THE BEST JAZZ OF THE 1990s, Part Three

WELCOME TO NINETIES WEEK
(Part three of five)

‘The present is in constant struggle with the past.’ -Jean Genet

Over the past month, we polled music critics, musicians, and jazz bloggers for their favorite records from the 1990s. We got a terrific response, one that does justice to the remarkably diverse output of the decade. See below for day one and day two. Each day this week, we’ll continue to share more lists. Today, we’re highlighting tracks from Henry Threadgill’s Too Much Sugar for a Dime. Next week, we’ll add some concluding thoughts and summary tallies.

These entries aren’t the last word on the decade. Think the lists are missing some truly hip shit? Are they way too American-centric? Let us know! Put your own lists and thoughts in the comments. Don’t be shy.

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NATE CHINEN
New York Times

Some of these hit me hard at the time, and have an almost sentimental value; others have come to loom larger in retrospect. It’s far from a perfect list — no Latin jazz, for one thing, and no vocals — but I can say that every album on it is a personal essential.

1 Gregg Bendian, Interzone (Eremite, 1996)
2 Tim Berne’s Caos Totale, Nice View (JMT, 1994)
3 Brian Blade, Brian Blade Fellowship (Blue Note, 1998)
4 Paul Bley, Not Two, Not One (ECM, 1999)
5 Anthony Braxton, Quintet (Basel) 1977 (Hat Hut, 2000)
6 Michael Brecker, Tales from the Hudson (Impulse, 1996)
7 Steve Coleman & Five Elements, The Sonic Language of Myth: Believing, Learning, Knowing (RCA Victor, 1999)
8 Dave Douglas, Charms of the Night Sky (Winter & Winter, 1998)
9 Bill Frisell, This Land (Nonesuch, 1992)
10 Kenny Garrett, Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane (Warner, 1996)
11 Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, Steal Away (Verve, 1994)
12 Andrew Hill, Dusk (Palmetto, 2000)
13 Jarrett/Peacock/Motian, At the Deer Head Inn (ECM, 1994)
14 Joe Lovano, Quartets: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1996)
15 Branford Marsalis, Crazy People Music (Columbia, 1990)
16 Brad Mehldau, Songs: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 3 (Warner, 1998)
17 Roscoe Mitchell & the Note Factory, Nine to Get Ready (ECM, 1997)
18 John Scofield Quartet, Meant to Be (Blue Note, 1990)
19 Henry Threadgill, Carry the Day (Columbia, 1994)
20 David S. Ware, Go See the World (Columbia, 1998)

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TAYLOR HO BYNUM
SpiderMonkey Stories

In reverse alphabetical order, cause I started at the bottom of my CD shelf and worked up. I probably missed a few things, but these stand out and are probably what I’ve listened to the most:

1 Cassandra Wilson, Blue Light Till Dawn (Blue Note, 1993)
2 Kenny Wheeler, Angel Song (ECM, 1997)
3 Randy Weston, Spirit of Our Ancestors (Antilles, 1992)
4 James ‘Jabbo’ Ware and the Me We and Them Orchestra, Heritage Is (Soul Note, 1994)
5 Henry Threadgill, Too Much Sugar for a Dime (Axiom, 1993)
6 Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages (Axiom, 1991)
7 Sun Ra, Purple Night (A&M, 1990)
8 Naftules Dream, Smash Clap (Tzadik, 1998)
9 Charlie Haden, The Montreal Tapes (Verve, 1994)
10 The Fully Celebrated Orchestra, Live at the Latch String Inn (Cud, 1996)
11 Deep Rumba, This Night Becomes a Rumba (American Clave, 1998)
12 Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Open Up (Whatcha Gonna Do With the Rest of Your Life) (Columbia, 1991)
13 Bill Dixon, Vade Mecum II (Soul Note, 1996)
14 Anthony Braxton, Willisau (Quartet) 1991 (HatART, 1992)

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JASON GROSS
Perfect Sound Forever / Ye Wei Blog aka Wild Taste

1 Various Artists, Jazz Satellites – Volume 1: Electrification (Virgin, 1996)
2 Sonny Rollins, Silver City (Milestone, 1996)
3 Ornette Coleman, Tone Dialing (Verve/Harmolodic, 1995)
4 Ground Zero, Plays Standards (Nani, 1997)
5 Massacre, Funny Valentine (Tzadik, 1998)
6 Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages (Axiom, 1991)
7 Sun Ra, The Singles (Evidence, 1996)
8 Henry Threadgill, Too Much Sugar for A Dime (Axiom, 1993)
9 David S. Ware, Go See the World (Columbia, 1998)
10 Naked City, Black Box (Tzadik, 1997)

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PAT DONAHER
visionsong / more on this list

1 Bill Frisell, This Land (Nonesuch, 1992)
2 Maria Schneider, Evanessence (Enja, 1994)
3 Dave Douglas, In Our Lifetime (New World, 1995)
4 Wayne Shorter, High Life (Verve, 1995)
5 Henry Threadill, Too Much Sugar for a Dime (Axiom, 1993)
6 Motian/Frisell/Lovano, At the Village Vanguard (JMT, 1995)
7 Hal Wilner, Weird Nightmare (Meditations on Mingus) (Sony, 1992)
8 Ornette Coleman, Sound Museum: Hidden Man/Three Women (Verve/Harmolodic, 1997).
They are two records from the same session, so I’m lumping them together.
9 Myra Melford, Above Blue (Arabesque, 1999)
10 Steve Coleman, The Sonic Language of Myth: Believing, Learning, Knowing (RCA Victor, 1999)

Just missed:
Shirley Horn, You Won’t Forget Me, (Verve, 1991)
Bobby Previte, Weather Clear, Track Fast (Enja, 1991)
Stan Getz/Keny Barron, People Time (Verve, 1992)
Joe Henderson, So Near, So Far (Verve, 1993)
I have a feeling three of those will show up on some other lists…

Added bonus — the best records of the ’90s even most jazz fans never heard:
Nguyen Le, 3 Trios (Act, 1997)
James Carney, Offset Rhapsody (Jacaranda, 1997)
Michael Cain/Ralph Alessi/Peter Epstein, Circa (ECM, 1997)
Art Lande/Mark Miller, World Without Cars (Synergy, 1999)
Either/Orchestra, The Half Life of Desire (Accurate, 1990)
Have to represent Boston somewhere.

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KELLEN YAMANAKA
Song with Orange

1 Brian Blade, Fellowship (Blue Note, 1998)
A lush tapestry of saxes, guitars and piano, this album is absolutely gorgeous, sonically and harmonically. Plus, Blade has always been a favorite of mine.
2 David Binney, Free to Dream (Mythology, 1998)
Great showcase for Binney’s alternately searing and sensitive playing (more of the latter here), not to mention his trademark hypnotic, melodic compositions.
3 Marc Johnson, Right Brain Patrol (JMT, 1993)
A wonderfully moody, broody, bluesy post-Bass Desires feature for Johnson but also notable as one of Ben Monder’s earliest appearances on record.
4 Dave Douglas, Tiny Bell Trio (Songlines, 1994)
Jazz: the Balkan Connection. And you don’t even miss the bass. Adventurous, avant-leaning playing has always been linked to the blues, but it’s great to hear other folk traditions in the mix, too.
5 John Scofield, Quiet (Verve, 1996)
Sco’s voice is so easily identifiable on electric, it’s refreshing to hear him in an acoustic setting. (He didn’t even own an acoustic guitar before the early ’90s.) Of course, his irrepressible personality still shines through.
6 Charles Mingus, Epitaph (Columbia, 1990)
When the score to Epitaph was discovered in 1985, it was apparently riddled with chord misspellings, gaps and illegible notations. With Gunther Schuller’s corrections — and in some cases, well-educated guesses as to what Mingus would have written — it’s a stellar contemporary realization of Mingus’s opus.
7 Michael Brecker, Time Is of the Essence (Verve, 1999)
Maybe not the most critically acclaimed Brecker date from this period, but hearing him surrounded by the warmth of Pat Metheny’s guitar and Larry Goldings’s organ is plenty rewarding. Plus the rotating drum chair (Bill Stewart, Elvin Jones and Jeff “Tain” Watts) keeps it fresh.
8 Maria Schneider, Evanesence (Enja, 1994)
Schneider’s maiden voyage as a leader — powerful arrangements, dramatic melodies and focused performances from her band.
9 Pat Martino, Nightwings (Muse, 1996)
Not exactly a groundbreaking album, but one of my favorites of his since his return to the scene in the late ’80s after recovering from his post-aneurysm amnesia. Lots of mind-bending chops, as always.
10 Mark Turner, In This World (Warner, 1998)
Fabulous playing from Turner, ranging from wailing to whispery with great songs to match — some dark but tuneful originals plus a few standards. Brad Mehldau’s presence on piano and Rhodes is as essential to the album’s vibe as Turner himself.

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NINETIES PICK HIT

TRY SOME AMMONIA
Henry Threadgill
Too Much Sugar for a Dime
Axiom : 1993

HT, alto sax; Mark Taylor, French horn; Brandon Ross, electric guitar; Masujaa, electric guitar; Edwin Rodriguez, tuba; Marcus Rojas, tuba; Dorian Parreot II, tuba; Gene Lake, drums.

“It is rooted in tradition, but I am not doing traditional jazz. I consider what I am doing world music. It is music for the world.” –Henry Threadgill