It was easy to find jazz records that deserved a year-end salute; maybe ‘too’ easy. The heavy lifting came from figuring out which stood above the rest for this Best of 2017 list.

Using bright, open-minded up-and-coming musicians much as Miles had done throughout his career, Weiss through Point of Departure very effectively uses a forgotten, fertile slice of jazz’s past to suggest a way forward.

Sometimes, a good thing is worth repeating. In 2010, Weiss released Snuck In, a souvenir from a club date in NYC two years earlier (additional tracks from that gig were issued the following year as Snuck Out). You May Also Like: David Weiss and Point of Departure – Wake UpRead More

Trigonometry, the third album by alto saxophone rising star Jacám Manricks, was a stellar post-bop set. It was just the kind of record you’d expect with a guy of his experience, education and raw talent You May Also Like: Organ Freeman – Respect My Art (2017) Steve Fidyk – AlliedRead More

Jazz supergroups come and go but with a new album looming for the third year in a row, The Cookers have signalled they are serious as a long term cooperative. They could be egged on by the acclaim heaped on their second effort, last years’ Cast The First Stone, butRead More

Whenever David Weiss is involved in a project, it’s worth sitting up and taking notice. Same goes for Billy Hart. Or Eddie Henderson, Or Cecil McBee, Billy Harper or George Cables, for that matter. But a project that involves all of these players demands your full attention. A lineup ofRead More

by S. Victor Aaron We introduced the master trumpeter Weiss on this space as the leader of the talent laden New Jazz Composer’s Octet and he’s shepherded this project through five releases. The NJCO represents just a slice of the long and varied career of this Queens, NY native. HavingRead More