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Last week Jazzwise announced the results of its annual writers poll with Courtney Pine winning the prestigious No.1 spot, for his album House of Legends, in a strong Top 20 albums list. Such was the high standard across the board this year Jazzwise wanted to share the full list, complete with individual album scores, of New Releases and Reissue/Archive releases in the order they were voted for by the Jazzwise writers. With first place in each writer’s top ten being awarded ten points and the tenth place receiving one point – the results for the entire list are as follows: Top 20 New Releases Courtney Pine – House Of Legends – Destin–E – 45 EST – 301 – ACT – 39 John Surman – Saltash Bells – ECM – 33 Christine Tobin – Sailing To Byzantium – Trail Belle Records – 32 John McLaughlin & 4th Dimension – Now Here This – Abstract Logix – 30 Gregory Porter – Be Good – Motéma – 30 Jeremy Pelt – Soul – Highnote – 29 Robert Glasper – Black Radio – Blue Note – 29 Branford Marsalis – 4 Mf’s Playing Tunes – Marsalis Music – 24 Django Bates Belovèd – Confirmation – Lost Marble – 24 Béla Fleck/Marcus Roberts Trio – Across The Imaginary Divide – Rounder – 22 Christian Scott – Christian Atunde Adjuah – Concord – 21 Esperanda Spalding – Radio Music Society – Decca – 19 Phronesis – Walking Dark – Edition – 18 Kurt Elling – On Broadway – Concord – 17 Ahmad Jamal – Blue Moon – Jazz Village – 16 Roller Trio – Roller Trio – F–ire – 16 Simcock/Garland/Sirkis – Lighthouse – ACT – 14 Colin Towns Blue Touch Paper – Stand Well Back – Provocateur – 14 Billy Hart – All Of Our Reasons – ECM – 14 Dave Stapleton – Flight – Edition – 13 Kenny Wheeler – The Long Waiting – CamJazz – 13 Brad Mehldau – Where Do You Start – Nonesuch – 12 Marcus Miller – Renaissance – Dreyfus – 12 Mike Gibbs/NDRbigband/Norma Winstone – Here's A Song For You – Fuzzy Moon 12 Steve Lehman trio – Dialect Fluorescent – Pi – 11 Brad Mehldau – Ode – Nonesuch – 10 Troyka – Moxxy – Edition – 10 Alexander Hawkins – All There, Ever Out – Babel – 10 Brötzmann / Satoh / Moriyama – Yatagarasu – Not Two – 10 Henry Threadgill Zooid – Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry – Pi – 10 Sumi Tonooka – Now – ARC – 10 Leon Greening – Cookin’ In Brooklyn – Leopard – 10 Wadada Leo Smith – Ten Freedom Summers – Cuneiform – 9 Raynald Colom – Rise – JazzVilliage – 9 trioVD – Maze – Naim Edge – 9 Nikki Iles – Hush – Basho – 9 Charles Gayle Trio – Streets – Northern Spy – 9 Michael Wollny’s [em] – Wasted & Wanted – ACT – 9 Wallace Roney – Home – High Note – 8 Van Morrison – Born To Sing – Blue Note – 8 The Golden Age of Steam – Welcome To Bat Country – Basho – 8 Sam Rivers, Dave Holland, Barry Altschul – Reunion: Live In New York – Pi – 8 Andrew Lamb – Rhapsody In Black – No Business – 8 Julian Joseph – Live At The Vortex – ASC – 8 Ryan Truesdell – Centennial: The Gil Evans Project – Artist Share – 8 Trish Clowes – And In The Night Time She Is There – Basho – 8 Ian Shaw – A Ghost in every Bar – Splash Point – 8 Paul Edis – There will be time – Jazz Action – 8 Pat Metheny – Unity Band – Nonesuch – 8 Tyshawn Sorey – Oblique – Pi – 8 Orrin Evans – Flip The Script – Posi–Tone – 7 Eliazbeth Shepard – Rewind – Linus – 7 Kenny Garrett – Seeds From The Underground – Mack Avenue – 7 Tom Bancroft: Trio Red – First Hello to Last Goodbye – Interrupto – 7 Mark Masters Ensemble – Ellington saxophone encounters – Capri – 7 Bobo Stenson – Indicum – ECM – 7 Eddie Prevost, Evan Parker, John Edwards – Meetings with Remarkable Saxophonists Volume 1 – Matchless – 7 David S Ware – Planetary Unknown Live At Jazzfestival Saalfelden – AUM Fidelity – 7 Ravi Coltrane – Spirit Fiction – Blue Note – 6 Tore Brunborg/Kirsti Huke – Scent Of Soil – Hubro – 6 Yosvany Terry – Todays Opinion – Criss Cross Jazz – 6 Claire Martin – Too Much Love To Care – Linn – 6 Andre Canniere – Forward Space – Whirlwind – 6 Alan Barnes – The Art Trip/The Music Of Art Pepper – Woodville – 6 Jens Thomas – Speed Of grace – ACT – 6 The Great Wee Band – Light Blue – Trio – 6 Joe Morris/William Parker/Gerald Cleaver – Altitude – AUM Fidelity – 6 Matt Bourne – Montauk Variations – Leaf – 6 Lionel Loueke – Heritage – Blue Note – 5 Neon Quartet – Subjekt – Edition – 5 Manu Katche – Manu Katche – ECM – 5 Ralph Brown – Total Eclipse – Posi–Tone – 5 Bobby Wellins, Kate Williams – Smoke And Mirrors – Kwjazz – 5 Grand Union Orchestra – If Paradise – Grand Union – 5 Wadada Leo Smith & Louis Moholo-Moholo – Ancestors – TUM – 5 Ron Miles – Quiver – Enja/ Yellowbird – 5 Neil Cowley Trio – The Face Of Mount Molehill – Naim – 5 Take 6 – One – Shanachie – 5 Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, Paul Motian – Further Explorations –Concord – 5 Darius Jones Quartet – Book Of Mae’ Bul – AUM Fidelity – 5 Mario Laginha/Julian Arguelles/Helge Norbakken – 20 Anos de Jazz no parque – Serralves – 4 Joe Chambers Moving Pictures Orchestra – Live At Dizzys Club Coca – Cola Savant – 4 Harry Allen & Scott Hamilton – Round Midnight – Challenge – 4 Marc Johnson, Eliane Elias – Swept Away – ECM – 4 Meshell Ndegeocello – Pour Une Ame Souveraine – Naïve – 4 Mike Stern – All Over The Place – Heads Up – 4 Arild Anderson / Scottish National Jazz Orchestra – Celebration – ECM – 4 Jeff Parker Trio – Bright Light in Winter – Delmark – 4 David Kikoski – Consequences – Criss Cross Jazz – 4 Gareth Lockrane’s Grooveyard – The Strut – Whirlwind – 3 Emilia Martensson and Barry Green – And So It Goes – Babel – 3 Robert Randolph & The Family Band – In Concert – Dare – 3 Carmen Lundy – Changes – Afrasia Productions – 3 Tim Lapthorn – Transport – Pathway – 3 Jack Davies Big Band – Same – V&V – 3 Tony–Joe Bucklash – Tony–Joe Bucklash – Foghorn – 3 NYJO – The Change – NYJO – 3 Walter Norris and Leszek Mozder – The Last Set – ACT – 2 Steve Melling/Clark Tracey Special Septet – Special One – Melljazz – 2 Zoe Rahman – Kindred Spirits – Manushi – 2 Mohel – The Second Temple – Verdura – 2 Cassandra Wilson – Another Country – E1 – 2 Ivo Neame – Yatra – Edition – 2 Josh Arcoleo – Beginnings – Edition – 2 Partikel – Cohesion – Whirlwind – 2 Nik Bartsch’s – Ronin Live – ECM – 1 Virginia Mayhew – Mary Lou Williams: the next 100 year – Renma – 1 Trevor Watts and Veryan Weston – Dialogues in Two Places – Hi4Head – 1 Paul Dunmall and Tony Bianco – Thank You John Coltrane – SLAM – 1 Radio String Quartet – Vienna– ACT – 1 Top 10 Reissues/Archives Keith Jarrett – Sleeper - ECM – 87 Bill Evans - Live At Art D’lugoff’s Top Of The Gate - Resonance – 57 Loose Tubes - Säd Afrika – Lost Marble – 56 Wes Montgomery - Echoes of Indiana Avenue – Resonance – 37 Weather Report – The Complete Columbia Albums 1971-1975 – 34 Don Cherry - Organic Music Society – Caprice – 30 Charles Mingus – Complete Columbia & RCA Albums Collection – 28 Charlie Mingus – The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady/Mingus Mingus Mingus – 24 Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Spirits Up Above – 23 Jan Garbarek – Dansere – 17 Bill Evans - Sunday At The Village Vanguard/Waltz For Debby – Essential Jazz Classics – 16 Garbarek/Gismonti/Haden - Carta de Amor - ECM – 15 Wes Montgomery - So Much Guitar + The Montgomery Brothers In Canada - Essential Jazz Classics – 15 Harold Land - The Fox - Essential Jazz Classics – 15 Frank Wright Quartet - Blues for Albert Ayler - ESP – 15 The Jazz Trio: ft. Kenny Wheeler and Alan Skidmore - TCB – 15 John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguar – Essential Jazz Classics – 14 Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis and Johnny Griffin Quintet - Griff & Lock - The Complete Studio Recordings 1960-61 - Fresh Sound – 13 Michael Garrick: With the Rendell/Carr Quintet - Harkit – 11 Nat Adderley - Four Classic Album - Avid – 10 Duke Ellington - Black, Brown and Beige – Poll Winners – 10 Ernie Henry - The Last Session – Fresh Sound – 10 Louis Armstrong - Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven - Columbia – 10 Joe Harriott Quintet - Movement/High Spirits – Dutton Vocalion – 10 Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – The Complete Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong Studio Recorded Duets - Avid – 10 Bill Evans - Momentum - Limetree – 10 Thelonious Monk - Alone In San Fransisco – Poll Winners – 10 Sonny Red - Quartet, Quintet, Sextet - Fresh Sound – 9 Complete Stanley - Dance Felsted Mainstream Jazz 1958 – Fresh Sound – 9 Sydney Bechet - The Complete American Masters – Universal UK – 9 Harold McNair - Harold McNair/Flute & Nut – Dutton Vocalion – 9 Allen Ginsberg/Peter Orlovsky/Steven Taylor/ Harry Hoogstraten - De Leeuwerik 1979 – Sloow Tapes – 9 Duke Ellington - At The Crystal Gardens 1952 – Hep Jazz – 9 Peggy Lee/Quincy Jones – Blues Country/If you Go - Fresh Sound – 9 Marzette Watts - Marzette Watts & Company - ESP – 9 Miles Davis - Swiss Radio Days, Vol 31 - TCB – 9 Bill Evans - The Way To Play – Proper – 8 Allan Holdsworth - None Too Soon – MoonJune – 8 Heiner Stadler - Brains On Fire - Labo – 8 Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band – Santa Monica 1960 – Fresh Sound – 8 Cecil Taylor - The Complete Nat Hentoff Sessions - Solar – 8 Clifford Brown, Max Roach Quintet - The Complete Studio Recordings – Essential Jazz Classics – 8 William Parker Centering – Unreleased Early Recordings 1976-1987 – NoBusiness – 8 Anita O’Day - Trav’lin’ Light/All The Sad Young Men – Fresh Sound – 8 Ornette Coleman - The Music Of Ornette Coleman: Skies Of America - BGO – 8 Mel Powell - Four Classic Albums Plus – Avid – 7 Frank Zappa- Hot Rats [Remastered] – Universal – 7 Jackie McClean - Four Classic Albums - Avid – 7 Charlie Rouse - Quartet & Quintet - Fresh Sound – 7 Durga Rising - An Indo Jazz Adventure - Keda – 7 Irene Kral - The Band And I And Better Than Anything - Solar – 7 Albert Ayler - Stockholm/Berlin 1966 - hatOLOGY – 7 Jimmy Rushing – Four Classic Albums - Avid – 7 Michael White - Spirit Dance/Pneuma – Impulse – 7 Jimmy Heath - Sextet The Thumper & The Quota - Solar – 6 Nino Rota – Collector - Milan – 6 Charlie Mingus - Jazzical Moods - Poll Winners – 6 Sam Rivers - Reunion: Live In New York - Pi – 6 Elton Dean's Ninesense - The 100 Club Concert 1979 - Reel – 6 Brötzmann/Miller/Moholo - The Nearer The Bone, The Sweeter The Meat – Cien Fuegos – 6 Eric Dolphy/Booker Little - At The Five Spot - EJC – 6 Terje Rypdal - Odyssey In Studio - ECM – 6 Stan Tracey - Three Classic Albums Plus – Avid – 6 Oliver Nelson - The Blues and The Abstract Truth – American Jazz Classics – 5 The Jazz Couriers - Live In Morecambe 1959 – Gearbox – 5 Don Byas - At Nalen With Jan Johansson - Riverside – 5 Chris McGregor - In His Good Time - Ogun – 5 Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder – Poll Winners – 5 Graham Collier - Relook, 1937-2011 – Graham Collier Music – 5 Mel Tormé - Swings Shubert Alley/Back In Town - Phoenix – 5 Bud Powell – Trio and Solo - Four Classic Albums - Avid – 5 Thelonious Monk - Complete Live At The Five Spot – Phoenix – 5 Blue Notes - Before The Wind Changes - Ogun – 5 John Coltrane - 1961 Newport Set - Solar – 4 Brad Mehldau - The Art Of The Trio Recordings 1996-2001 – Nonesuch – 4 Pharoah Sanders - In The Beginnings 1963-4 - ESP – 4 George Adams – The Complete Remastered Recordings – Black Saint and Soul Note – 4 Peter Jacobsen - For Pete’s Sake: Volume I – FMR – 4 William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin - The Spoken Word – The British Library – 4 Allan Holdsworth - Hard Hat Area - MoonJune – 4 Dave Brubeck - Live In London 1966 – Domino – 4 Victor Feldman - Four Classic Albums - Avid – 4 Barney Kessel - Three Classic Albums - Avid – 4 Julius Hemphill - The Complete Remastered Recordings - Black Saint and Soul Note – 4 Miles Davis - Original Album Series: Tutu/Siesta OST/Amandlas/ Dingo/Doo-Bop – Warner Jazz – 4 Dave Douglas - The Complete Remastered Recordings - Black Saint and Soul Note – 4 Hampton Hawes - For Real – Essential Jazz Classics – 3 Django Reinhardt - On Vogue 1934-51 Complete - Sony – 3 Ray Charles - Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings – Warner Jazz – 3 Grant Green Trio - Green Street – Essential Jazz Classics – 3 Stan Getz - Award Winner – Riverside – 3 Bruce Turner - Accent on Swing - Lake – 3 Ernestine Anderson - The Complete 1947-1958 – Le Chant de Monde – 3 Steve Lacy - The Sun - Emanem – 3 Chris McGregor - Sea Breezes: Solo Piano Live In Durban 1987 – Fledg’ling Records 3 Jimmie Lunceford: Complete Decca Sessions - Mosaic – 3 Charles Mingus - The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65 - Mosaic – 3 Stan Getz – Stan Getz at Nalen with Jan Johansson - Riverside – 3 The Mothers Of Invention – Absolutely Free – Zappa Music/ Universal – 3 Joe Alexander - Blue Jubilee – Fresh Sound – 2 Sonny Stitt - Only The Blues – Essential Jazz Classics – 2 Dave Brubeck Quartet - Their Last Time Out – Columbia/Legacy – 2 Duke Ellington - The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings 1951-58 – Sony Legacy – 2 Gil Evans - Out Of The Cool – Poll Winners – 2 Eddie Lockjaw & Johnny Griffin Quintet - Live At Minton’s Playhouse – Fresh Sound – 2 Mark Murphy - Rah/Hip Parade – Original Jazz Classics – 2 Matching Mole - Little Red Record – Esoteric – 2 Duke Ellington - My People - Storyville – 2 Walter Benton Quintet - Out Of This World – Fresh Sound – 1 John Handy Quintet and Quartet - In The vernacular/No Coast – Fresh Sound – 1 Hank Mobley - Workout and Hank Mobley Quartet – American Jazz Classics – 1 Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The One and Only Queen of Hot Gospel – Upbeat Records – 1 Johnny Hodges/Rex Stewart - Things Ain’t What They Used To Be – Koch Jazz – 1 Astor Piazzolla – Tanguisimo – Le Chant du Monde – 1 Mike Osborne Trio - The Birmingham Concert - Cadillac – 1 Rob Thomsett – Yaraandoo - Roundtable – 1 King Crimson - Larks Tongues In Aspic - Panegyric – 1 Chris Barber – And the Clarinet Kings - Lake – 1 Sun Ra – The Eternal Myth: The Early Music History Of Sun Ra Part 1: 1921-1958 - ReR – Abbey Lincoln - That’s Him - Riverside – 1 George Shearing Quintet - Studio Sessions – United Archives – 1 Various Artists – Sassafras And Moonshine: The Songs of Laura Nyro - Ace – 1
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Maverick Norwegian percussionist Terje Isungset (pictured left) returns to the UK between 29 November and 2 December with his Ice Music project; a series of live performances played exclusively on instruments created from ice. He is bringing his project to four locations in rural England, carving the instruments from solid blocks of ice; performances will showcase an ice horn, iceophone, ice percussion instruments alongside vocals from singer, Maria Skranes. Isungset who trained as a jazz percussionist, is also heavily influenced by traditional Scandinavian music in his compositions. 
Of all the excessively talented sidemen the late great Weather Report keyboardist/composer Joe Zawinul employed in his globetrotting Syndicate band, French-Ivorian drummer Paco Séry was among the most memorably explosive: a fireworks display on a drum stool. And while Zawinul’s passing in 2007 has left a void in the live scene, Weather Report’s worldly-wise mix of sounds remains potently influential today as a new generation of fusion-heads discover Uncle Joe and co’s legacy. Séry himself is also known for his long standing work with France’s answer to Weather Report, Sixun, but his focus has now turned away from this popular group and turned instead to his own group, which made its spectacular debut at the New Morning club, Paris, this weekend. 
If the four costume changes made by Macy Gray gave this gig a pop sensibility, which is largely absent in the jazz world, then it was not accompanied by any shedding of musical ambition. An 11-piece Anglo-American horn section featuring heavyweights Rasul Siddik, Byron Wallen, Tony Kofi, Chris Biscoe and Brian Edwards wound its way through scores that were anything but denuded and the input of leader-conductor Murray’s tenor saxophone, deployed with customary creative energy, ensured that there was plenty for those with a discerning ear. And yet the title of the concert, Stompin’ And Singin’ The Blues, was by no means insignificant. The whole premise of this meeting between Gray, whose wafer-like but boldly expressive voice has made her a singular presence in the soul world in the last decade, and Murray, one of the great soloists to have emerged in jazz in the last 40 years, was a celebration of the deepest roots of African-American culture. In other words, this was real blues because the earth wire in the electricity of the music was gospel. It became explicit by way of recognised ciphers – Marc Cary’s bubbling syncopation on the Hammond organ; Gray’s double time ‘soul clappin’’ that turned a participative front row into a rockin’ pew in a house of praise; the upper register holler of the horns that squared the circle between Albert Ayler and Vernard Johnson. 
