Jazz albums are still prevalent in the genre. Here are some of the best examples from '23

This week it’s time for the Best Jazz Albums of 2023, or maybe more precisely, the jazz albums I enjoyed the most and played the most over the last 12 months.  Counter to some of the trends in the music business these days, jazz artists still predominantly deliver their music in album form.  Partly because of the busy, thriving jazz community around Boston – thanks to the excellent music schools in the area, and partly due to the fact I’ve been doing these lists for years now, we still get a steady stream of jazz albums all year long.

I try to include short bios of each act here, because often there are good stories there which inform the music. This year’s list seems to have a lot of piano trios, but a lot of variety too, and some standout vocalists of course, too.  In no particular order, here are the jazz albums most frequently on my turntable over this past year.

'Borrowed Roses' by Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Top Stop Music)

Cuban American pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba has done almost everything possible for a jazz artist, and this is the 36^th album released under his leadership. Born in Havana, Rubalcaba has lived in the United States since 1996, and he’s won three Grammys, including in 2022 for a trio album (“Skyline”) he recorded with the legendary rhythm section of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette. This is an album of solo piano, recorded at Rubalcaba’s Florida home right after he had his own piano rebuilt. His concept here was to tackle some tunes from both the "Great American Songbook" of standards, and also include some songs considered jazz standards. It is a fascinating collection, as Rubalcaba’s treatment of familiar songs like “Summertime” or “Someone to Watch Over Me” display his densely melodic style. For jazz fans there are tunes from Chick Corea, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and George Gershwin that are gorgeously evocative. But there are some cool surprises too, such as a provocative take on Dave Brubeck’s signature “Take Five,” where his left hand builds a playful foundation, as his right hand explores hidden facets of the main melody. There’s a dreamy take on The Beatles’ “Here There and Everywhere,” and perhaps the album’s most striking cover is of Sting’s “Shape of My Heart,” where he brings extraordinary nuances out of the melody.

'Mannerist' by Matt Ulery (Woolgathering Records)

Chicago bassist Matt Ulery has played with a wide variety of artists, but this album is entirely comprised of music he composed, performed with an 11-piece band. Aspects of this work suggest it could almost be considered classical music, and American composer Aaron Copland would be an easy reference.  But it is also intensely engaging music, where it seems to depict sweeping vistas, and listeners can’t help but let their visual imaginations run wild. “The Brink of What” is a mysterious piece, skirting moments close to dissonance before working into an appealingly melodic resolution. “Another Book of Ornaments” could be the theme for an action movie, a thriller you’d definitely want to see. “Left Window” has the type of busy, throbbing complexity that the best of Gershwin provides.  And “The Prairie Is A Rolling Ocean” begins sparsely, yet grows into soaring majesty, much as a trip through the West would probably hit you. This album is just six tunes, and 44 minutes, but it takes you on a magical trip.

'Live at the Side Door' by Vince Ector Organatomy Trio + (Cabo Verde Records)

Philadelphia drummer Vince Ector has been working with versions of this Organatomy Trio for a while now, but this live date is terrific fun, and unique in a couple ways. First off, regular member Bruce Williams was sidelined, so Justin Jones on alto sax was a late sub, joining the drummer and guitarist Paul Bollenback and organist Pat Bianchi, but Jones fits in flawlessly. Secondly, this show was recorded at The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 2020, just before the pandemic, by the club’s owner. With the enforced idleness that followed, Ector got a chance to hear the recording and realized the sound quality was superb, and the idea of releasing it as an album made perfect sense. No overdubs were needed, and this is just what that night’s audience heard. Ector’s own “South Philly Groove” is a nice introduction to this quartet’s unique sound, and the treatment of Benny Carter’s “The Courtship” is exquisite.  Bollenback shines on the fast-paced run through Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma,” while Jones’ swinging melodicism makes “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” especially memorable. Bianchi’s organ serves two purposes, a foundation for most of the tunes, but also able to jump out front for his own sizzling solos. Ector’s own “Renewal Revisited” is a bold strut perfect for the dancefloor.  For a delightful curveball, Burt Bacharach’s “Wives and Lovers” opens with a drum solo, before the three lead instruments do a beautiful unison reading of the melody, and then stretch out with individual solos.

'Fire and Rain' by Tim Ray Trio (Whaling City Sound)

Boston jazz fans have likely heard Tim Ray in one of his many guises, with the various groups he plays with, but his trio dates are always a treat. Bassist John Lockwood, and drummer Mark Walker work seamlessly with the pianist. This latest effort from New Bedford’s Whaling City Sound features two stellar renditions of James Taylor’s timeless hit, and as always Ray excels at interpreting pop hits, lovingly delivering the essence of the tune but also adding his own lively shadings.  Ray’s take on “Fire and Rain” is unforgettable, opening with a dense overture, before sliding into a gorgeously stated main melody, as a shimmering harpsichord-like sound. The bass and drums both have their moments, but Ray’s piano is the glue, and a later segment sounds like electric piano, as the tune soars into a more orchestral sound, before the tempo amps up to a sunnier mode, before a quiet denouement concludes it with that familiar melody. The version on the album is over nine minutes long, but there’s also a ‘radio-edit’ of five minutes length, although the longer one is superb. “Bye-Ya” features a dynamic, walking piano line at its core, while the ballad “Stolen Moments” is romantic and breezy. “Theodore the Thumper” is a toe-tapping piece of brassy boldness that packs a wallop, a piece from Boston jazz great Dave McKenna’s pen. Catch the Tim Ray Trio on Jan. 7 at the Mad Monkfish restaurant in Cambridge.

'Live at Blue Llama Jazz Club' by Allan Harris (Live at Blue Llama Records)

Allan Harris recorded this show in January 2023 at a jazz club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it is his first live recording since 2010, when he was part of the Kennedy Center’s tribute to Nat “King” Cole. Harris’ voice does bear a resemblance to Cole’s, although perhaps a bit smokier. He plays guitar and fronts a quintet here, with piano and alto sax or flute, and it is an appealing set of familiar tunes. To begin with, he takes Bobby Hebb’s old pop hit “Sunny,” and uses an arrangement that turns it into angular bebop, even as his vocal maintains the connection to the original melody – it’s an impressive feat.  “Jeannine” begins as a late-night ballad, but then Irwin Hall’s sax kicks off a jam that ends the tune in a blaze of energy. Harris is also a smart songwriter, and his “New Day” is an upbeat slice of soul-jazz. And that great baritone voice really lingers wonderfully on every syllable of “The Very Thought of You.”

'Sun of Music' by John Chin (Jinsy Music)

Korean American pianist John Chin is joined here by Jaimeo Brown on drums and Sean Conly on bass, and this live recording is another pandemic story. Chin and his trio recorded this album live in August 2020, in the empty Small’s Jazz Club in New York City, but aside from the lack of an audience, the sound is superb. The set is a selection of covers, jazz tunes the trio would normally be doing if they’d been playing out like normal. There are a pair of Wayne Shorter tunes, and “Fall” is particularly exciting for the rapid improvisation going on. A charge through John Coltrane’s “Countdown” is taken at a rushed pace, practically making it a rock song. But Chin and his rhythm section are capable of many moods, and “Pure Imagination” from Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley comes across as pensive and even delicate, before amping up to a sizzling finish. And the lyricism of Bobby Hutcherson’s “Montara” is undeniable.

'Coffin Perlson Krauss' by Jeff Coffin, Jordan Perlson, Viktor Krauss (Otani Music)

It’s always fun to find different configurations, and this trio of bass, drums and Jeff Coffin’s woodwinds is certainly different. Coffin shared three Grammys as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones from 1997-2020, and he’s also toured with the Dave Matthews Band. However odd it seems, this strange combination of instruments works well, whether on the exotic “On the Precipice of Change,” or the more pensive “Moonchild,” where Coffin’s clarinet is truly moving. “Say It Seems” is pretty much a wild romp, with the rhythm section chasing Coffin’s saxes. But then a Viktor Krauss composition, “Overcast,” is moody, and even vaguely ominous, before the melody offers a ray of light. This is an album of highly imaginative numbers, with its own unique sound and pace, and it leaves you wanting more.

'Kemet (The Black Land)' by Javier Nero Jazz Orchestra (Outside in Music)

I always like to find big band music New York City based band led by 33-year-old trombonist Javier Nero is surely a hot new powerhouse of a group, with 18 members, along with guests, like vibraphone master Warren Wolf, who plays on seven of the nine tunes.  Kemet is an ancient Egyptian civilization and Nero has crafted this music to reflect their achievements and ability to work together. Nero has had a varied and impressive career, trained at Juilliard and as a featured member of the U.S. Army Band, which his writing shows, as he utilizes all kinds of elements. There are simple and complex African rhythms, recurring figures, use of the pentatonic (five notes) scale, as well as just simply finely textured contrast and harmonics. “The Blues Reincarnated” features the surging power of the big band, amid melodies and counter melodies – there’s a lot going on but the whole is a potent, driving sound. There’s a magnificent flow to “Reflections on the Dark Tranquil Water,” and an impressive trombone section too. The title cut is an utterly inspiring anthemic piece of music, with a terrific piano line, morphing into guitar and vibes. And then the lilting African folk song feel of “One Day” is just hypnotically entrancing.

'Conjuring' by Lauren Henderson (Brontosaurus Records)

The best jazz singer to come out of Marblehead has turned out another gem. Lauren Henderson, who also graduated from Wheaton College, and went on to earn her MBA from Brown University, has also studied music in Spain and Mexico. Now based in New York City, she has a knack for surrounding herself with top-flight musicians, such as pianist John Chin – cited elsewhere here – who plays on four of the tunes here. Henderson shines on romantic ballads and steamy south-of-the-border type songs, with her expert control allows her to purr and croon in a manner that seems intimate but is also musically on point. She wrote half of the 10 songs here, drawing on her multicultural background. Her take on “That Old Black Magic” expands and improvises on the familiar theme to marvelous effect. Henderson includes two versions of Jule Styne’s classic “It’s Magic,” with one in Spanish (“Es Magia”), and the English version begins with a lovely Chin intro, leading to crystalline Chin lines, which combine with her voice to create a musical fantasy world. The Spanish version aims for more of a quietly sultry tone, but also works well. Henderson’s own “Amuleto,” sung in Spanish, crafts a mysteriously romantic mood over Joel Ross’ vibes. Her ballad “Conjuring” is just mesmerizing in crafting an atmosphere of surreal romance. And the standard “I Wish You Love” is yet another subtle but effective bit of musical seduction, delivered in that flawless voice.

'Grand Company' by Ray Gallon (Cellar Music Group)

Pianist Ray Gallon is joined here by bassist Ron Carter and drummer Lewis Nash for an invigorating set, where he wrote five of the nine tunes. Gallon has played with a long list of jazz greats, including some of the best-known vocalists. He’s currently on the faculty at City College of New York and stays busy on the club scene in the Big Apple. Few would disagree with Gallon when he terms Carter and Nash “the Rolls Royce of rhythm sections.” He's also a premier player, and if jazz is the art of surprise, he’s really good at that. His “Acting Up” is a buoyant, fast-paced number, which he says was based on the tune "Lullaby in Rhythm," but it also includes enticing stops and starts, as if the band is playing a trick on the audience, and on each other. Gallon’s “Zombette” is a more ambivalent piece, a ballad of shifting colors, as if the subject were tentatively probing to find the answer. But Gallon’s rendition of Miles Davis’ “Nardis” is really fascinating, with a repeated figure that seems to be searching but changes slightly each time, as if teetering down the road and wondering what’s around the next corner. Nash provides one of the most evocative drum solos you’ve ever heard on “Pins and Needles,” before Gallon returns with the lively main theme. The inventive nature of his work, and that nonpareil rhythm section, makes this album a joy to hear.

Also worth noting

This year also saw some notable re-issues from the history of jazz, which we highly recommend. Elemental Records brought out “Tales: Live in Copenhagen 1964” from the immortal pianist Bill Evans. Brubeck Editions released “Live From the Northwest 1959” which featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet in Portland, Oregon.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: These are some of the best jazz albums that were released in 2023