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Sunday, December 7, 2014

Happy New Ears 2014



Greetings everyone!

It's time again for our highly contested yet equally enjoyable HAPPY NEW EARS AWARD for the most innovative listening experience of the year. This is how it works. We present you below a longlist of albums that meet the criteria of having offered a new, novel, creative, innovative approach and perspective to music. This is not necessarily the best album of the year, but it should create a feeling with the listener of hearing something surprising, never heard before, discomforting or comforting in a different way, yet with an attractiveness and fascination that makes you want to hear it again and again.

Here is the currently proposed list from our reviewers:

  • Akira Sakata - Arashi
  • Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: Step Wide, Step Deep
  • Anna Webber - Simple
  • Antunes, Wooley and Corsano - Malus 
  • Battle Trance - Palace of Wind 
  • Bogan Ghost - Zerfall 
  • Denman Maroney & Hans Tammen - Arson
  • EFT - Spatial Awareness 
  • Fennesz - Becs
  • Flying Lotus - You're Dead
  • Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut - The Music of Everything - BFP 
  • Jeremiah Cymerman - Pale Horse 
  • Jeremiah Cymerman, Evan Parker, Nate Wooley – World of Objects
  • Joe Morris Quartet - Balance 
  • John Coltrane - Offering: Live at Temple University
  • John Edwards, Mark Sanders, John Tilbury – A Field Perpetually at the Edge of Disorder
  • Jorrit Dijkstra - Music for Reeds and Electronics 
  • Ken Vandermark - Sound in Motion in Sound
  • Ken Vandermark - Nine Ways to Build a Bridge
  • Kyle Bruckmann's Wrack - ...Awaits Silent Tristero's Empire 
  • Lotte Anker & Jakob Riis - Squid Police
  • Marc Ducret: Tower-Bridge
  • Mats Gustafsson NU Ensemble: Hidros 6 - Knockin'
  • Michael Francis Duch – Tomba Emmanuelle
  • N.E.W - Motion 
  • Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble - Intergalactic Beings
  • Robin Hayward - Nouveau Saxhorn Nouveau Basse
  • Steve Lehman Octet - Mise en Abime
  • Syrinx Effect - Snail Songs 
  • The Rempis/Marhaug Duo - Naancore
  • Waclaw Zimpel To Tu Orchestra – Nature Moves
You can add albums for the longlist between now and the end of the week. We - the review team - will then reduce this list to a manageable shorter list. On this list the votes can be cast and we will have the winner by year-end.

Many thanks in advance for the suggestions. (Please note that comments on posts require moderation to deal with the spammers. If you submit suggestions, they may not appear immediately)


- Free Jazz Blog

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sei Miguel - Salvation Modes

Anonymous said...

Farmers by Nature: Love and ghost

Gennaro said...

Franco D'Andrea - Monk & the time machine
Made to Break - Cherchez la femme
Angles 9 - Injuries
Side A - In the abstract
Variable Density Sound Orch. - Evolving Strategies
Audio One - An international report
Audio One - The Midwest School
Fire Orch. - Enter
Pharoah & The Underground
Adam Lane Full Throttle Orch. - Live in Ljubljana
Jason Ajemian - Folklords
Farmers by Nature - Love & Ghosts
Lean Left - Live at Area Sismica
Zion 80 - Adramelech
T. Sorey - Alloy
Wadada Leo Smith - The Great Lakes Suites
Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love - Extended Duos

Anonymous said...

Tyshawn Sorey - Alloy

Hugues Vincent & Yasumune Morishige - Fragment

ZielonyGrzyb said...

Marc Ribot Trio - Live at Village Vanguard
Medeski, Martin & Wood + Nels Cline - Woodstock Sessions, Vol. 2
Peter Van Huffel's Gorilla Mask - Bite My Blues

Ziryab said...

Evan Parker, Peter Evans, Craig Taborn, Sam Pluta- Rocket Science
Nicole Mitchell's Sonic Projections - The Secret Escapades of Velvet Anderson
Farmers by Nature - Love and Ghosts
Peter Evans Quintet - Destination : Void
Wadada Leo Smith - The Great Lake Suite
Emile Parisien Quartet - Spezial Snack
Steve Lehman Octet - Mise-en-abime
Made to Break - Cherchez la Femme

R. Samolot said...

Jameel Moondoc The Zookeeper's House
Jozef Dumoulin & The Red Hill Orchestra - Trust
Audio One - The Midwest School / An International Report
Damian Allegretti - Stoddard Place

Popecock said...

Kevin Drumm/Jason Lescalleet - The Abyss

Steve said...

Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit - Erta Ale
Tyshawn Sorey - Alloy
Willi Kellers Quartet - Life in a Black Box
Thomas Heberer, Pascal Niggenkemper - Miner's Pick
Roscoe Mitchell - Conversations with Craig Taborn and Kikanju Baku (volumes 1 + 2)
Adam Lane's Full Throttle Orchestra - Live in Ljubljana
Hugues Vincent, Yasumune Morishige - Fragment

Anonymous said...

Michael Jefry Stevens/Dom Minasi
"Angel's Dance" - NACHT Records

Stef said...

And my list, even if some 2013 albums figure on it.
Luis Vicente, Pinheiro, Faustino & Franco - Clocks & Clouds
Hugues Vincent & Yasumune Morishige - Fragment (Improvising Beings, 2014)
Magda Mayas, Damon Smith & Tony Buck - Spill Plus
East-West Collective - Humeurs
The Apophonics - On Air (Weight Of Wax, 2013)
Skogen - Despairs Had Governed Me Too Long (Another Timbre, 2014)
Samuel Blaser Consort In Motion - A Mirror To Machaut (Songlines,2013)
Jeremiah Cymerman - Pale Horse (5049 Records, 2014)

Richard said...

Joelle Leandre & Pascale Contet-3

I also agree with a previous commenter that Kevin Drumm/Jason Lescalleet - The Abyss is deserving. If we have expanded the domain of this website to include things like Fennesz and Flying Lotus, then this certainly qualifies. If you wanted something along the same lines but more in a jazz tradition, the album by Dan Peck and the Gate should qualify.

Finally, if we are going to cheat a bit and let the Samuel Blaser album that Stef cite be eligible,
then by all means put it on the list.

ziryab said...

A couple more...

John Escreet - Sounds, Space and Structures
Roscoe Mitchell - Conversations 1 & 2

Popecock said...

... let the room outgrow the walls ...

Vanessa Rossetto - Whole Stories

Anonymous said...

Ballister - Both Ends,
Roscoe Mitchell - Conversations I II,
Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilssen-Love ‎– Lightning Over Water
Farmers by Nature - Love and Ghosts
Wadada Leo Smith - The Great Lakes Suites
Anthony Braxton ‎– 12 Duets (DCWM) 2012
Joe McPhee, Chris Corsano ‎– Dream Defenders
Broetzmann, Adasiewicz, Edwards, Noble ‎– Mental Shake

Anonymous said...

Brötzmann, Edwards, Noble ‎– Soulfood Available
Audio One - The Midwest School / An International Report

prof. kien said...

Ivo Perelman - Book of Sound
Jemeel Moondoc - The Zookeeper's House
Joëlle Léandre & Michael Duch - (Live at) Gråmølna
Daunik Lazro & Joelle Leandre - Hasparren
Wadada Leo Smith - The Great Lakes Suites

Lee said...

My top ten this year probably looks like this, in no particular order:

Angles 9 - Injuries
Farmers By Nature - Love & Ghosts
Taylor Ho Bynum & Tomas Fujiwara - Through Foundation
Tony Malaby's Tamarindo - Somos Agua
Marc Ribot Trio - Live at the Village Vanguard
Tyshawn Sorey - Alloy
Aki Takase & Alexander Von Schlippenbach - So Long, Eric!
David Virelles - Mboko
Anna Webber - Simple
Zion 80 - Adramelech

Pyro said...

Machine Mass feat. Dave Liebman - Inti (MoonJune Records)
http://moonjunerecords.bandcamp.com/album/inti

Angelica Sanchez & Wadada Leo Smith - Twine Forest (Clean Feed)
www.freejazzblog.org/2014/01/angelica-sanchez-wadada-leo-smith-twine.html
(the review came too late for the 2013 survey)

Tyshawn Sorey - Alloy (Pi Recordings)
www.freejazzblog.org/2014/10/tyshawn-sorey-alloy-pi-recordings-2014.html

Keith said...

William Parker, Collection,“Flute Songs”
Agusti Fernandez & Mats Gustafsson, “Constellations”
Ken Vandermark’s Audio One, “International Report”
Paal Nilson-Love, Large Unit, “Erta Ale”
Akira Sakata & Giovani di Domenico “iruman”
Made to Break ,“Cherchez la Femme”
Ken Vandermark’s Audio One, “Midwest School”*
Ballister , “Worse for the Wear”
Vandermark, Paap Nilssen-Love, “Lighting over Water”
Young Mother’s, “A Mothers Work is Never Done”

Prof. Drew LeDrew said...

Outstanding lists!

Just to add a couple not mentioned previously:

Rob Mazurek and Black Cube SP - Return the Tides: Ascension Suite and Holy Ghost (Cuneiform)

Kenny Wollesen et al - Rasa Rasa (Tzadik)

konstruKt & Joe McPhee - Babylon
konstruKt & Marshall Allen - Live At Sant'Anna Arresi Jazz Festival (Roaratorio)

The "A" Trio - Live in Nickelsdorf (Roaratorio)

Thanks!

eurasienstar said...

People - 3 x a woman

Antonis said...

Akira Sakata & Giovanni Di Domenico - Iruman
Pharoah And The Underground
Wadada Leo Smith - The Great Lakes Suite
Thumbscrew
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Black Is Back

IB said...

Akira Sakata & Giovani di Domenico “Iruman”
konstruKt & Marshall Allen double LP on Holidays

And thanks to the two kind souls who put Hugues Vincent & Morishige on their lists :)

Miguel said...

For what i listen this year, here´s my selection but always with the enormous help and tremendous dedication of COLLECTIVE Free Jazz blog!

Thank you!

- Vicente,Pinheiro, faustino e Franco, "Clocks and Clouds" (FMR)
- Rodrigo Amado, "Wire Quartet" (Clean Feed)
- Rob Mazurek, "Return the Tides" (Cuneiform)
- Hugues Vincent & Yasumune Morishige, "Fragments" (Improvising Beings)
- East-west Collective, "Humeurs" (Rogue Arte)
- Syrinx Effect, "Snail Songs"
- Farmers by Nature, "Love & Ghosts" (AUM)
- Chicago / São Paulo Underground Feact. Pharoah Sanders, "Spiral Mercury" (Clean Feed)
- Peter Van Huffel´s Gorilla Mask, "Bite my Blues" (Clean Feed)
- Fail Better! , "Zero Sum" (JACC Records)
- Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio & Peter Evans, "The Freedom Principle" (No Business)
- Joana Gama / Luís Fernandes, "Quest", (Shhpuma Records)

Rui António said...

Sam Pluta & Peter Evans “Event Horizon” (Carrier Records)
Thurston Moore and Margarida Garcia “The Rust within their Throats” (Headlights)
Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio & Peter Evans, "The Freedom Principle" (No Business)
Vicente,Pinheiro, Faustino & Franco, "Clocks and Clouds" (FMR)
Crys Cole / Oren Ambarchi ‎– Sonja Henies Vei 31 (Planam)
Danae Stefanou “Herewith” (Holotype)
Dj Sniff “Incredulous cuts” (Doubtmusic)
Jeremiah Cymerman - Pale Horse (5049 Records)
RED Trio & Mattias Ståhl “North And The Red Stream” (NoBusiness)

Anonymous said...

Ballister - The Ballister Monologues
Satoko Fujii Orchestra NY - Shiki
Masahiko Satoh, Paal Nilssen-Love ‎– Spring Snow
Ballister - Worse for the Wear
Barry Guy - Five Fizzles For Samuel Beckett
Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis, John Zorn ‎– Sonic Rivers
Barry Guy New Orchestra Small Formations ‎– Mad Dogs On The Loose

Anonymous said...

- Die Hochstapler "The Braxtornette Project" (umlaut records) a great Supplement to their amazing concert at Météo Festival Mulhouse this year
- The Whammies "Play the Music of Steve Lacy, Vol. 3" (Driff Records)
- Made To Break "Cherchez la femme" (Trost Records)

Greetings from North Germany

Unknown said...

Angles 9 - Injuries
Fire Orch. - Enter
and......Swans - to be kind

Otosbomber said...


+ Fergus Kelly >>>Unnatural Actuality>>>