S. Victor Aaron picks the best of 2014’s modern and mainstream jazz albums, including Keith Jarrett, Brian Blade, Fred Hersch and others.

Omer Avital’s ‘New Song’ is a finely crafted synthesis of Middle Eastern, Afro-Cuban and American soul-jazz that’s world music without being self-consciously so.

Far from losing its freshness, this power jazz trio led by its virtuosic trumpet player Avishai Cohen has delivered its best set of recordings yet.

In the jazz world, I’ve found that the long-established artists, especially the ones who play in the well-established styles, get the bulk of the buzz.

For Triveni II, Avishai Cohen (the trumpet player, not the bass dude), the stated intention of this record was to recreate the feeling Cohen got from listening to Billie Holiday: “a feeling that’s pure, simple and honest.” 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: Ethan Keller wants to release FIVE albums this year…but needs your help!

Rockin’ the Jeff Lynne look especially with aviator sunglasses, Omer Avital might not be ready to lead ELO, but a half dozen years ago he led a stellar band You May Also Like: No related posts.

Photo from Jos Knaepen/ amsterdamjazzagency.com by S. Victor Aaron When I first started the Stacks series last year, I had two formatting rules about it: each artist was to be allotted one paragraph each and there must be at least six albums examined. I’m bending both rules this time, asRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Avishai Cohen, the trumpet player, was last seen nearly two years ago in conjunction with his 2008 release Flood, a sparsely configured work where he sought to push against the outer boundaries of jazz using just his trumpet accompanied by only piano and percussion. This year’sRead More