CurtJazz’s Best Jazz of 2012 – The Complete List

In Alphabetical Order by Album Title

Colombe – David Reinhardt Trio (101 Distribution)

The 26-year-old grandson of the legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt is a very good guitarist in his own right. Unlike his grandfather, David is focused on Bop and Soul-Jazz. Colombe, his first album released in the U.S., is quite impressive. We’re looking forward to hearing more.

Echoes of Indiana Avenue – Wes Montgomery (Resonance)

2012’s best historical album was a real find. These are recordings of Wes in 1957-58, in the studio and in Indianapolis clubs, when he was struggling to be heard. These sides prove that he was already near the top of his game. Kudos to Resonance Records, not only for the solid remastering but also for the terrific packaging, which includes great photos and interviews.

 Hot House – Chick Corea and Gary Burton (Concord)

Forty years after their landmark duet album, Crystal Silence, and after numerous other collaborations with groups of various sizes, Corea and Burton are back to basics on this album of duets. They are 71 and 69 respectively, but they haven’t lost a step as they alternately challenge and complement each other. There was nothing boring about this reunion.

Lifesize Mirror – Monét (Entertainment One)

R&B, Jazz, and Neo-Soul create a gorgeous mosaic on this album by this criminally underheard flutist/vocalist/educator/actress. Monét’s sound on flute is reminiscent of Bobbi Humphrey, but this young lady brings much more to the musical table than her famed predecessor.  The music here is way too intelligent and creative to be pigeonholed as “smooth jazz”, so we’ll just call it a thinking person’s groove.

Radio Music Society – Esperanza Spalding (Heads-Up)

Speaking of gifted ladies who refuse to be pigeonholed, Ms. Spalding terrified many hardcore jazz types with her decidedly pop based new album, her first since her shocking Best New Artist win at the 2011 Grammys®.  When you get past all the “jazz forsaking” arguments that have been made, what you have left is an eclectic (Jack DeJohnnette, Joe Lovano and Q-Tip all make guest appearances) and delightful album of great music by a prodigiously gifted young woman who is going to get it done her own way, jazz police be damned. You go girl!

A 2011 Album Revisited

Keep it Movin’ – Shimrit Shoshan (Self Released)

Though she was far from well-known, even in the jazz world, a shockwave went through our little community when it was reported that Shimrit Shoshan had died on August 19, 2012, of cardiac arrest, at age 29. The Israeli born pianist had released her first album in 2011 and it showed that she had a world of promise and nothing but good things ahead of her.

I first became aware of her via an article in Jazz Times, which discussed the variety of worlds that the young woman was involved in to support her budding musical career. Due in large part to her striking good looks, she found work as a backup dancer in music videos and as model/muse for a New York based fashion designer. She also sold gems in the diamond district and taught music to underprivileged kids in Harlem. Her story fascinated me, so I tracked down a copy of her album that same day. I found her playing to very impressive and complex and her solos were challenging; she was no dilettante.

I began to play her album on the station and had some brief correspondence with Ms. Shoshan via Twitter.  I kept tabs on her career and I was looking forward to seeing what was next.

Unfortunately, that encouraging beginning turned out to also be a tragically frustrating coda. So we look back at Shimrit Shoshan’s Keep It Movin’. If you are unfamiliar with this disc, check it out. You’re likely to experience the same mixed emotions that I now feel.

That will wrap it up for our Best Jazz of 2012 list. Tracks from all 25 of these albums can be heard daily on Curt’s Café Noir, from noon – 5 pm (ET), daily, starting on December 27, 2012 and continuing into January 2013.

We will also publish another post after this one which will include the names of each album and a link to where they can be purchased. Because if jazz is to survive, we have all got to do our part by buying the music that we love that is made by living artists.

Have a Jazzy New Year. Until the next time, the jazz continues…

In addition to the exhibition itself and the dialogue with luthiers and manufacturers-remembering, of course, that you can even buy your dream instrument right at the Show-the Guitarissimo series will also be back, from now on a must in the eyes of all 6-string junkies. And this year again, make way for an intense program of three concerts each evening for three evenings in a row at the Cinquième Salle in Place des Arts. Lastly, a super closing concert featuring five first-rate guitarists from the CandyRat Records label will top off this year’s enriched edition in the Théâtre Jean Duceppe at PdA!

David Reinhardt – July 2, 6 p.m. – The great Django would be proud of his grandson: David Reinhardt’s guitar has rung out all over the world, from the stages of the most prestigious jazz festivals including Liège, Algiers, Turin, Shanghai, New York and Cannes. Reinhardt cut his teeth alongside his father (Babik Reinhardt) onstage at the Django d’Or awards; his play reveals an innate sense of swing, excellent technique, and heartfelt emotionŠ all before reaching the age of 25! A most promising arrivalŠ

Matt Andersen – July 2, 8 p.m. – There’s a Nor’Easter headed back to our Festival, carrying the blues and folk storm of New Brunswick’s Matt Andersen! The darling of the East Coast, with the chockablock tour itinerary to prove it, he became the first Canadian to win the International Blues Challenge this past January. Batten the hatches and get ready to be swept away by this force of nature whose incredible dexterity is equaled only by his extraordinary voice!

Sylvain Luc – July 2, 10 p.m. – Biréli Lagrène, Michel Portal, Wynton Marsalis, Manu Katché, Jacky Terrasson, Richard Bona, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marcus Miller, to name but a few: artists with whom this jazz guitar prodigy has played at some point or another. For Luc, “music is a shared experience.” Whether solo, in duets, or trios, Sylvain Luc has played his cards beautifully, zooming to the top all over the world, an invincible proponent of his art.

Lionel Loueke – July 3, 6 p.m. – His audition in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz left all-star judges Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Terence Blanchard flabbergasted. Lionel Loueke would go on to play on albums by the latter two, who would later return the favour on his own 2008 album Karibu. Voted “Rising Star Guitarist” by Downbeat two years running, the Beninian guitar prodigy returns to the Festival with his latest album, Mwaliko.

Yamandu Costa – July 3, 8 p.m. – Gifted with sensitivity, virtuosity and humour, this outstanding musician won a central role in Brasileirinho, the 2005 film on Brazilian popular music. A legend of Brazilian guitar, Yamandu Costa loves tangos and milongas, of course, but also chorinho and bossa nova, performed with joy and complete mastery on the violao de 7 cordas, the Brazilian seven-string guitar he bends to his musical will.

Andy McKee – July 3, 10 p.m. – Andy McKee is one of the finest acoustic soloists around-just ask his army of internaut fans: he’s had over 78 million YouTube hits! In fact, his videos rank 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the history of the popular site. His smash web success has amply translated into album and ticket sales, making him a popular attraction in over 200 annual concerts around the world. A self-taught maestro with an extensive audience and an eagerly-awaited album due this year, he’s an absolute must-see!

Charlie Hunter – July 4, 6 p.m., Cinquième Salle, PdA – Armed with his eight-string axe, a hybrid between bass and guitar, Charlie Hunter never ceases to amaze us with his eclectic play. The title of his most recent album, Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid, was inspired by a post-show comment from a fellow musicianŠ Deeply influenced by old blues and soul, this innovative auteur consistently dazzles his fans, who never miss the precious opportunity to catch the guitar icon in concert.

Bob Brozman – July 4, 8 p.m. – Bob Brozman isn’t like other guitarists. A prolific artist, performer, producer and writer, he is also a tireless globetrotter and ethnomusicologist. A pioneer in researching a common denominator shared by the different cultures of the world, he has left his indelible imprint on the music scene, working with musicians from everywhere and showcasing his uncommon slide guitar virtuosity. You simply MUST come and hear him perform songs from his most recent gem, Post-Industrial Blues. It’s absolutely worth the trip!

Monte Montgomery – July 4, 10 p.m. – Monte Montgomery has won the prize for best acoustic guitarist seven years running at Austin’s SXSW Festival. He’s broken the neck of his guitar four times thanks to an incredibly intense playing style. “Six Strings Attached to Dynamite”, “The Hendrix of the Acoustic Guitar” and “The Answer to the Fermi Paradox” are just a few of the nicknames he’s earned from flabbergasted fans. His most fanatical followers are called Montiacs. Monte Montgomery, guitar god? You will believe! And tonight, he brings in the “trinity” – his trio!

CandyRat Records Evening – July 4, 8 p.m. – The crème de la crème de la crème of guitarists will be taking the stage by storm at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe for the closing night of the Montreal Guitar Show, devoted to the independent American CandyRat Records label. Craig D’Andrea, Ewan Dobson (winner of the first prize in the Acoustic category at the 2009 Montreal Guitar Grand Prix), Antoine Dufour, Gareth Pearson and Don Ross will each be strutting their stuff, no doubt reserving a few surprises for usŠ Five top-flight guitarists, back-to-back: THE evening for guitar fans!

Tickets for these amazing concerts went on sale starting Saturday, March 27. Get yours at Place des Arts (175 Sainte-Catherine Street West), by calling 514 842-2112 or visiting laplacedesarts.com.

See you all there at the 4th edition of the Montreal Guitar Show, from July 2 to 4, at the Hyatt Regency Montreal. To find out all there is to know about the Show-and keep you going until summer!-visit the Web site at montrealguitarshow.com.

Submitted by Braithwaite & Katz Communications

NOUVEL ALBUM

Artista/Grupo: David Reinhardt
Album: The Way Of Heart – 2008
Bits: 320 Kbps
Genero/Genre: Instrumental/Gipsy Jazz
Musicas/Track Listings:

01. Brass Groove
02. Sponge Bop
03. The Way Of Heart
04. Theme For Emmanel
05. Moon Blue
06. Love Remembered / Mina’s Photo
07. Lyresto
08. Beija Flor
09. Trouvaille

PART1

DOWNLOAD LINK

PART2

DOWNLOAD LINK

MORE DAVID REINHARDT