If you happened to peruse the Half-Year List of Top Albums for 2012 for Modern and Mainstream Jazz before this list and you’ve been keeping up with the latest jazz releases, you might have wondered, “Where’s that new Matthew Shipp?” You May Also Like: No related posts.

Here we are only halfway done with 2012 and it’s already been a bangin’ year for modern and mainstream jazz, whether you prefer a celebration of the tradition or an expansion of the frontiers. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Since 2007, I’ve had year-end lists for the albums I thought stood out over the rest, within and without jazz. If the Mayans are to be believed, there won’t be time for year-end lists for 2012 You May Also Like: Seth Walker – Gotta Get Back (2016)

For the musical Indiana Joneses amongst us, 2012 has already yielded a number of artifacts for the ages — and we’re but half way done. There were rare live recordings unearthed from the likes of jazz giant Bill Evans, and the hitmaking Philadelphia International Records stable of the O’Jays, MFSB,Read More

Already, we’ve seen the blues and jazz genres enlivened by a series of out-of-nowhere surprises that included Little Feat, Wes Montgomery (yes, Wes Montgomery!) and Bonnie Raitt — even as a new supergroup of fusion-heroes formed. Spectrum Road muscled its way onto this list thanks to virtuoso performances by theRead More

Taking stock last night, as the sun dove below the trees on the year’s longest day, it occurred to me that 2012 has already provided a harvest of good-rocking blessings. There have been tough-minded albums that helped frame a difficult age from the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Kevin Gordon,Read More

The Official™ SomethingElse! year-ending Top 10 list requires two or more of us to be in agreement as we gathered around the watercooler. It’s no easy task.

I can guarantee that this list will be the first-ever mention of several of these bands on Something Else!, but you might find something worth checking out.

Live albums and reissue projects often do much to shape the broader idea we have about a musical legacy, and this year was no different — with impressive sets devoted to Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings and the Smiths You May Also Like: No related posts.

We saw our share of standout instrumentalists, from Julian Lage to Rudresh Mahanthappa to Pat Martino. But, as this lists attests, 2011 might rightly be called the Year of the Big Band. You May Also Like: Julian Lage – ‘Squint’ (2021)