Best Albums Of 2010: Polar Bear

JazzWrap revisits our favourite albums of 2010.

Polar Bear (group)
Peepers (The Leaf Label)

Mark Lockheart (sax)
Peter Wareham (sax)
Sebastian Rochford (drums)
Tom Herbert (bass)
Leafcutter John (electronics)

2010 was a momentous year for Polar Bear. The beginning of the year saw the new offering of the amazing Peepers (The Leaf Label). In addition, the band returned at late in the year with the drastically different but extremely rewarding Common Ground (The Leaf Label). And to top things off, co-founding member, Seb Rochford disbanded the bands alter-ego Acoustic Ladyland. That band will resurrect at some point in a different incarnation according to Seb.

But our real focus is the superb Peepers which is a heavier sounding and more adventurous sounding album than its predecessors. Starting with the traditionally kinetic Polar Bear sound of "Happy For You" and then spinning quickly to the more contemplative and experimental chords of "Drunken Pharaoh" and "A New Morning Will Come". This was the sound of a band maturing and stretching everything with scintillating results.

The title track "Peepers" has an almost indie rock fell to it and shows how this band moves from theme to theme. But the band also show some real deconstructionism with "Hope Everyday Is A Happy New Year" and some straight ahead balladry (if I can call it that) with the lovely "Want To Believe Everything".

Peepers also has some of the band compositional work I have heard from Polar Bear since their first album and the subtle use of electronics throughout Peepers makes this a fascinating listen. This is why Polar Bear are one if not the most rewarding bands to come out of the English jazz scene over the last decade. Highly Recommended purchase for those of you who didn't know about Polar Bear. And one of our favourites this year.

Best Albums Of 2010: The Vandermark 5

The Vandermark 5 (group)

The Horse Jumps and The Ship Is Gone (2CDs; Not Two Records)

Ken Vandermark (sax; clarinet)
Tim Daisy: percussion Dave Rempis (sax)
Kent Kessler (bass) Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello)
Magnus Broo (trumpet) Havard Wiik (piano)

The Vandermark 5 returned with a vengeance this year with their fifteenth album, The Horse Jumps and The Ship Is Gone. For this outing Ken Vandermark takes the unique step of inviting two of his regular collaborators in his other projects, Magnus Broo (trumpet) and Havard Wiik (piano) (of the group Atomic) to sit in and it has some stunning results. The album features a number of tracks that appeared on the band previous two albums Annular Gift and Beat Reader.

The addition of the two Atomic member does add a bit more fire to the session. It seems Vandermark's material here is more challenging and each member has allot to counteract with throughout the recording. Things get started heavy with fierce opening number "Friction" where Wiik's heartpounding progression an intensity and urgency to band that I haven't heard in a few records. On the next piece, "Some Not All," the group subtle into a rhythm lead by the pianist and Tim Daisy on drums with some unbelievable work from Longberg-Holm on cello. The horn section led by Vandermark provides a wonderful battle like Godzilla vs all of Japan.

Wiik contributes to magnificent pieces to this set "New Weather" and "Green Mill Tilter", the latter featured recently on the Atomic live album, Theater Tilters (Jazzland). "New Weather" is nice and complex piece with the horn section leading the way in the early going and quietly giving way to some trio interplay by Wiik, Longberg-Holm and Daisy. Then returning to the horns for some rich, bold statements on each players part. Wiik has written a piece that suits V5 perfectly. Since each of the members have played with one another in very forms you have to except there is a great deal of knowing each others movements and strengths. Wiik and Vandermark have picked up on that perfectly throughout The Horse Jumps...

The Vandermark 5 as I have said before, are one of the few bands pushing jazz forward and beyond. The Horse Jumps and The Ship Is Gone is no exception. It is a compelling and sprawling work that challenges everything in free jazz and shows this American quintet plus two to be in peak form. The Vandermark 5 get better with each record. They are one of the most important jazz bands not just in America but in the world.

Best Albums Of 2010: Jason Moran

JazzWrap revisits our favourite albums of 2010.

Jason Moran (piano)

Ten (Blue Note Records)

Ten celebrates Jason Moran's ten years on with Blue Note Records. As with his previous efforts it is a highly creative and challenging outing. The one difference I found is that Ten is also the most accessible album in the Moran cannon. "Blue Blocks" opens with a nice dose of Sunday morning church roll call that is both joyous and uplifting.

A number of the pieces on Ten were originally commissioned for concerts/exhibitions over the last few years. So its nice to hear some of this material for the first time on disc. "Feedback Pt.2" is one of those pieces and has loads of atmospheric effects mixed with Moran's classical side reminiscent of his material on the highly acclaimed Modernistic album. Moran also tackles one of his influences with an incredible reworking of "Crepusucle With Nellie" which for me makes this album worth owning out right.

Another standout is "Play To Live" a number co-written with the late Andrew Hill, another major influence (outside of Monk) on Moran's playing. It's a quiet and emotional piece that really brings home the power of Moran and his trio. "Gangsterism Over Ten Years" follows in the footsteps of a previous number from Modernistic with complexed arrangements yet pulsating and accessible all at the same time.

Ten is a brilliant celebration but also is a shinning document and statement as to why Jason Moran stands apart from all other piano players of his generation. It's engaging, challenging and creatively far and away from any of other piano based album you'll hear all year. One of the years best albums is our listening room.

Best Album Of 2010: Mary Halvorson

JazzWrap revisits our favourite albums of 2010.

Mary Halvorson (guitar)
Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12 Records; 2010)

So when I first wrote about Mary Halvorson a few months back I enthusiastically said I was addicted to her music and her latest release, Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12 Records). Since then I have acquired a boat load of other releases featuring Halvorson; including the spectacular trio album from drummer Tom Rainey, which features some phenomenal playing from Halvorson.

But let's stay focused on the real album at hand. Saturn Sings is a powerful statement from a guitarist who really stands high and above most of her contemporaries, even if a large majority of the jazz public doesn't know who she is...yet.

Saturn Sings features the same trio from her first album as leader, Dragon's Head (Ches Smith (drums) and John Hebert (bass))now expanded into a quintet with Jon Irabagon on sax and Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet. This adds a little more body and rhythm to some of the recordings. But it doesn't interfere with free flowing atmosphere of the original group. In fact I think it gives the musicians more strength and room to breath or expand on different themes.

Halvorson is still the leader but allows the band to do some of the talking as on "Mile High Like" which Irabagon, Finlayson and Smith rip through notes while Halvorson's floats above and sometimes just underneath the rhythm. This is one the best examples of how this quintet melds together beautifully throughout Saturn Sings.

"Crack In Sky" and more importantly "Moon Traps In Seven Rings" are almost ballad-esque, with a loose abstract construction from Halvorson. Finlayson is the standout on "Moon Traps In Seven Rings" until about two thirds of the way in when Halvorson takes a Marc Ribot like solo and the group returns to the original melody. This is a great piece of writing. "Crack In Sky" sees Irabagon and Halvorson interplay beautifully--displaying Mary Halvorson can combine tradition and avant garde into something magical (similar to her mentor Anthony Braxton).

"Sea Seizure" again expresses the more indie-rock leaning side of Halvorson. It's a groove-laden track with aggression and agitation that could sit alongside anything Sonic Youth or Praxis could write. The title track, "Saturn Sings" opens with marching order-like quality led by Halvorson and Smith, only to return to a wonderful group dynamic played out by the rhythm section. Saturn Sings is an album that is another step up for Mary Halvorson in song writing, leadership and performance.

You may have noticed the headline of today's entry was slightly different. I purposely don't like to rank my "Best Albums" because I feel its too difficult to make your deciding factors on how they should be ranked. So I'd rather just talk about them. But in the case of Mary Halvorson's Saturn Sings--I have made the rare judgement that this by far is my #1 Album Of The Year.

I wanted to talk about it early in the week in case a lot of you are not around towards the end of week/year. The sooner you know about this album the better. If you want an album and an artist that is going to knock you socks off or change your thoughts on what the guitar means to jazz, than Mary Halvorson's Saturn Sings is the place you should start. Beyond Highly Recommended.