The PLAY Lists >> Jazz 2003

PLAY List
Jazz 2003

2004 __ Volume 5

The PLAY Lists >> The Best Jazz CDs of 2003 — A Critical Consensus

Wayne Shorter followed up the massive critical success of Footprints Live! with the universally acclaimed Alegría, which topped the JazzTimes Critics' and Readers' polls and figured prominently in all the other lists consulted this year. Dave Holland's live Extended Play landed comfortably in second place here, thanks to finishing first (by a wide margin) in the 52nd Down Beat poll and second in the JazzTimes ranking. The Bad Plus (are they rock? are they jazz?) elbow their way into more respectable company—Jason Moran, Andrew Hill, and Greg Osby—finishing third.

Miles Davis dominated the reissue picture, proving that Tom Waits is right when he says music is the only business that you can make money in after you're dead. Incidentally, all five box sets in the "First Purchase" range were reissued by either Columbia/Legacy or Mosaic.

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	Jazz
First Purchase	Wayne Shorter. Alegría. (Verve) [Source=DB-C51, DB-R68, JT-2003, JT-2003-R, JZ, NYT-BR / Score=98] Dave Holland. Extended Play. (ECM) [Source=DB-C52, JT-2003, JT-2003-R, JW, JZ / Score=70] Jason Moran. The Bandwagon. (Blue Note) [Source=DB-C52, JT-2003, JZ / Score=55] The Bad Plus. These Are the Vistas. (Columbia) [Source=DB-C51, JT-2003, JW, JZ, NYT-BR / Score=47] Andrew Hill. Passing Ships. (Blue Note) [Source=DB-C52, DB-R68, JT-2003, JZ, TAS / Score=44] Greg Osby. St. Louis Shoes. (Blue Note) [Source=DB-C52, JT-2003, JW / Score=43] Branford Marsalis. Romare Bearden Revealed*. (Marsalis Music) [Source=DB-C52, DB-R68, JT-2003, JZ / Score=34]
Second Set	Joe Lovano. On This Day at the Vanguard. (Blue Note) [Source=DB-C52, DB-R68, JT-2003, JZ / Score=27] Keith Jarrett. Up for It. (ECM) [Source=DB-C52, JT-2003, JZ / Score=27] E.S.T. Seven Days of Falling. (Act) [Source=JT-2003, JW / Score=26] Miroslav Vitous. Universal Syncopations. (ECM) [Source=JW, JZ, NYT-BR / Score=26] Dave Douglas. Strange Liberation. (Bluebird) [Source=DB-C52 / Score=24] Matthew Shipp. Equilibrium. (Thirsty Ear) [Source=JT-2003, JZ / Score=23] Pat Martino. Think Tank. (Blue Note) [Source=DB-C52, JZ / Score=23] Bebo Valdes and Diego el Cigala. Lagrimas Negras. (BMG) [Source=JZ, NYT-BR* / Score=22] ScoLoHoFo. Oh! (Blue Note) [Source=DB-C51, DB-R68, JZ, / Score=22] Steve Coleman. On the Rising of the 64 Paths. (Label Bleu) [Source=DB-C52, JT-2003, JZ / Score=20] Denys Baptiste. Let Freedom Ring! (Dune) [Source=JW* / Score=20] Peter Brotzmann/William Parker/Hamid Drake. Never Too Late But Always Too Early. (Eremite) [Source=TW* / Score=20]
Next Pass	Carla Bley. Looking for America. (Watt/ECM) [Source=JT-2003 / Score=18] Michael Brecker. Wide Angles. (Verve) [Source=DB-C52(6=15), JZ / Score=17] Albert Ayler. The Copenhagen Tapes. (Ayler) [Source=TW / Score=16] Chick Corea. Rendezvous in New York. (Stretch) [Source=DB-C52 / Score=15] Brad Mehldau. Anything Goes. (Warner Bros.) [Source=DB-C52 / Score=15] Ted Nash. Still Evolved. (Palmetto) [Source=DB-C52 / Score=15] Joe Locke. Four Walls of Freedom. (Sirocco Music) [Source=DB-R68(9=10/2=5), JW / Score=15] Roswell Rudd/Toumani Diabate. Malicool. (Sunnyside) [Source=DB-C52, JZ / Score=14] Art Ensemble of Chicago. Tribute to Lester. (ECM) [Source=JT-2003, JZ / Score=14] Kurt Elling. Man in the Air. (Blue Note) [Source=JT-2003(27=3), JT-2003-R, JZ / Score=13] Pat Metheny. One Quiet Night. (Warner Bros.) [Source=JT-2003(36=1), JZ, TW / Score=13] Vijay Iyer. Blood Sutra. (Artists House) [Source=JT-2003(8=10), JZ / Score=12] Anthony Braxton & Wadada Leo Smith. Organic Resonance. (Pi). [Source=TW / Score=12] William Parker Violin Trio. Scrapbook. (Thirsty Ear) [Source=JZ, TW / Score=12]

The Best Jazz Reissues of 2003

	Jazz Reissues
First Purchase	Miles Davis. The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions. Remastered 5-CD box set. (Columbia/Legacy) [Source=DB-2004, JT-2003, JT-2003-R, JW, TW / Score=97] Miles Davis. In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete. Remastered 4-CD box set. (Columbia/Legacy) [Source=DB-2004, DB-R68, JT-2003, JT-2003-R, JW / Score=75] Count Basie. America's Number 1 Band: The Columbia Years. Remastered 4-CD box set. (Columbia/Legacy) [Source=DB-2004, JT-2003, JT-2003-R / Score=54] Gerry Mulligan. The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Sessions. Limited edition 4-CD box set. (Mosaic) [Source=DB-2004, JT-2003, JT-2003-R / Score=41] Randy Weston. Mosaic Select*. Limited edition 3-CD box set. (Mosaic) [Source=DB-2004, JT-2003, JT-2003-R / Score=36]
Second Set	Modern Jazz Quartet. The Complete Pablo & Prestige Recordings. 4-CD box set. (Prestige) [Source=DB-2003 / Score=18] Jaco Pastorius. Portrait of Jaco: The Early Years. (Holiday Park) [Source=JZ / Score=18] Jimmy Scott. Falling in Love is Wonderful. (Rhino) [Source=JW / Score=16] Sam Rivers. Fuchsia Swing Song. (Blue Note) [Source= JT-2003(6=10), JT-2003-R(6=5) / Score=15] Dave Brubeck. For All Time. 5-CD box set. (Columbia/Legacy) [Source=DB-2003 / Score=15] Roy Eldridge. The Complete Verve Roy Eldridge Studio Sessions. Limited edition 7-CD box set. (Mosaic) [Source=DB-2003 / Score=15] Roscoe Mitchell. Snurdy McGurdy & Her Dancin' Shoes. (Nessa) [Source=DB-2003 / Score=15] Dexter Gordon. The Complete Trio & Quartet Studio Recordings 1974-'76. Limited edition 8-CD box set. (Steeple Chase) [Source=DB-2003 / Score=15] John Coltrane. Legacy. 4-CD box set. (Impulse) [Source=JW / Score=13] Jaco Pastorius. Punk Jazz. 2-CD set. (Rhino) [Source=JW / Score=13]

Quantifying Critical Consensus: Methodology >>

Down Beat, whose poll extends beyond just the magazine's own critics, is weighted at 1.5. For simplicity's sake, the other specialized jazz titles—JazzTimes, Jazziz , and Jazzwire—are weighted at the standard 1.0, as was The Wire and the New York Times. Readers' poll results are routinely rated at 0.5. The asterisk indicates a CD that was ranked first by that a source.
Note: With Down Beat and Jazziz publishing their ratings at mid-year, some CDs may drift onto more than one PLAY List.

See Quantifying Critical Consensus for more detail.

Sources >>

[DB-52] — "Ouellette, Dan. "Dave Holland: Jazz Artist, Acoustic Group, Jazz Album and Acoustic Bassist of the Year." Down Beat Vol. 71, No. 8 (August 2004): pp. 34-36 and "52nd Annual Down Beat Critics Poll:Results" pp. 48.]

[DB-51] — "Kornasky, Jason. "Lighting The Future: Wayne Shorter." Down Beat Vol. 70, No. 8 (August 2003): pp. 36-40. [51st Annual Down Beat Critics Poll]

[DB-68-R] — "68th Readers Poll: Results." Down Beat Vol. 70, No. 12 (December 2003): pp. 64-65.

[JT-2003]— "Top 50 CDs of 2003." [ Online ] JazzTimes Vol. 34, No. 1 (January/February 2004): pp. 68-72. Available: http://www.jazztimes.com/reviews/critics_picks/picks_2003.cfm

[JT-2003-R] — "Readers Poll '03." JazzTimes Vol. 34, No. 1 (January/February 2004): pp. 74-75.

[JZ-2003] — "Critics Choice." Jazziz Vol. 21, No. 1 (January 2004): pp. 38-41.

[JW] — "Freedom Speaks! Albums of the Year 2003." Jazzwise Issue 71 (December 2003/January 2004): pp. 20-21.

[NYT-BR] — Ratliff, Ben. "The Albums And Songs Of the Year." New York Times (Dec. 28, 2003): Sect. 2, p. 35.

[TW] — "2003 Rewind." The Wire Issue 239 (January 2004): pp. 38-49.

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