The 2012 JJA Jazz Awards Nominees were announced recently. I've copied & pasted them below, with some wholly off-the-cuff and knee-jerk comments. My picks in bold, but what does that matter, as I'm not allowed to vote.
1) LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN JAZZ
Muhal Richard Abrams
Ron Carter
Wayne Shorter
Horace Silver
I'm guessing Wayne Shorter will win this, and it's not like he doesn't deserve it. I just happen to prefer Muhal Richard Abrams, but he's too much of a fringe artist for the majority, I think.
2) MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Ambrose Akinmusire
Vijay Iyer
Joe Lovano
Christian McBride
Sonny Rollins
I miss a whole bunch in this category, but the most obvious one is Craig Taborn, who was all over the spectrum, with great results, last year. Of the nominees, I'd pick Sonny.
3) COMPOSER/ARRANGER OF THE YEAR
John Hollenbeck
Guillermo Klein
Vince Mendoza
Maria Schneider
Hmm, hard one. I liked Kris Davis' arrangements on Tony Malaby's Novela, as well as Ben Allison's on his 2011 album. Still, Hollenbeck is a gifted arranger too.
4) UP AND COMING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Chris Dingman
Tyshawn Sorey
Ben Williams
Warren Wolf
There's a wealth of talent around these days, my favorite being Darius Jones. He's been around a few years, though, but so has Tyshan Sorey, who'd be my pick of the above.
5) RECORD OF THE YEAR
James Farm (Nonesuch)
Keith Jarrett, Rio (ECM)
Christian McBride's Big Band, The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue Records)
Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records)
Wadada Leo Smith's Organic, Heart's Reflections (Cuneiform Records)
Craig Taborn, Avenging Angel (ECM)
Miguel Zenon, Alma Adentro – The Puerto Rican Songbook (Marsalis Music)
Naturally, I miss a host of nominees here: Avram Fefer, Darius Jones and Tony Malaby's efforts chief among them (See my favorites section or my 2011 Jazz Critics Poll ballot for more. Plus, does Keith Jarrett have to be nominated for an award every time he squeezes out a record? Oh, he does. Well, sorry then. I guess one wouldn't want angry Jarrett harassing you.) Of those nominated, I'd pick Wadada Leo Smith's (Disclaimer: I've not heard the McBride album yet).
6) BEST HISTORICAL OR BOXED SET
Miles Davis, Bootleg Sessions, Vol 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy)
Julius Hemphill, Dogon A.D. (Mbira/Freedom-International Phonograph)
Bill Dixon, Intents and Purposes (RCA Victor-International Phonograph)
Roscoe Mitchell, Before There Was Sound (Nessa)
The Complete Jimmie Lunceford Decca Sessions (Mosaic)
I actually really enjoyed all of these, but Hemphill edges it for me.
7) LABEL OF THE YEAR
Clean Feed
ECM
Pi Records
Sunnyside Records
You know, I'm inclined to say Engine, a tiny label out of Chicago. Clean Feed is still releasing ace quality jazz albums, but have been stronger in previous years. ECM is, well, ECM, so I’m going with Pi here.
8) LARGE ENSEMBLE
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
Maria Schneider Orchestra
Mingus Big Band
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
No strong preference here, really, 'though I would've like to see Captain Black's Big Band get a look in.
9) SMALL ENSEMBLE
James Farm
Jason Moran & Bandwagon
Joe Lovano Us Five
SFJazz Collective
James Farm is a super group of sorts, so I'd either put my money on them or Moran's group to win it. I have absolutely no preference among these, though. I wish Avram Fefer's Trio - with Eric Revis and Chad Taylor, by now a working group - was nominated. There's also the exciting Endangered Blood, as well as the great Mostly Other People Do the Killing, who toured and released a live album in 2011. So where does that leave us ...
10) MALE SINGER OF THE YEAR
Freddy Cole
Kurt Elling
Giacomo Gates
Gregory Porter
11) FEMALE SINGER OF THE YEAR
Karrin Allyson
Rene Marie
Gretchen Parlato
Tierney Sutton
I'm betting on Parlato to win this, but my fave female singers of 2011 was Andrea Wolper and Fay Victor, though the latter probable belongs in a separate category all together: ace performer of the year.
12) TRUMPETER OF THE YEAR
Ambrose Akinmusire
Tom Harrell
Brian Lynch
Wadada Leo Smith
You just know Akinmusire will win this, but I'm a Wadada fan myself.
13) TROMBONIST OF THE YEAR
Steve Davis
Robin Eubanks
Wycliffe Gordon
Steve Turre
14) MULTI-REEDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
James Carter
Anat Cohen
Roscoe Mitchell
Ted Nash
Scott Robinson
15) ALTO SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR
Lee Konitz
Rudresh Mahanthappa
Phil Woods
Miguel Zenon
Darius Jones all the way for me, but he's not here, so I'll go with Mahanthappa, 'though he was arguably a greater presence in 2010 than in 2011.
16) TENOR SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR
J.D. Allen
Joe Lovano
Chris Potter
Sonny Rollins
As much as I love and worship Sonny Rollins, I'd love to see J.D. Allen get some plaudits, but I'm guessing Rollins or Lovano will win it.
17) BARITONE SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR
James Carter
Ronnie Cuber
Claire Daly
Gary Smulyan
18) SOPRANO SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR
Jane Ira Bloom
Dave Liebman
Branford Marsalis
Wayne Shorter
19) FLUTIST OF THE YEAR
Jamie Baum
Nicole Mitchell
Lew Tabackin
No preference. I should note that Henry Threadgill toured in 2011, so one wonders why he wasn't nominated. Would win it for me if he was.
20) CLARINETIST OF THE YEAR
Don Byron
Evan Christopher
Anat Cohen
Ken Peplowski
21) GUITARIST OF THE YEAR
Mary Halvorson
Bill Frisell
Pat Metheny
John Scofield
Halvorson for me. Frisell a close second.
22) PIANIST OF THE YEAR
Vijay Iyer
Keith Jarrett
Matthew Shipp
Craig Taborn
Close one, but Taborn appeared on several great albums in 2011, proving he's an innovative and interesting musician in several different settings, and I'd vote for him. Iyer has a new album out this year, and Shipp is still a major player who I follow with great interest.
23) KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Joey DeFrancesco
Larry Goldings
Mike LeDonne
Gary Versace
No preference.
24) BASSIST OF THE YEAR
Ben Allison
Ron Carter
Christian McBride
William Parker
Esperanza Spalding
William Parker is one of my favorite living musicians regardless of instrument, but I still miss several nominees in this category. Adam Lane did stellar work on Darius Jones' record, Eric Revis perhaps even more so with Avram Fefer. There was John Lindberg on Wadada Leo Smith's Heart's Reflection's and Trevor Dunn with Endangered Blood. Still, Parker's work with Taborn on the second Farmers By Nature album was stellar as always, as was his playing on Fay Victor & Other Dimensions In Music's Kaiso Stories and with David S. Ware on Planetary Unknown. Ben Allison is a great musician, arranger and composer, but he'd place below my nominees. I admire McBride greatly, and Ron Carter is a legend, but neither of those impressed my nearly as much in 2011 as my nominees.
25) VIOLINIST/VIOLIST/CELLIST OF THE YEAR
Billy Bang
Regina Carter
Mark Feldman
Jenny Scheinman
R.I.P. Billy Bang.
26) PERCUSSIONIST OF THE YEAR
Cyro Baptista
Hamid Drake
Sammy Figueroa
Marilyn Mazur
Adam Rudolph
Poncho Sanchez
27) MALLETS INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
Gary Burton
Stefon Harris
Joe Locke
Warren Wolf
Uh, where's Chris Dingman?
28) TRAPS DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Jack DeJohnette
Eric Harland
Roy Haynes
Paul Motian
Matt Wilson
You'd think Paul Motian would win this posthumously. Such is the way human nature works. Flabbergasted that neither Pheeroan akLaff (for his work on Wadada Leo Smith's Heart'sReflections. He was the heart, after all) nor Damien Reid for his work on Greg Ward's Phonic Juggernaut aren't nominated.
29) PLAYER OF INSTRUMENTS RARE IN JAZZ
Edmar Castaneda, harp
Gregoire Maret, harmonica
Toots Thielemans, harmonica
Gary Versace, accordion
Meh. 'Though, there's Jacob Sacks' work with harpsichord.
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