LWayne

And a very current example from last year Immanuel Wilkins "Omega" And another enjoyable debut from last year Micah Thomas "Tide"

Good point. Re-released commercially through ECM. My number two is their number one...

Listening to my favorite ECM album!

Really enjoying this CD. Maybe the best for this trio. Looking forward to the vinyl release for the live tracks. Rare for me to buy both CD and vinyl of same release, but justified! LWayne

Haven't listened to this in a long time... LWayne

Newly released Charles Tolliver "Compassion" LWayne

Original pressing of this LP. Outstanding!

Watched both nights. Very enjoyable, but liked Friday night better. Played many Paul Motian tunes. Reminiscent of Motian-Lovano-Frisell playing the Vanguard annually. Would be interested in set-lists from both nights, as no announcements from stage, if available. :LWayne

Looking for decent copy of Stanley Cowell's solo "Live at Cafe des Copains" LP. Willing to buy or trade for equal value. If not, will need to go Discogs route. Hoping a board member might be willing to part with a copy. Thanks, LWayne

Oh no! Definition of a legend. Always enjoyed watching him play. Grace under pressure. LWayne

Saw both the Friday and Saturday sets. Thought they were exceptional! LWayne

Too many to consider. Feeling guilty now. LWayne

Great list. Would add the following: Carla Bley, Life Goes On Bill Frisell/ Thomas Morgan, Small Town Craig Taborn, Avenging Angel Michael Formanek, Small Places Paul Motian, Time and Time Again Dave Holland Quintet, Extended Play Vijay Iyer, Break Stuff LWayne

This is absolutely crushing. I am beyond sad. He was a very good friend of mine and we just exchanged email greetings yesterday on the event of my birthday. Fortunate to have seen him play many times and to have attended many shows with him as well (note my Avatar). He was tremendously warm and witty. Had a dry sense of humor and was a keen observer of irony. This REALLY hurts. Love you Frank! LWayne

As the year winds to a close, I wanted to start a "best of" thread. Despite the pandemic, this was a wonderful year for new releases. More depth of recordings than previous years. Of my top ten, the first six never left my CD player: 1 Carla Bley Life Goes On ECM 2 Bill Frisell Valentine Blue Note Records 3 Maria Schneider Orchestra Data Lords ArtistShare 4 Thumbscrew The Braxton Project Cuneiform 5 Liberty Ellman Last Desert Pi Recordings 6 James Brandon Lewis Quartet Molecular Intakt Records 7 Immanuel Wilkins Omega Blue Note Records 8 Micah Thomas Tide Self-Released 9 Matthew Shipp Trio The Unidentifiable ESP Disk 10 Charles Tolliver Quartet Connect Gearbox Records If this list was expanded to top twenty, there would also be Nels Cline Singers "Share the Wealth" and Charles Lloyd "Live at the Lobrero" included. Surprisingly, this would make Blue Note my choice for top label as I have pretty much passed by many of its releases in recent years. Three reissues/previously unissued gems to mention as well: Sonny Rollins "Live in Holland", Charles Tolliver "All Stars", and Bill Evans "Live at Ronnie Scott's" Although the pandemic relegated much of my listening to livetsteam broadcasts, I was fortunate to catch several great concerts in person at the beginning of the year: 1. Charles Tolliver Quintet. An Die Musik. Baltimore MD. Feb 29, 2020. Wonderful to hear the maestro along with Buster Williams and Lenny White play some of my favorite Strata East songs. 2. Ethnic Heritage Ensemble "Raise Your Spirits" Tour. First Unitarian Church, Pittsburgh PA. Feb 24 2020. Is there a more charismatic performer than Kahil El Zabar? 3. Joshua Redman "Still Dreaming" Quartet. August Wilson AACC. Pittsburgh, PA. Feb 15, 2020. Tight quartet paying tribute to the Old and New Dreams repertoire. So many great livestreams to consider, but some of my favorites were: 1. In Order to Survive, Vision Festival-Healing Soul- William Parker always amazes. James Brandon Lewis and Rob Brown were a formidable duo of saxophones. 2. Thumbscrew, Roulette-Playing music from the new CD as well as previewing the forthcoming 2021 album. One of the best trios around. 3. Miles Okazaki and Trickster-The Jazz Gallery. Tight group at its peak. Both sets were amazing. His "Trickster Live" recording via Bandcamp was also a highlight. 4. Tom Harrell Trio, Village Vanguard-although some streaming problems during the broadcast, his lyrical compositions and thoughtful playing were amazing. 5. Mike Reed's Loose Assembly, Constellation-Group contained all of Chicago's finest playing some challenging, but rewarding, music. Would love this to be a recording. Happy Holidays! LWayne