Albums Of The Year 2011

In the past four years, I made my own selection of the best albums, yet there is of course nothing as subjective as determining what is good music or not, hence you get the lists from the contributors to this blog. Again, for reasons of clarity - this is about the best albums (as in "most gripping, most memorable, most adventurous, most coherent, most authentic, most complete, etc".), not about the most innovative listening experiences, which can be found in the Happy New Ears Award lists. Still waiting for Paul's list, which will be added once I get them (if at all). 


Joe Higham's Top-10 of 2011

1. The Engines - Brass and Wire
2. Peter Evans Quintet - Ghosts
3. Twelves - The Adding Machine
4. Red Trio + John Butcher - Empire
5. Nate Wooley - Trumpet/Amplifier
6. Peter Evans - Beyond Civilized and Primitive
7. Russ Lossing Trio - Oracle
8. Noel Taylor & Alberto Popolla - We All Fall Down
9. Motif - Facienda
10. Jeff Davis - We Sleep Outside

Stanley Zappa's Top-10 of 2011

1. Other Dimensions in Music with Fay Victor - Kaiso Stories 
2. Søren Kjærgaard, Ben Street, Andrew Cyrille - Femklang 
3. Laurence Cook, Eric Zinman - Double Action 
4. Ornette Coleman - Reunion 
5. David S. Ware - Planetary Unknown 
6. Augusti Fernandez, Barry Guy, Raymond Lopez - Morning Glory 
7. William Parker - Conversations 
8. Darius Jones & Matt Shipp - Cosmic Lieder
9. Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet - Apparent Distances 
10. Joe Morris - Wildlife

Guy Peeters' Top-10 of 2011

1. Peter Evans Quintet - Ghosts 
2. Joseph Daley Earth Tones Ensemble - The Seven Deadly Sins 
3. Ig Henneman Sextet - Cut A Caper 
4. Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter 1: Gens De Couleur Libres 
5. Michiel Braam's Hybrid 10tet - On The Move 
6. Mostly Other People Do The Killing - The Coimbra Concert 
7. Darius Jones Trio - Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) 
8. Bill Orcutt - How The Thing Sings 
9. Ambrose Akinmusire - When The Heart Emerges Glistening 
10. Other Dimensions In Music feat. Fay Victor - Kaiso Stories

Ananth Krishan's Top-5 of 2011

1. Agustí Fernández, Barry Guy & Ramón López - Morning Glory
2. Joe Hertenstein, Thomas Heberer, Joachim Badenhorst, Pascal Niggenkemper - Polylemma 
3. Mark O’Leary / Peter Friis-Nielsen / Stefan Pasborg: Støj 
4. Kaze - Rafale 
5. Albatrosh – Yonkers

Stef's List 

1. Bill Dixon - Envoi 
2. William Parker & ICI Ensemble - Winter Sun Crying 
3. Satoko Fujii & Min-Yoh - Watershed 
4. Fire! with Jim O'Rourke - Unreleased 
5. Daunik Lazro, Benjamin Duboc, Didier Lasserre - Pourtant Les Cimes Des Arbres 
6. Kaze - Rafale 
7. Rob Mazurek - Calma Gente 
8. Benoît Delbecq & François Houle - Because She Hoped 
9. Sei Miguel & Pedro Gomes - Turbina Anthem 
10. Foton Quartet - Zomo Hall 

Tony Verstraete (from Instantjazz) also gave his favorites (or rather, I took them)

1. Darius Jones Trio - 'Big Girl (Smell My Dream)' 
2. Peter Evans Quintet - 'Ghosts '
3. Julius Hemphill - 'Dogon A.D.' 
4. Agusti Fernandez - 'El Laberint de la Memoria' 
5. Rob Mazurek -  'Calma Gente' 
6. Tarfala Trio  - 'Syzyguy' 
7. Satoko Fujii & Min Yoh  - 'Watershed' 
8. Hertenstein, Heberer, Niggenkamper, Badenhorst  - 'Polylemma' 
9. André Vida -  'Brud Volumes I-III 1998-2011' 
10. Ellery Eskelin  - 'Trio New York' 

 So, despite all the subjective feelings, there are some similarities. And my frustration is that I still have a pile of music here that requires some listening.