ON THE COVER

81st ANNUAL READERS POLL

• p 26 : Maria Schneider
  Attacking the ’Data Lords’
  By Allen Morrison
  Bandleader Maria Schneider tops three categories in the DownBeat Readers Poll : Composer, Arranger and Jazz Album, for The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare). DownBeat sat down with Schneider in New York to discuss that album, as well as her latest composition and her campaign for artists’ rights in the digital age. Schneider has become a savvy advocate for fair compensation for music creators.

FEATURES

• p 34 : Phil Woods
  ’A Soldier for Jazz’
  By Ted Panken
  The late, great Phil Woods has been voted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. Additionally, Woods topped the Alto Saxophone category in the Readers Poll.
• p 38 : Top Jazz Album
  — 1. Maria Schneider Orchestra The Thompson Fields (Artistshare)
  — 2. Grace Kelly Trying To Figure It Out (Pazz)

  
  — 3. Gregory Porter Take Me To The Alley (Blue Note)

  
  — 4. Arturo Sandoval Live At Yoshi’s (Alfi)

  
  — 5. Jack Dejohnette/Ravi Coltrane/Matthew Garrison In Movement (ECM)

  
  — 6. Christian Mcbride Trio Live At The Village Vanguard (Mack Avenue)

  
  — 7. Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap The Silver Lining : The Songs Of Jerome Kern (Columbia)

  
  — 8. Pat Metheny The Unity Sessions (Nonesuch)

  
  — 9. Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra Live In Cuba (Blue Engine)

  
  — 10. Esperanza Spalding Emily’s D+ Evolution (Concord)

• p 40 : Top Historical Albums
  — 1. John Coltrane A Love Supreme : The Complete Masters (Impulse !/Verve)
  — 2. Bill Evans Some Other Time : The Lost Session From The Black Forest (Resonance)
  — 3. Miles Davis Miles Davis At Newport : 1955-1975 The Bootleg (Sony/legacy)
  — 4. Thad Jones/mel Lewis Orchestra All My Yesterdays : The Debut 1966 Recordings At The Village Vanguard (Resonance)
  — 5. Jaco Pastorius Jaco : Original Soundtrack (Columbia/legacy)
  — 6. Weather Report The Legendary Live Tapes : 1978-1981 (Legacy)
  — 7. Stan Getz & João Gilberto Getz/gilberto ’76 (Resonance)
  — 8. Erroll Garner The Complete Concert By The Sea (Sony/legacy)
  — 9. Ella Fitzgerald Jazz At The Philharmonic : The Ella Fitzgerald Set (Verve)
  — 10. Brad Mehldau 10 Years Solo Live (Nonesuch)

• p 42 : Kamasi Washington
  Jazz Artist of the Year
  By Phillip Lutz
  Following three wins in the 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll, saxophonist Kamasi Washington tops the Jazz Artist category in the Readers Poll.
• p 46 : John Coltrane
  Historical Album of the Year
  By James Hale
  The winner of the Historical Album category of the poll is A Love Supreme : The Complete Masters. DownBeat examines the history and impact of Coltrane’s most famous album.
• p 50 : Jazz at the Lincoln center Orchestra
  Big Band of the Year
  By Phillip Lutz
• p 54 : James Carter
  Baritone Saxophonist of the Year
  By John Ephland
• p 56 : Complete Results from the 81st Annual DownBeat Readers Poll
  Detailed results from all 34 categories.
  • Blues Album
    — 1. Buddy Guy, Born To Play Guitar (RCA)

    
    — 2. Eric Clapton, I Still Do (Bushbransch/Surfdog)

    
    — 3. Gary Clark Jr., The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim (Warner Bros.)

    
    — 4. Joe Bonamassa, Blues Of Desperation (J&R Adventures)

    
    — 5. Keb’ Mo’, Live : That Hot Pink Blues Album (Kind of Blue)

    
    — 6. Robert Cray, 4 Nights Of 40 Years Live (Provogue)

    
    — 7. John Mayall, Find A Way To Care (Forty Below Records)

    
    — 8. Various Artists, Muddy Waters 100 (MRI)

    
    — 9. Shemekia Copeland, Outskirts Of Love (Alligator)

    
    — 10. Various Artists, God Don’t Never Change : Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson (Alligator)

SPECIAL SECTION :

• p 83 : HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE :
  DownBeat presents dozens of gift ideas for musicians and music lovers : albums, books, DVDs, box sets, instruments, gear and more !

DEPARTMENTS

• p 8 : First Take
• p 10 : Chords & Discords
• p 13 : The Beat
• p 20 : Players
  – Victor Gould
  – Huntertones
  – Macy Gray
  – Oleg Butman
• p 63 : Reviews
• p 100 : Master Class : Big Band Arranging : Reinventing Stephen Foster’s ’Beautiful Dreamer’
  By Pete McGuinness
• p 102 : Pro Session : Creating a Convincing Solo Piano Performance
  By Roberta Piket
• p 104 : Transcription : David Krakauer’s Clarinet Solos on ’Tribe Number Thirteen’
• p 106 : Toolshed
• p 110 : Jazz On Campus
• p 114 : Blindfold Test : John Abercrombie
  Guitarist John Abercrombie took the Blindfold Test onstage at the 2016 Detroit Jazz Festival. He was tested on the following tracks :
  – Kenny Burrell : “Get Happy” from Introducing Kenny Burrell (Blue Note)
  – Dave Holland : “The Watcher” from Prism (Dare2)
  – Ron Carter/Jim Hall : “All The Things You Are” from Live at Village West (Concord)
  – Jimmy Smith : “Tuition Blues” from Dot Com Blues (Verve)
  – Lionel Loueke : “Goree” from Heritage (Blue Note)
  – Dave Stryker : “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” from Eight Track II (Strikezone)
  – Gary Versace : &Lennies; Pennie’s” from Reminiscence (SteepleChase)
  – Pat Martino : “Oleo” from Live At Yoshi’s (Blue Note)

Also in this Issue

– Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra wins Big Band category
– James Carter wins Baritone Saxophone category
– Previously unreleased concert album by Shirley Horn
– Monterey Jazz Festival
– Kurt Rosenwinkel
– VINYL column
– Wolfgang Muthspiel
– Jazz On Campus spotlights Montclair State University
– Plus instrument reviews, dozens of album reviews, and much more !