2009 Holiday Picks

On Kurt Rosenwinkel’s Reflections, the innovative and iconic guitarist isn’t playing any tricks. The melodic phrases are even and tuneful, the harmonies are familiar, and the rhythmic underpinnings and formal architecture are simple and subtle. But, despite a barefaced lack of complexity, Reflections is one of the most exciting albums of the year.

Bassist and composer Ben Allison’s Think Free is a rock album at its core, wrapped in the unexpected textures of Shane Endsley’s trumpet and Jenny Scheinman’s violin. On each of the tracks, Allison doles out equal parts subtlety and simplicity. The result is widely accessible, and leaves room for repeated listening.

Miguel Zenón’s Esta Plena is filled with exuberant melodies and voluble phrases that float above knotty rhythmic terrain. The music is fitted around traditional Puerto Rican plena music, and the rhythms of the panderos, add extra thrust to the furious tempos and frenetic counterpoints.

Searching for new sounds by way of crushing dissonances and dexterous rhythmic underpinnings, pianist Vijay Iyer has become a progressive jazz luminary. On his Historicity, Iyer’s music maintains its otherworldliness, but is familiar and relatable in a way it hasn’t been previously.

The music on saxophonist Myron Walden's Momentum is inspired by 1960s Miles Davis, but bound with more rhythmic cohesion, and with a heartier helping of soul. To loquacious lines that reflect the current trend of saxophonists bubbling over with harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic ideas, Walden brings a wise, patient, and homespun approach.

Bassist Linda Oh is a relative newcomer to the scene, but Entry, her debut album, resonates with a precocious depth. Ambrose Akinmusire and Obed Calvaire join Oh on Entry, which features mostly original compositions. The trumpet/drums/bass trio makes for a surprisingly spicy sound, and Oh's compositions combine groove with searching, reflective moods.