stef Gijssels

1.             Eve Risser, Benjamin Duboc & Edward Perraud – En Corps
2.             RED Trio + Nate Wooley - Stem
3.             Mikołaj Trzaska Ircha Clarinet Quartet* ‎– Zikaron - Lefanay
4.             Thomas Heberer's Clarino - Cookbook (Red Toucan, 2012)
5.             Mathias Küchen - Hellstorm
6.             Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers
7.             Skogen - Ist Gefallen In Den Schnee
8.             Angles 8 - By Way of Deception: Live in Ljubjana
9.             Pretty Monsters
10.          Dark Poetry


Martin Schray

1.       Fire! - In the Mouth a Hand
2.       Peter Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet+1 - Walk, Sleep, Love
3.       Evan Parker's Electro Acoustic Ensemble -  Hasselt
4.       Stian Westerhus -  The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers
5.       Hairy Bones - Snakelust
6.       Martin Küchen - Hellstorm
7.       Mats Gustafsson/Thurston Moore -  Play Some Fucking Stooges
8.       Colin Stetson/Mats Gustafsson - Stones
9.       Pao -  Pao
10.    Arts and Science  New You



.... and by the way, you can still vote for the HAPPY NEW EARS AWARD  for the most innovative listening experience of the year.




8 comments:

Tommy said...

I love this! So many good albums to check out. Really need to hear the "En Corps" cd.

My favorite three this year (though it might change after checking out some of the music on these lists...):

Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet - "Walk, Love, Sleep"
Peter Brötzmann & Jason Adasiewicz - "Going All Fancy"
Neneh Cherry & The Thing - "The Cherry Thing"

Cheers,
Tommy

Richard said...

Man, do I love lists, especially when they're from a website I read religiously.

For what it's worth, here's mine:

1-Eve Risser-En Corps
2-Fire! feat. Oren Ambarchi: In the Mouth a Hand
3-Peter Evans / Agusti Fernandez / Mats Gustafsson: Kopros Lithos (2011)
4-Muringa - The Unknown Knowns
5-Fred Lonberg-Holm's Fast Citizens - Gather
6-Angles 8 - By Way Of Deception - Live In Ljubljana
7-RED Trio + Nate Wooley - Stem
8-Bobun-Suite Pour Machines A Meche
9-Angelika Niescier, Thomas Morgan, Tyshawn Sorey-Quite Simply (2011)
10-Pretty Monsters
11-Angharad Davies, Tisha Mukarji, Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga – Outwash

I cheated on 2 of them, which are from 2011. I especially wanted to mention #3, since it wasn't reviewed here, and is amazing. (It pretty much had to be with that lineup.) I discovered it at Downtown Music Gallery in NYC.

Looking over these lists, I need to get the Aram Shelton and Martin Kuchen albums and I really, really need to get a turntable for a few others.

Thanks for another great year of reviews, folks. Obviously my list was heavily influenced by this website.

Costanzo said...

Nice list, gonna have to listen to a lot more if I want to make a list.

Martin Schray said...

Richard,
thanks for the nice words. I can only underline what you said about Evans/Fernandez/Gustafsson, it's a splendid album. I had the chance to see them live and it was a completely different experience, very intimate, less full throttle. And yes, check out Martin Küchen, you won't regret it. Last but not least, if you have the money: get a turntable. You won't regret this decision either. Thanks for your inspiring recent comments.

Martin Schray said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Gestalt & Death-Dead Country&Harth
Bottle Caps-Sabrina Siegel
Bell Trove Spools-John Butcher
All But-John Butcher
Grobe Gartenbauausstellung-
Dorner/Neumann/Johansson
Two London Concerts-AMM
Gift Fig-Alfred Harth/Carl Stone
Protocol-Chip Shop Music
and surging roars against my pillow-Jack Wright(download)
Cinema-E.Parker/Coxon/Prevost

Nazierben said...

Ballister - Mechanisms
RED Trio + Nate Wooley - Stem
Joe Morris / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver - Altitude
Hairy Bones - Snakelust (to Kenji Nakagami)
Annie Gosfield - Almost Truths and Open Deceptions
Émile Parisien Quartet - Chien Guêpe
Sean Noonan - Gambler's Hand
Eli Keszler - Catching Net
Thollem McDonas / William Parker / Nels Cline - The Gowanus Session
Colin Stetson / Mats Gustafsson - Stones
Eivind Opsvik - Overseas IV
Marilyn Crispell / Mark Dresser / Gerry Hemingway - Play Braxton
John Cage - Shock
1982 / BJ Cole - 1982 + BJ Cole
Eve Risser / Benjamin Duboc / Edward Perraud - En Corps
Martin Küchen - Hellstorm
John Tilbury - For Tomasz Sikorski
Skogen - Ist Gefallen In Den Schnee

Anonymous said...

Just a little comment on frequent wrong spelling of Slovenian capital “Ljubljana”. Obviously a very difficult word ;)

I live in the city, so it’s almost obligatory for me to point it out :)

Bostjan