Photo collection captures transitional years for musicians such as Mike Murley, Lorne Lofsky, Neil Swainson, Rich Brown, Emilie-Claire Barlow and Dave Restivo.
New Music Monday for December 28, 2020
Drummer/composer
Jeff Cosgrove uses his sixth album as a leader to celebrate the music of former collaborator, bassist/composer William Parker. Cosgrove released two critically-acclaimed recordings featuring Parker and long-standing collaborator Matthew Shipp. On “History Gets Ahead of the Story,” Cosgrove offers a unique take on Parker’s long-standing quartet repertoire by rearranging it for the classic organ trio. Saxophonist Jeff Lederer (Matt Wilson Quartet and Bobby Sanabria’s Multiverse Orchestra) and organist John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood and Hudson) push the boundaries to put their signatures on some of Parker’s most recognizable compositions. This is the first album to feature Parker’s music without him providing the undercurrent with his singular bass sound.
Year in review: 25 of the best jazz albums of 2020
By JAZZ.FM91
The jazz clubs all closed, and so did everything else. But thankfully, the music never stopped.
This was a challenging year for most people. Yet jazz artists from around the world went on to release an impressive amount of great music for some, the best of their careers. That music brought us a sense of excitement and hope at a time when we needed it most.
One day, these musicians will be seeing us in the audience once again, finally able to soak in the sounds of live music. Until then, we have these standout records (along with so many others) to bring the joys of life to our best and worst days.