THE BEST JAZZ OF THE 1990s, Part Four

WELCOME TO NINETIES WEEK
(Part four of five)

‘I love the ’90s!’ – Colette

Over the past month, we polled music critics, musicians, and bloggers for their favorite jazz records from the 1990s. We got a terrific response. See below for day one, day two, and day three. Today, we conclude with the last of these lists, and highlight tracks from Ornette Coleman’s Tone Dialing. Come back on Tuesday (not tomorrow, as previously announced) for our concluding thoughts and summary tallies.

Of course, these entries aren’t the last word on the decade. Think these lists are overlooking some hip shit? Think they’re too American-centric? East-Coast-ish? Let us know! Put your your lists and thoughts in the comments. Donâ??t be shy.

Have a great weekend. See you at the wrap-up next week (suggestions for this are welcome as well).

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VIJAY IYER
vijay-iyer.com / myspace

Hard to narrow it down, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some crucial ones, but these were some important albums of the 1990s for me:

1 Graham Haynes, The Griot’s Footsteps (Antilles, 1995)
2 Cecil Taylor, In Florescence (A&M, 1990)
3 Abbey Lincoln, The World is Falling Down (Verve, 1990)
4 Dave Holland Quartet, Extensions (ECM, 1990)
5 George Lewis, Voyager (Avant, 1993)
6 Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Curves of Life (RCA, 1995)
7 Geri Allen, Maroons (Blue Note, 1992)
8 Jon Jang, Two Flowers on a Stem (Soul Note, 1995)
9 Ornette Coleman, Sound Museum: Hidden Man (Verve/Harmolodic, 1996)
10 Randy Weston, The Spirits of Our Ancestors (Antilles, 1992)
11 Dewey Redman Quartet, Living on the Edge (Black Saint, 1990)
12 Sun Ra, Purple Night (A&M, 1990)

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TOM HULL
tomhull.com / more on the 1990s

1 Pharoah Sanders, Welcome to Love (Timeless, 1990)
2 James Carter, The Real Quietstorm (Atlantic, 1995)
3 David Murray, Long Goodbye: A Tribute to Don Pullen (DIW, 1996)
4 Nils Petter Molvaer, Solid Ether (ECM, 1999)
5 David Sanchez, Obsesion (Columbia, 1998)
6 Billy Jenkins, True Love Collection (Babel, 1998)
7 Massimo Urbani, The Blessing (Red, 1993)
8 George Coleman, My Horns of Plenty (Birdology, 1991)
9 Vandermark Five, Target or Flag (Atavistic, 1997)
10 Harry Allen, Blue Skies (John Marks, 1994)

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DOUG WATSON
kozmigroov majordomo emeritus

Here’s the list of my own faves from the past decade. Go ahead, see if y’all can’t connect Bill Laswell to each album in three musicians or less.

1 Kip Hanrahan, Tenderness (American Clave, 1990)
2 Sonny Sharrock, Ask the Ages (Axiom, 1991)
3 Adam Rudolph, Moving Pictures (Flying Fish, 1992)
4 Jimi Sumen, Paintbrush, Rock Penstemon (CMP, 1993)
5 Henry Threadgill, Too Much Sugar for a Dime (Axiom, 1993)
6 Graham Haynes, Transition (Antilles, 1994)
7 Bobby Previte’s Empty Suits, Slay the Suitors (Avant, 1994)
8 Ornette Coleman, Tone Dialing (Verve/Harmolodic, 1995)
9 Nils Petter Molvaer, Khmer (ECM, 1997)
10 Phantom City, Shiva Recoil (Virgin, 1997)
11 Ponga, Ponga (Loosegroove, 1999)

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PHIL FREEMAN
Running the Voodoo Down

Here’s thirteen, in no order:

1 Other Dimensions In Music, Now! (Aum Fidelity, 1997)
2 Joe Morris Quartet, A Cloud of Black Birds (Aum Fidelity, 1999)
3 David S. Ware Quartet, Third Ear Recitation (DIW, 1993)
4 Matthew Shipp Trio, Prism (Brinkman, 1993)
5 Borbetomagus, Buncha Hair That Long (Agaric, 1992)
6 Painkiller, Rituals: Live in Japan (Toys Factory, 1993)
7 Last Exit, Headfirst into the Flames: Live in Europe (Muworks, 1990)
8 Cecil Taylor, Olu Iwa (Soul Note, 1990)
9 Jason Moran, Soundtrack to Human Motion (Blue Note, 1999)
10 Anderson/Drake/Jordan/Parker, 2 Days in April (Eremite, 1999)
11 Greg Osby, Banned in New York (Blue Note, 1998)
12 Derek Bailey/Susie Ibarra, Daedal (Incus, 1999)
13 The Flying Luttenbachers, Destroy All Music (Skin Graft, 1998)

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BRIAN OLEWNICK
Just Outside

It was around 1990 when I began to lose my affinity for current jazz. There was increasingly little being produced that still excited me and what there was, tended to be created by “past masters,” not vital 20-somethings. Hence my beginning to turn elsewhere (ultimately AMM and post-AMM improv) for my enjoyment. You get, of course, into definitional issues, but for me the following all fall under the “jazz” umbra, pretty much, and are my favorites of things I’ve heard that were recorded in the 90s. Alpha order:

1 Derek Bailey, Guitar Solos, Volume 2 (Incus, 1991)
2 Anthony Braxton, Willisau (Quartet) 1991 (hatART, 1992)
3 Anthony Braxton, Compositions 10Â & 16 (+101) (hatOLOGY, 1998)
4 Bill Dixon, Vade Mecum II (Soul Note, 1996)
5 Barry Guy, Double Trouble Two (Intakt, 1995)
6 Barry Guy, Theoria (Intakt, 1991)
7 Joseph Holbrooke, Joseph Holbrooke ’98 (Incus, 1998)
8 Evan Parker/Eddie Prevost, Most Materiall (Matchless, 1997)
9 Paul Rogers, Time of Brightness (Rare Music, 1999)
10 Cecil Taylor, Nailed! (FMP, 2000)

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DAN MELNICK
Soundslope / more on this list / still more

1 8 Bold Souls, Sideshow (Arabesque, 1992)
2 William Parker/In Order To Survive, The Peach Orchard (Aum Fidelity, 1998)
3 Greg Osby, Banned in New York (Blue Note, 1998)
4 Myra Melford Extended Ensemble, Even the Sounds Shine (hatHUT, 1995)
5 Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir, Angles of Entrance (Aarawak, 1990/1998)
6 Anderson/Crispell/Drake, Destiny (OkkaDisk, 1994)
7 Jon Jang, Two Flowers on a Stem (Soul Note, 1995)
8 Horace Tapscott, Thoughts of Dar Es Salaam (Arabesque, 1997)
9 Charles Gayle, Touchin’ on Trane (FMP, 1993)
10 Anderson/Kowald/Drake, Live at the Velvet Lounge (OkkaDisk, 1999)

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ETNOBOFIN
Etnobofin

1 Uri Caine, Urlicht/Primal Light (Winter & Winter, 1997)
2 Kenny Wheeler, Music for Large and Small Ensembles (ECM, 1990)
3 Steve Turre, Rhythm Within (Antilles, 1994)
4 Ornette Coleman, Tone Dialling (Verve/Harmolodic, 1995)
5 Betty Carter, Feed the Fire (Verve, 1993)
6 Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, The Fire This Time (In & Out, 1992)
7 Tomasz Stanko Quartet, Matka Joanna (ECM, 1995)
8 Paul Brody Octet, Turtle Paradise (99 Records, 1995)
9 Dave Douglas, The Tiny Bell Trio (Songlines, 1997)
10 John Surman, Proverbs and Songs (ECM, 1997)

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NINETIES PICK HITÂ

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STREET BLUES
BACH PRELUDE
Ornette Coleman
Tone Dialing
Verve/Harmolodic : 1995

OC, saxophone, trumpet, violin;Â Dave Bryant, keyboards;Â Chris Rosenberg, guitar;Â Ken Wessel, guitar;Â Bradley Jones, bass; Al MacDowell, bass;Â Chris Walker, bass, keyboards;Â Denardo Coleman, drums;Â Badal Roy, tabla, percussion.Â

“Harmolodics is where all ideas â?? all relationships and harmony â?? are equal in unison. Say you were talking somewhere, and someone came in and started a different conversation with you, and you started your conversation with whatever they were talking about â?? that doesn’t mean that whatever you were talking about before has left your mind. It only means that you’ve decided to answer this person. So therefore, to be more precise, how can you tell the meaning of something just because of the sound of your voice?”â??Ornette Coleman