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Jazz Top Ten 1996
by Ric Stewart
- Nicholas Payton- From This Moment (Verve)
 Already living the greatness predicted
for him at 22, Payton is New
Orleans best trumpeteer since Armstrong. His seven originals stand
up to the classics: cool, moody, understated and stylish.
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Eric Reed -- The Swing
And I (MoJazz)
If Jazz pianists were paid any attention by the conventional media
this guy would already be a household name. Dextrous chromatic piano,
rhythmic fluidity and sharp compositional sense. "You can hear the
signifying of his having played in church all fo the time."-- Wynton
Marsalis.
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T.J. Kirk (Warner
Bros)
 This band
unabashedly fuses the work of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Thelonius Monk,
and James Brown. Obvious results are that
it has some groove, some quirk, and some funk. Highlights include
new takes on James Brown's surprisingly timeless " You
Can Have Watergate Just Give Me Some Bucks And I'll Be Straight"
 and "Cold Sweat" and a metallic K.O.
on Thelonius Monk's "Epistrophy". Using exclusively these three great
writers' material on their debut, T.J. Kirk shows how far a cover
version can be taken.
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Various--Mo' Cookin' (Ubiquity)
The Acid Jazz spirit captured with trans-Atlantic flair, with Paul
Weller saxophonist Jacko Peake taking off with the Rhythm Section,
Slide 5, and Push. An excellent introduction to this exuberant, funky
live stuff.
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Various-Home Cookin' (Ubiquity)
A 1993 release that is as hot now as the day it came out. Grooves
a plenty.
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Various-Blue Break Beats Vols I & II (Blue
Note)
 Blue Note looked into its vast vaults
and pulled out some of the finest on these two cd's. Very funky cuts
from 1967-75. Don Byrd, Grant Green, Blue Mitchell and many more.
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Evolution (Luv and Haight)
Cool funky jazz, hot break beats, timeless reissue material.
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Various- The Verve Story 1944-1994
 JATP shows Lester Young, Billie Holliday,
Diz, Bird, Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Haden,
and many more rare and unreleased cuts from Verve in a stylish 4 cd
set.
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Charles Mingus - Thirteen Pictures: The Charles
Mingus Anthology
Mingus' pivotal role in Jazz composition is stunningly revealed in
this collection of his work on Atlantic.
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Oliver Nelson- The Blues and The Abstract Truth
With Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy and Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and
Roy Haynes this reissue from Impulse will retune your ears.
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