ON THE COVER

59th ANNUAL CRITICS POLL

• p 20 : Jason Moran Adventurous Soul - Jazz Artist/jazz Album/pianist of the Year
  By Dan Ouellette
  Since Jason Moran’s emergence on the music scene in the late ’90s, the pianist has established himself as a risk-taker and innovator of new directions for jazz. In our 59th Annual Critics Poll, Moran was named Jazz Artist and Pianist of the Year, and his widely acclaimed Blue Note album Ten was voted Jazz Album of the Year.

FEATURES

• p 28 : Abbey Lincoln
  No Longer Blue - Hall Of Fame
  By John Ephland
  We welcome the late vocalist Abbey Lincoln, one of jazz’s most stunning performers and evocative artists, into the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
• p 32 : Paul Chambers
  Corridor Of Stability - Veterans Committee Hall Of Fame
  By John McDonough
  DownBeat’s Veterans Committee elects the historic bassist—who played with everyone from Miles Davis to John Coltrane to Thelonious Monk in the 1950s and ’60s—to the Hall of Fame.
• p 36 : Duke Ellington
  Revolution In Blue - Historical Jazz Album Hall Of Fame
  By Aaron Cohen
  The famous Ellington orchestra’s 1930s Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings win Historical Jazz Album of the Year.
• p 38 : Ambrose Akinmusire
  A Spellbinding Emergence - Rising Star Jazz Artist/Rising Star Trumpeter of the Year
  By Joe Tangari
  This winner of the Thelonious Monk Trumpet Competition continues to garner critical praise, taking home Rising Star awards for Trumpeter of the Year and Jazz Artist of the Year.
• p 40 : Maria Schneider
  Classical Orientation - Big Band/Composer/Arranger of the Year
  By Michael Gallant
  The triple-crown winner for Big Band, Composer and Arranger of the Year feels that the time is right for her to create music for the concert hall.
• p 42 : Craig Taborn
  Illuminating Ideas - Electronic Keyboardist/Rising Star Pianist/Rising Star Organist of the Year
  By Bob Doerschuk
  An in-demand sideman and leader known for his chops and innovation, Taborn tops the Electronic Keyboard, Rising Star Piano and Rising Star Organ categories of this year’s Critics Poll.
• p 44 : Rudresh Mahanthappa
  Trailblazing Alto - Alto Saxophone of the Year
  By Ted Panken
  The Guggenheim Foundation Fellow’s designation as Alto Saxophonist of the Year denotes a certain artistic validation.
• p 46 : Paul Motian
  Fascinating Rhythm - Drummer of the Year
  By Ken Micallef
  For more than 50 years, Motian has provided some of the most personal, colorful and swinging drum work in jazz. Our critics’ choice for Drummer of the Year, he remains extremely active in the New York area.
• p 48 : 59th Annual Critics Poll : Complete Results
  • Jazz Album of the Year
    — 1. Jason Moran, Ten (Blue Note)

    
    — 2. Joe Lovano Us Five, Bird Songs (Blue Note)

    
    — 3. Esperanza Spalding, Chamber Music Society (Heads Up)

    
    — 4. Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green, Apex (Pi)
    — 5. Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden, Jasmine (ECM)

    
    — 6. James Moody, Moody 4B (IPO)

    
    — 7. Brad Mehldau, Highway Rider (Nonesuch)

    
    — 8. Mary Halvorson Quintet, Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12)

    
    — 9. William Parker, I Plan To Stay A Believer : The Inside Songs Of Curtis Mayfield (AUM Fidelity)

    
    — 10. Danilo Pérez, Providencia (Mack Avenue)
  • Historical Jazz Album of the Year
    — 1. Duke Ellington, The Complete 1932–1940 Brunswick, Columbia, And Master Recordings Of Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra (Mosaic)
    — 2. Miles Davis, Bitches Brew : 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Sony/Legacy)
    — 3. Henry Threadgill, The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic)
    — 4. Ahmad Jamal, The Complete Ahmad Jamal Trio Argo Sessions 1956–62 (Mosaic)
    — 5. John Carter and Bobby Bradford, Mosaic Select : John Carter & Bobby Bradford (Mosaic)
    — 6. Art Pepper, Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section (Original Jazz Classics)
    — 7. Ray Charles, Genius + Soul = Jazz (Concord)
    — 8. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Complete Reprise Recordings (Concord)
    — 9. Wadada Leo Smith and Ed Blackwell, The Blue Mountain’s Sun Drummer (Kabell)
    — 10. Dinah Washington, The Fabulous Miss D ! The Keynote, Decca & Mercury Singles, 1943–1953 (Hip-O Select)
  • Blues Album
    — 1. Pinetop Perkins/Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Joined At The Hip (Telarc)

    
    — 2. Buddy Guy, Living Proof (Silvertone)

    
    — 3. Otis Taylor, Clovis People, Vol. 3 (Telarc)

    
    — 4. Lucky Peterson, You Can Always Turn Around (Dreyfus)

    
    — 5. Charlie Musselwhite, The Well (Alligator)

    
    — 6. Junior Wells & The Aces, Live In Boston 1966 (Delmark)

    
    — 7. The Holmes Brothers, Feed My Soul (Alligator)

    
    — 8. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Couldn’t Stand The Weather : Legacy Edition (Epic/Legacy)

    
    — 9. Eden Brent, Ain’t Got No Troubles (Yellow Dog)

    
    — 10. Gary Lucas & Dean Bowman, Chase The Devil (Knitting Factory)
  • Beyond Album
    — 1. Lizz Wright, Fellowship (Verve Forecast)

    
    — 2. Herbie Hancock, The Imagine Project (Hancock)

    
    — 3. Cee Lo Green, The Lady Killer (Elektra)

    
    — 4. Janelle Monáe, The Archandroid (Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy)

    
    — 5. Mavis Staples, You Are Not Alone (Anti-)

    
    — 6. Jeff Beck, Emotion & Commotion (Atco)

    
    — 7. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc-A-Fella)

    
    — 8. The Black Keys, Brothers (Nonesuch)

    
    — 9. Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma (Warp)

    
    — 10. Syl Johnson, Complete Mythology (Numero Group)

• p 54 : Jack Tracy Remembered
  By John McDonough

DEPARTMENTS

• p 8 : First take
• p 10 : Chords & Discords
• p 13 : The Beat
  – Latin Jazz Uproar Over Slimmed-Down Grammys
  – Farewell, Snooky Young
  – Farewell, Cornell Dupree
• p 16 : European Scene
  – Per Zanussi
  – Ellery Eskelin
• p 18 : Caught
• p 57 : Reviews
• p 78 : Master Class : Kiss Your Licks Goodbye
  By Dan Wilensky
• p 80 : Transcription : Robin Eubanks’ Modal Trombone Solo On His Composition ’A Seeking Spirit’
• p 82 : Toolshed
• p 86 : Jazz On Campus
• p 90 : Blindfold Test : George Wein
  Jazz impresario and pianist George Wein was tested on the following tracks for the “Blindfold Test” :
  – Dave Brubeck Quartet : “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” from Park Avenue South (Telarc)
  – Brad Mehldau : “Into The City” from Highway Rider (Nonesuch)
  – Herbie Hancock : “Sweet Bird” from River : The Joni Letters (Verve)
  – Sonny Rollins : “Sonny, Please” from Sonny, Please (Doxy)
  – Wynton Marsalis Quintet & Richard Galliano : “Sailboat In The Moonlight” from From Billie Holiday To Edith Piaf (Rampart Street/Jazz In Marciac)
  – Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green : “Who ?” from Apex (Pi)
  – Roy Haynes : “Moose The Mooch” from Birds Of A Feather : A Tribute To Charlie Parker (Dreyfus)