This is a band I’ve been looking forward to hearing for some time ever since hearing a live set by them on Jazz on 3. On Wednesday they played their first live gig outside London at the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham supported by the Greyish Quartet. I thoroughly enjoyed the gig and both bands played great sets. Jazzlines are to be congratulated for putting on this gig. Ian Mann has already reviewed this gig on his site The Jazz Mann and since I wholeheartedly agree with what he wrote I won’t write my own review here. However I think it is worth echoing Ian’s comments about the size of the audience and the rapturous response they gave to Shabaka’s band. Jazzlines gigs at the Hare and Hounds seem to be drawing audiences that almost fill the room on a regular basis. Long may it continue.

Tuesday’s gig was co- sponsored by Fizzle, who put on fortnightly gigs in the venue, and Jazzlines. Jazzlines is the organisation which has taken over from Birmingham Jazz. The Arts Council when considering how to deal with cuts to their budget were, apparently, very clear that they wanted Birmingham Jazz to work together with the Town Hall and Symphony Hall in order to protect the grant that went towards Jazz music in Birmingham each year. Some of the board of Birmingham Jazz weren’t happy with this and wanted the organisation to stay independent even though it would mean losing Arts Council Funding. This led to Tony Dudley-Evans and Mary Wakelam moving from  Birmingham Jazz to be part of a new Jazzlines set up based at and part of the THSH organisation. You can see more on the new Jazzlines website. Birmingham Jazz will continue as an independent organisation and will seek to raise funds separately, initially through a fund raising drive from members we are told. They will look to carry on promoting gigs on a small basis in the city. Birmingham Jazz’s website will continue here.

It is, of course, possible to run Jazz gigs without Arts Council or City Council funding but I have a feeling that gigs like the Nham gig on Tuesday which was supported by Jazzlines would have been difficult to run without public funding. Certainly the upcoming Jazzlines gigs featuring Andy Sheppard’s Trio Libero and Phronesis, amongst others, would have been extremely difficult to promote had the Arts Council Funding been lost from the city. Therefore whilst I wish Birmingham Jazz well I am glad that Jazzlines exists and that public funding for Jazz in the City continues.

Keep an eye out for other gigs at Fizzle here. The work they do shows that small gigs in back rooms of pubs can produce brilliant music that sits really well alongside the things we see and hear in bigger venues.

As a listener I thoroughly enjoyed Tuesday night. However as a photographer I guess I have to say that one of the things that smaller gigs often miss out on due to budget constraints etc is lighting. Therefore it’s generally harder to get good atmospheric images. As an example the images I have posted on my site from Tuesday’s gig had to be taken at an ISO of 3200 or 6400 and at slow shutter speeds. I like to avoid blur if I can unless I use it in a creative way. It’s much harder to do so at slow shutter speeds. However despite this little winge I’m quite pleased with some of the images I took on Tuesday night. They took a bit more work in post production in Lightroom than I’m used to but I hope viewers who were there would agree that I’ve caught something of the atmosphere of the gig.

Go here to go to see a whole Gallery of images on my website.

On Friday Tord Gustavsen brought his Quartet to Birmingham again. I’d forgotten quite how good they are as a live unit. They gained a rousing ovation from a large audience at the CBSO Centre. Peter Bacon has reviewed the gig on his site The Jazz Breakfast so I won’t attempt a review here but do have a look at Pete’s review. I took some photos during the band’s soundcheck and you can see the best of them above.

On Wednesday Get the Blessing play at the Hare and Hounds. That’s another gig I am really looking forward to.

The first set featured an expanded nonet playing Out of the Cool. The Orchestra’s leader and Jazz Course Director, Jeremy Price, explained that because of the fact that the musicians were playing both pieces and the difficulties involved, they expanded the original nine piece line up to an eleven piece one to allow the trumpet and alto players to share their roles. As with Sketches of Spain later, due to the instrumentation involved, some of the musicians were from the Conservatoire’s Classical course and others were from the Jazz course. All eleven musicians acquitted themselves admirably. The ensemble played all the Birth of the Cool album.  ”Darn that Dream”, which is a vocal track on the album, doesn’t have a score available, or the ensemble have a singer. Therefore the band played it as a quartet led wonderfully by the baritone saxophone player. This set went down really well with the audience but I suspect didn’t fully prepare the audience for the fireworks to come.

In introducing the second set Birmingham Jazz’s Tony Dudley-Evans described Sketches of Spain as one of the greatest pieces of music of the twentieth century, an assessment I wouldn’t challenge. Miles Davis and Gil Evans recorded it in 1959. I can’t remember when I first heard it but it was very early in my Jazz listening career so it was probably in the very early 1980′s. It’s a piece of music I have loved since I first heard it and one that I return to  regularly. However I’ve never heard it played live. I can remember having read about groups playing Miles and Gil’s Porgy and Bess live but I don’t recall ever having seen anything about live performances of Sketches of Spain. Thus the chance to hear it in full tonight was a real treat. To hear it played so well by a group of musicians yet to finish their Conservatoire course was amazing. In the sleeve notes to the original release Classical Composer Hall Overton, who also worked as an arranger for Thelonious Monk, says “This is the toughest notation I’ve ever seen in a Jazz arrangement.” To my ear the Conservatoire musicians played this music superbly. Trumpeter, Percy Pursglove (a Conservatoire Graduate), played Miles’  lead trumpet part incredibly and to great applause from the sizeable Town Hall audience. The night before he was playing improv with Evan Parker at the Vortex!

The audience obviously loved this performance which was ended with an encore of “New Rhumba” from the Miles Davis/Gil Evans album “Miles Ahead”. It must have been a real boost to the confidence of all the musicians involved to get the chance to play in the Town Hall and get such a wonderful reception from a large audience. The Conservatoire, Town Hall and Birmingham Jazz are to be congratulated for putting on this performance. Hopefully they’ll put on these sort of large scale performances more often.

I didn’t take any photos during the concert or the soundcheck, though there were photographers there. In many ways I am for once glad I left my camera at home. The photos worth having would have been from the performance itself with the musicians dressed in their finest. To have taken shots then would have made it hard for me to concentrate on listening to this wonderful music. I’m really glad I had the chance to do that.

There’s been an unfortunate large gap since I last posted anything here. Hopefully it won’t happen again but at times recently I’ve been rather lacking in energy due to ill health. It was great to get out and photograph a band again last night and I really enjoyed the gig by Empirical at Birmingham’s Midlands Arts Centre. This was the third time I’ve seen the band, having caught them touring each of their three albums. The first two gigs were very good but last night I thought they had progressed enormously to the point that I’d happily argue the case for them being one of the best bands in the country.

Empirical’s second album explored the music of Eric Dolphy and seemed to me a step on from the band’s first. Now, with the release of their third album, “Elements of Truth”, numbers from which made up most of last night’s set, they really have a sound of their own and have, for me, integrated the vibes playing of Lewis Wright into the ensemble much more. They’ve clearly been listening to a lot of the more cutting edge Jazz coming out of New York. At times I thought I could hear influences from the likes of Steve Lehman and Steve Coleman, indeed Nathaniel Lacey was in the audience for the amazing gig that Steve Lehman did in Birmingham last January. Although I felt you could hear the influences the band do have a sound of their own and it’s a really interesting and entertaining one. All four of the band members are great musicians in their own right but as a band they now sound really wonderful.

The sizeable audience at the mac last night obviously enjoyed the gig,  judging by the applause at the end. Those regular members of the Birmingham Jazz audience that I spoke to afterwards were all raving but from what I could hear so were many others. It’s nice to be able to note that there were quite a lot of faces in the audience that I didn’t recognise as Birmingham Jazz “regulars” so hopefully this means there’s a buzz building up about this band.

Peter Bacon will be reviewing the concert on his site The Jazz Breakfast so keep an eye open for that.

I’m now really looking forward to seeing the Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Orchestra play Gil Evans and Miles Davis’s “Birth of the Cool” and “Sketches of Spain” at the Town Hall on Friday night.

10. Rudresh Mahanthappa:  Samdhi .   ACT

Rudresh was voted as Alto Sax player of the year in the International critics poll in Downbeat magazine. He is one of the many musicians to have been influenced by Steve Coleman and he has recorded in duets and groups with Vijay Iyer. This album, under his own name, mixes music from his Indian ancestry, Jazz and other influences. It has been much played in my house this year and I recommend it strongly along with the many other recordings Rudresh features on.

9. Matana Roberts:  Coin Coin Chapter One.   Constellation.

Matana Roberts  is a Chicago born sax player and improviser who has been involved with the AACM. This is her third album release and was recorded in Montreal where she spends time and works with a group of local musicians. This is the first part of a work that probes her African-American Ancestral heritage going back as to the1700’s and thus the subject of slavery plays a large part.  Twelve parts are planned eventually. Roberts vocalises and sings as well as plays sax. This isn’t easy listening but it is very powerful and repays careful listening. Matana Roberts is definitely a name to watch out for.

8. Archie Shepp and Joachim Kuhn:  Wo!man.  Coati Mundi.

Archie Shepp is described in the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD as “one of the major intellectuals of modern jazz.” He first made his name in the 60’s and played on Coltrane’s Ascension. Joachim Kuhn is a German pianist who’s now in his 60’s and who has previously recorded a live duet album with Ornette Coleman amongst many other releases. Kuhn and Shepp play really well together and this is a really enjoyable album which features a great version of Ornette’s “Lonely Woman.”

7. Sam Rivers and the Rivbea Orchestra.  Trilogy.   Mosaic Select.

This is an album that I agonised over including in this list. Not because I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked it but because Mosaic Select box sets are normally a release of archive material or stuff that’s been released before. However this fabulous triple CD box set features all new material that hasn’t been previously released and that was all recorded live and in the studio during 2008 and 2009. Because of this I decided that this release was legitimately a new release from 2011. Rivers is well into his 80’s now and has lived in Orlando, Florida since 1992. He now has a big band made up mainly of local musicians which features 14 horns and two rhythm players (bass and drums). His writing for this band is not like anyone else’s but it sounds amazing to me. I’ve not seen this Box Set reviewed much but it’s well worth searching out.

6. Gregory Porter: Water.   Motema

This album from singer Gregory Porter was Jazzwise magazines album of the year and has been nominated for a Grammy. Porter first came to attention in this country after an appearance on Later with Jools Holland. He’s returned to the UK a few times since and appeared in an amazing gig at the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham back in October.  Porter has a great voice and draws on soul as well as Jazz influences. His music has elements of social commentary to it as you hear when listening to 1960 What? Every track on this album is great and it has been much played this year in the Escritt household.

5. Marius Neset:  Golden Explosion.   Edition.

Marius Neset was seen in Birmingham playing in Django Bates’ band stoRMChaser in 2008. That band was made up of students from Copenhagen who Django taught. His first recording under his own name “Golden Explosion” burst onto the scene early this year to rave reviews all round. Django Bates says of Marius on the Edition Records website: “Marius is an astonishing saxophonist. I love to hear him perform because he digests all the numerical games that drummers and bassists concoct and throws them straight back with harmony and melody attached. Performing in a band with Marius is like being on a bobsleigh team; his energy, speed of reflex, and superb technique enable him to keep changing up a gear, way beyond what one imagines humanly possible.”

4. Vijay Iyer, Prasanna, Nitin Mitta:  Tirtha.   ACT.

Over the last decade there have been many new pianists making a name for themselves. Vijay Iyer is one of my absolute favourites. Like saxophonist, Rudresh Mahanthappa who he often plays with, Iyer draws on his Indian cultural background and mixes this in with Jazz and other influences. Over the last ten years he has recorded in a number of different settings and won numerous awards as well as a Grammy nomination in 2010 for Best Instrumental Jazz Album for his recording “Historicity”. Tirtha is a trio recording with Guitarist/composer Prasanna and tabla player Nitin Mitta. The All about Music Guide says of it: Tirtha is a triumph; it is a high water mark in hearing the constantly evolving discussion between Jazz and Indian Music.”  If you’ve not heard this or any of Iyer’s music then don’t wait any longer.

3. The Impossible Gentlemen:  The Impossible Gentlemen.   Basho.

The Impossible Gentlemen are a sort of Jazz supergroup with British Musicians Gwilym Simcock on piano and Mike Walker on Guitar and Americans Steve Swallow on bass and Adam Nussbaum on Drums. They played a wonderful gig in Birmingham back in May 2010 and then went on to record and to tour again to great acclaim last year. The album, when it came out, was just as good as I remembered the gig being. All four musicians contribute a lot to the group sound but guitarist Mike Walker really demonstrates just how under-rated he is. All About Jazz says of this album:  ”This shimmering jewel of style and substance is jazz at its most exalted, and simply has to be heard. Here’s a crude and approximate map reference, but one that gets close to the buried treasure.  Imagine guitarist Pat Metheny’s trio masterpiece, Day Trip (Nonesuch, 2007), add a pianist of commensurate genius, and you are banging on the disc’s front door. It is that good”.

2. Ambrose Akinmusire:   When the heart emerges glistening.   Blue Note.

Ambrose Akinmusire was born in California and now lives in New York. He has performed with Vijat Iyer, Jason Moran and Esperanza Spalding amongst others. He played in Birmingham with the John Escreet Project back in July 2008. This album, which is co-produced by Jason Moran, is his second and his first on Blue Note. Bruce Lundvall of Blue Note writes in the sleeve notes of the album: “You will be a very big part of the future of this art form that we call jazz.” The All About Jazz review of the album says:  “The session exudes a hearty romanticism, with Akinmusire’s seasoned quintet delivering soulful melodies and rich harmonies that unflinchingly embrace the emotive fervor of free jazz. Blending sultry R&B motifs and driving hard bop riffs with tortuous post bop themes, their efforts are adventurous yet accessible, conveying bold expressionism tempered by dulcet beauty.”

1. David S. Ware/Cooper-Moore/William Parker/Muhammad Ali:  Planetary Unknown. AUM Fidelity

David S. Ware has long been one of my favourite tenor players. For many years he led a group which featured Mathew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass and either Suzie Ibarra, Guillermo E. Brown or Hamid Drake on drums. This is the first recording by a new quartet which keeps Parker on bass but has Cooper-Moore on piano and Muhammad Ali (brother of Rashied Ali) on drums.  The four musicians had never worked together as a group when they arrived in the studio to record this album. The album’s sleeve notes say: “All four men are quick to stress that the seven pieces on Planetary Unknown were a consequence of time, place, feeling, and were brought into the world without any note-specific pre-planning. “The last 100 years of Jazz, there was our rehearsal,” Ware explains.” All About Jazz’s review said: “the program has the air of 21^st Century classic about it.” It’s not easy listening but pay attention and it really does reward it.

Gigs of the Year

My favourite gigs of the year were:

1. Steve Lehman Octet. CBSO Centre,Birmingham. January 21^st
2. Peter Brotzmann and the Chicago Tentet +1.  Café Oto, London. April 20^th 
3. Gregory Porter. The Hare and Hounds, Birmingham. October 5^th
4. Django Bates and The TDE’s. Cheltenham Jazz Festival.  April 30^th
5. The Steve Swallow Quintet. CBSO Centre. Nov 12^th.

I’m looking forward to 2012 and to hearing more new music and photographing more Jazz artists in and around Birmingham.

Have a good Festive break.

20. Dave Binney.  Gaylen Epicentre. Mythology Records.

Dave Binney has released two albums this year. This is narrowly my favourite of the two. This one features an amazing band consisting of vocalist Gretchen Parlato, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, drummer Brian Blade, guitarist Wayne Krantz and saxophonist Chris Potter. I’ve listened to this often this year and it never ceases to delight. In his review of it in the Guardian John Fordham said: “The tunes often duck and dive in complex ways, but there’s an energy, emotional urgency and coherence about the whole deal that makes it one of the talented Binney’s most inviting albums.”

19. Dave Douglas Portable Series Vol 3 Bad Mango

Dave Douglas has taken to making lots of new music available as downloads via his Greenleaf website. The Portable series has featured three different bands all of which have been very listenable. Vol 3 features Dave Douglas playing with the So Percussion ensemble and it’s narrowly my favourite of the three. Due to popular demand the three volumes of this series have recently been made available as CDs via the Greenleaf site. Search them all out as they are all great listens.

18. McCormack and Yarde Duo: Places and Other Spaces

This duet played a great gig at the CBSO Centre in October as support to Meadow. The music they played was enthralling enough for them to have been headliners in their own right. This is the second release from this sax and piano duo and it’s thoroughly enjoyable and will no doubt be listened to again and again in my house.

17. Keith Jarrett:  Rio

I came to Keith Jarrett’s music only a few years ago but have come to love what he does. When Jazzwise announced the imminent release of this album and stated that it was possibly the best solo recording he’d ever done I was really excited. On listening to it I really enjoy it but I’m not sure I agree it’s his best. Maybe that’s because I keep returning to 2009’s recording “Testament” as I was in the audience for the London bit of that album. Despite this it’s still a wonderful album and well worth repeated listens.

16. Steve Coleman and the Five Elements: The Mancy of Sound

Steve Coleman has become a major influence on many current Jazz musicians. Pianist Vijay Iyer has said of him “ “To me, Steve [Coleman] is as important as [John] Coltrane. He has contributed an equal amount to the history of the music. He deserves to be placed in the pantheon of pioneering artists.”… ”It’s hard to overstate Steve’s influence. He’s affected more than one generation, as much as anyone since John Coltrane. It’s not just that you can connect the dots by playing seven or 11 beats. What sits behind his influence is this global perspective on music and life. He has a point of view of what he does and why he does it.”In the sleeve notes of this album Coleman describes the philosophical influences on this recording. Lunar phases play a role as do influences from the Yoruba speaking people of West Africa in the Odu Ifa suite. I’m not at all sure that I understand all this but I do really enjoy the music his band plays on this album. As with the release before this I particularly like the way Coleman uses the wonderful voice of singer Jen Shyu as an instrument that adds to the overall sound of the group.

15. Konitz, Mehldau, Haden, Motian.  Live at Birdland. ECM

This is a live recording by three long standing jazz masters and a slightly younger, but no less influential, pianist. Apparently this set was completely unplanned without even a set list when the four musicians went on stage. They improvise versions of “Lullaby of Birdland”, “You stepped out of a dream” and “I fall in love too easily”, amongst others. Konitz’s age may restrict his playing a little bit but it’s still a fabulous recording.

14. Meadow.  Blissful Ignorance. Edition.

This is a trio consisting of John Taylor on piano, Tore Brunborg on sax and Thomas Stronen on percussion. They played a really enjoyable gig at the CBSO Centre in October and this album is a great listen too. Apparently when the group was planning to go into the studio to record they envisaged having a bass player on the set. Events prevented the bassist from making the date so they had to record without one. Personally I really like the way the trio works and don’t miss the sound of a bass.

13. Kurt Elling: The Gate

Kurt Elling has been my favourite male jazz singer for some years now. This year’s release from       him is produced by Don Was and features versions of a tune by King Crimson, one by Earth Wind and Fire and the Beatle’s Norwegian Wood. Elling, as he often does writes lyrics to go over other peoples tunes and here he does this with the Miles Davis tune Blue in Green. This isn’t my favourite Elling album but it’s still a great listen.

12. Jim Black/Trevor Dunne/Oscar Noriega/Chris Speed.  Endangered Blood. PiD

Drummer Jim Black was seen in Birmingham playing in Uri Caine’s band at the Town Hall in February. Previous visits to Birmingham have seen him playing alongside Tim Berne. For many years he has also led bands of his own, Alasnoaxis being perhaps the best known of them. He’s become a very influential drummer and here features alongside long standing collaborator Chris Speed on tenor, Oscar Noriega on alto and Trevor Dunne on bass. Chris Speed wrote most of the material on this really enjoyable recording. The review of it on All About Jazz said: “Endangered Blood signals a sort of watershed in the evolution of creative music that was once called jazz. The dust has cleared, and what’s left is an idiosyncratic and very entertaining sound.” I don’t want to get into debates about what is and isn’t jazz. Suffice it to say that I really enjoy listening to this.

11. Chris Dingman.  Waking Dreams. Between World’s Music.

Chris Dingman played vibes in the wonderful band that Steve Lehman brought to the CBSO Centre in January. This is his debut as a band leader and it not only features a great band with, amongst others, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, but also features great music. The review of this album on the Jazzreview.com website says: “He raises the bar on Waking Dreams. No doubt, it’s a lyrically resplendent masterpiece that resides in the upper echelon of modern-day jazz expositions.” This is definitely an album I’ll be playing repeatedly.

For years I thought the Miles Davis group featuring John Coltrane was Miles’ best band and I didn’t really listen a lot to the second great quintet, nor did I really know Wayne Shorter’s work. However when Shorter released Footprints Live! In 2004 I loved it and started listening to his earlier work. I quickly got hold of the Miles Davis Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel set which features Shorter in that second great quintet. The Penguin Guide to Jazz describes this set as “The Rosetta Stone of modern jazz”. I agree with this, there’s so much in this music that led to many other bands exploring these ideas and you can still hear it being explored by bands today.

This new box set features live recordings of the same band from the Plugged Nickel set but recorded two years later. It’s really good to be able to listen (and watch) the band after a few years playing together and hear the developments since the 1965 Plugged Nickel set. I’m sure I’ll listen to this box set again and again.

Anyway here is the first instalment of my top 30 new jazz albums of the year. This week I’m listing 30 – 21. The rest will follow over the next two Sundays.

30.   Kairos 4tet:  Statement of Intent.    Edition.

Edition Records, based in Cardiff have had a really strong year. This is one of a number of excellent recordings they have released. This is the second release from this band led by Adam Waldmann and featuring, amongst others Ivo Neame on Piano and Jasper Hoiby on bass.  The review of this album in Jazzwise said: “Waldmann’s writing here has the kind of whirling world-jazz melodies and airy cross-rhythmic grooves that are a vital element in contemporary groups such as Avishai Cohen, Portico Quartet and EST”.

29.   John Martin Quartet: Dawning.   F-iRE

John Martin is a new name from the F-iRE  Collective. Apparently John Martin is a recent graduate from Middlesex University as were some of Led Bib. But this is much more of an orthodox recording which can remind you of Kenny Wheeler or occasionally Jan Garbarek.  I’ve really enjoyed listening to this and will look out for future recordings from the quartet.

28. Craig Taborn:  Avenging Angel.   ECM.

Craig Taborn is perhaps known for his work in groups and with musicians like Tim Berne. This, however, is another solo piano album. However it’s nothing like a lot of other solo piano albums you might have heard. John Fordham said of this in the Guardian “Avenging Angel is a much more private and detailed exploration of the sonics of the piano, but if that sounds like a scarily ascetic pursuit, Taborn’s genius (there’s no other word for it) makes a world of whispered, wide-spaced figures, ringing overtones, evaporating echoes and glowering contrapuntal cascades as absorbing as if he were playing bebop’s greatest hits.”

27. Kit Downes Trio:  Quiet Tiger.  Basho.

Kit Downes is another of the growing number of British jazz pianists making names for themselves. His first album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2010. In my view this one is even better. On it his normal trio is augmented by James Allsop on Tenor and Bass Clarinet and Adrian Dennefield on Cello. This is an album which really repays repeated listens.

26. Gwilym Simcock:  Good Days at Schloss Elmau.   ACT

Gwilym has featured in quite a few groups including the wonderful Impossible Gentlemen. However this is a solo album by him. Dave Gelly in the Observer said of this album “Gwilym Simcock is a stupendous improviser and a remarkable musician all round. He was a teenage classical piano prodigy when he discovered jazz and now, at 29, he has collected most of the British jazz awards going. But, left alone with a piano, he creates music which is neither jazz nor classical but simply itself.”

25. Julian Siegel Quartet: Urban Theme Park.   Basho.

This is the second CD by Julian’s Quartet. The first came out in 2002 and the line up has changed since then but Liam Noble remains in the piano chair alongside Julian Siegel on tenor sax and bass clarinet. Chris May’s review of this album on All About Jazz says: “in Siegel’s bands, intellect never overwhelms depth of feeling or the sense of being in the moment. It is a rare and beautiful conflation that gives Urban Theme Park, like all Siegel’s recent work, magnetism and depth.”

24. Mathew Shipp: Broken Partials:   Not Two.

Shipp’s “The Art of the Improviser” featuring the trio he brought to Birmingham in February was also a candidate for this list but this duo album with Joe Morris on bass just pipped it for me. I’ve not seen many reviews of this but it’s well worth a listen with the two musicians showing great empathy for each other’s playing.

23. Phil Robson: The Immeasurable Code:   Whirlwind.

This album features the marvellous group that British guitarist Phil Robson brought to the Recital Hall at the Conservatoire back in January. With US sax player Mark Turner, Gareth Lochrane on sax, Michael Janisch on bass and Ernesto Simpson on drums the gig was great and the album really grows on you. Had it not come out quite late in the year it might have climbed a bit higher up this list.

22. Darius Jones Trio: Big Gurl (Smell my Dream).   AUM Fidelity

Darius Jones’ first album “Mannish Boy” was in my list for 2009 and I heavily featured the group he’s part of called Little Women last year. Darius is an alto player from Virginia who now lives in New York. He has been called “the future of free jazz” but don’t let that put you off listening to this year’s trio album. A duet album Darius made this year with Mathew Shipp entitled” Cosmic Leider” also nearly made this list.

21. Gerald Wilson Orchestra: Legacy.   Mack Avenue

This is a wonderful big band album from Composer/Arranger Gerald Wilson who is now in his 90’s and who here pays tribute to Chicago his adopted home town. There are also arrangements of pieces by Stravinsky and Puccini. The big band itself features many top name musicians.

More next week.

For the last few week’s I’ve ben using an IPad and am really enjoying it. It’s a great tool for surfing the web and dealing with emails. It’s wonderful to be able to get on line the minute you pick it up rather than having to wait ages for my PC to start up. However I can’t see it replacing the PC for heavy duty stuff like processing images. It is possible to use apps to process images you have got onto your IPad but I think that I’ll be sticking with the ability to use the full versions of Lightroom and Photoshop on a large colour calibrated monitor for some while yet.

Having said that the IPad is wonderful for displaying images once you have processed them. The back lighting on the screen means it’s like seeing slides on a lightbox only with the ability to see them much bigger. The colours can be really punchy and the ability to move from image to image just by stroking the screen is a really nice touch. I can see me using the IPad as a quick easy way of showing portfolios to people. Various content providers have quickly caught on to these features and are using apps as a way to display images. The Guardian’s Eyewitness app is a great example of this. Many commentators are saying that the IPad and tablet devices like it will change the market for magazine publishing. I don’t read many magazines on a regular basis but most of the ones I do are now available as IPad versions. Some only replicate the printed copy and provide a sort of online pdf. Others have begun to work out ways to add different content such as audio and video clips. The British Journal of Photography has provided one version of a magazine of this sort and I’m looking forward to seeing further versions. This week I got a copy of a pilot issue of a new photography magazine, called Photographers i, which is designed specifically for the IPad and isn’t available as a print version. I enjoyed reading it and thought it had some interesting use of video and audio clips. I will keep an eye out for future editions. I suspect there is much more to come in this field of publishing as people work out more and more new ways of combining print with still and moving images and sound. You can find Photographers i in the Apple app store and the pilot edition costs a massive £1.49!

Given the time of year it is it’s time for our thoughts to turn to lists. Many people will be thinking about Xmas present lists. But over the last week or two I’ve gradually been re-listening to albums I’ve bought this year as I start to compile my list of Albums of the year. I’m glad I started earlier than in previous years as I think it’s helped me avoid being influenced overly by the Jazzwise Magazine’s list of Albums of the Year which was published in the latest Jazzwise Magazine towards the end of last week.

I’ve selected a Top 30 albums of the year and a Top 5 gigs of the year. I’ll be disclosing the top 30 albums ten at a time starting next Sunday. It’s not an easy task to do this and whilst I’m certain of my favourite album of the year I don’t recommend reading too much into the differences between say number 3 and number 9. Please take it in the spirit of it being a list of my favourite stuff from the year. I’ve only included albums I bought as CD’s or as downloads. This places budget restrictions on what I get to listen to and so I’m pretty certain there will be stuff out there that might have made it’s way onto my list had I actually purchased it during the year. That’s why I’ll be an eager reader of other people’s lists and why I would welcome comments from readers about albums I haven’t included or comments on ones I have.

If you don’t already know Jazzwise Magazine listed Gregory Porter’s album “Water” as it’s album of the year. I love this album, it’s much played in our house and I still have great memories of the wonderful gig he did for Birmingham Jazz and the Hare and Hounds in October. However you’ll have to wait a while to find out if it’s my Album of the year too.

Last night’s gig by the Swallow Quintet at the CBSO Centre in Birmingham was a serious contender for my gig of the year. The CBSO Centre was packed and the whole audience seemed to really enjoy the whole gig. I won’t review it her as there is already a review by me on Pete Bacon’s Jazz Breakfast site. Pete was unable to be at the gig himself so he asked me to review the gig for him. You can read the review here.