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JazzTimes Critics Picks
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David Adler
Scott Albin
Larry Appelbaum
Forrest Dylan Bryant
Brent Burton
Nate Chinen
Thomas Conrad
Owen Cordle
Colin Fleming
David Franklin
Steve Futterman
Andrew Gilbert
Steve Greenlee
Evan Haga
Don Heckman
Chris Heim
Geoffrey Himes
Willard Jenkins
Mike Joyce
George Kanzler
Christopher Loudon
Bill Meredith
Lee Mergner
Bill Milkowski
John Murph
Doug Ramsey
Mike Shanley
Harvey Siders
Will Smith
Brian Soergel
Jeff Tamarkin
George Varga
Mike West
Josef Woodard
Ron Wynn
Scott Yanow

Top 50 CDs

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JazzTimes Critics' Picks 2007  
arranged alphabetically by critic  | view top 50 picks

David Adler

Top Reissue(s)
1. Longing (Owl/Sunnyside) by Bob Mintzer & Gil Goldstein
2. The Jewel in the Lotus (ECM) by Bennie Maupin
3. In Paris: The Complete America Session (Sunnyside) by Charles Mingus
4. Folk Songs for Far Out Folk (Reboot Stereophonic) by Fred Katz
5. Introducing Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet (Blue Note) by Kenny Cox

Top CDs
1. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
2. Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Blue Note) by Joe Lovano & Hank Jones read review
3. Roses (Sunnyside) by Bill McHenry
4. Sky Blue (ArtistShare) by Maria Schneider Orchestra read review
5. Live at the Jazz Gallery (Anzic) by Jason Lindner Big Band read review
6. Back East (Nonesuch) by Joshua Redman read review
7. Live in Japan (CamJazz) by Enrico Pieranunzi/Marc Johnson/Joey Baron read review
8. Sacred Ground (Justin Time) by David Murray/Black Saint Quartet Featuring Cassandra Wilson read review
9. Between the Lines (World Culture Music) by Mike Moreno read review
10. Galore (Skirl) by Human Feel read review

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Scott Albin

Top Reissue(s)
1. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
2. Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Miles Davis read review
3. A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story (Dreyfus) by Roy Haynes read review
4. The Freedom Book (Prestige) by Booker Ervin
5. Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions (Mosaic) by Chu Berry

Top CDs
1. Live in Concert: Moment to Moment (Double Image) by Double Image read review
2. Sky Blue (ArtistShare) by Maria Schneider Orchestra read review
3. Latest Outlook (Zoho) by The Stryker/Slagle Band read review
4. Live 2007: 4th Annual Concert Tour (SFJazz) by SFJazz Collective read review
5. Nightmoves (Concord) by Kurt Elling read review
6. Dialogues (Arbors) by Kenny Davern & Ken Peplowski read review
7. On The Other Side (Telarc) by Tierney Sutton Band read review
8. You and the Night and the Music (Open Art) by Jackie Ryan read review
9. If You Love Me (CamJazz) by Richard Galliano Quartet featuring Gary Burton read review
10. Homecoming: Live at the Iridium (IPO) by Eddie Daniels read review

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Larry Appelbaum

Top Reissue(s)
1. A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story (Dreyfus) by Roy Haynes read review
2. The Complete On the Corner Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) by Miles Davis read review
3. Off The Record: The Complete 1923 Jazz Band Recordings (Off the Record) by King Oliver read review
4. Nefertiti (Test of Time) by Andrew Hill read review
5. The Life of a Trio (Owl/Sunnyside) by Paul Bley/Jimmy Giuffre/Steve Swallow

Top CDs
1. Poetica (Anzic) by Anat Cohen read review
2. Time and Time Again (ECM) by Paul Motian/Bill Frisell/Joe Lovano read review
3. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
4. Quartet (McCoy Tyner Music) by McCoy Tyner read review
5. Sungbird (after Albéniz) (Sunnyside) by Helen Sung read review
6. Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Blue Note) by Joe Lovano & Hank Jones read review
7. Re: Pasolini (ECM) by Stefano Battaglia read review
8. River: The Joni Letters (Verve) by Herbie Hancock read review
9. Experiment In Truth (Rene Marie) by René Marie read review
10. Angola Project (Howard Wiley) by Howard Wiley read review

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Forrest Dylan Bryant

Top Reissue(s)
1. Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Miles Davis read review
2. Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Louis Armstrong read review
3. Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions (Mosaic) by Chu Berry
4. Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles (Columbia/Legacy) by Billie Holiday read review
5. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review

Top CDs
1. Quartet (McCoy Tyner Music) by McCoy Tyner read review
2. Red Earth: A Malian Journey (EmArcy) by Dee Dee Bridgewater
3. Live 2007: 4th Annual Concert Tour (SFJazz) by SFJazz Collective read review
4. Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Blue Note) by Joe Lovano & Hank Jones read review
5. Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (Blue Note) by Various Artists read review
6. Democracy: Live at the Blue Note (Half Note) by Kenny Werner read review
7. The Third Quartet (ECM) by John Abercrombie Quartet read review
8. Summer Snow, Volume 2 (AUM Fidelity) by William Parker & Hamid Drake read review
9. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
10. This Rhythm on My Mind (Bluesback) by Wycliffe Gordon and Jay Leonhart read review

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Brent Burton

Top Reissue(s)
1. The Complete On the Corner Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) by Miles Davis read review
2. The Complete Machine Gun Sessions (Unheard Music Series/Atavistic) by Peter Brötzmann
3. The Jewel in the Lotus (ECM) by Bennie Maupin
4. Chet (Riverside) by Chet Baker
5. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review

Top CDs
1. Quartet (Nonesuch) by Pat Metheny/Brad Mehldau read review
2. The Words and the Days (ECM) by Enrico Rava Quintet read review
3. Floratone (Blue Note) by Matt Chamberlain/Bill Frisell/Tucker Martine/Lee Townsend read review
4. The Third Quartet (ECM) by John Abercrombie Quartet read review
5. Places You Go (Songlines) by Brad Shepik Trio read review
6. 8 (Rune Grammofon) by Supersilent
7. Spinning the Circle (Cryptogramophone) by David Witham read review
8. Time and Time Again (ECM) by Paul Motian/Bill Frisell/Joe Lovano read review
9. El Espiritu Jibaro (Sunnyside) by Roswell Rudd & Yomo Toro read review
10. Night and the Music (Palmetto) by Fred Hersch read review

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Nate Chinen

Top Reissue(s)
1. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
2. The Struggle Continues (ECM) by Dewey Redman read review
3. Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Miles Davis read review
4. Introducing Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet (Blue Note) by Kenny Cox
5. A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story (Dreyfus) by Roy Haynes read review

Top CDs
1. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
2. Time and Time Again (ECM) by Paul Motian/Bill Frisell/Joe Lovano read review
3. Between the Lines (World Culture Music) by Mike Moreno read review
4. Roses (Sunnyside) by Bill McHenry
5. Back East (Nonesuch) by Joshua Redman read review
6. We Are All From Somewhere Else (Thrill Jockey) by Exploding Star Orchestra read review
7. Quartet (Nonesuch) by Pat Metheny/Brad Melhdau read review
8. Sky Blue (ArtistShare) by Maria Schneider Orchestra read review
9. River: The Joni Letters (Verve) by Herbie Hancock read review
10. Architect of the Silent Moment (CamJazz) by Scott Colley read review

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Thomas Conrad

Top Reissue(s)
1. Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Miles Davis read review
2. The Premonition Years: 1994-2002 (Premonition) by Patricia Barber read review
3. Interplay (Prestige) by John Coltrane read review
4. Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Thelonious Monk read review
5. The Best Of Von Freeman On Premonition (Premonition) by Von Freeman read review

Top CDs
1. Sky Blue (ArtistShare) by Maria Schneider Orchestra read review
2. Re: Pasolini (ECM) by Stefano Battaglia read review
3. The Third Quartet (ECM) by John Abercrombie Quartet read review
4. My Foolish Heart (ECM) by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette read review
5. Quartet (McCoy Tyner Music) by McCoy Tyner read review
6. Back East (Nonesuch) by Joshua Redman read review
7. Live in Japan (CamJazz) by Enrico Pieranunzi/Marc Johnson/Joey Baron read review
8. Look Stop & Listen: The Music of Tadd Dameron (Sharp Nine) by Tardo Hammer read review
9. On The Other Side (Telarc) by Tierney Sutton Band read review
10. Migration (CamJazz) by Antonio Sanchez read review

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Owen Cordle

Top CDs
1. Hommage (Test of Time) by Andrew Hill read review
2. Disorder at the Border (Enja/Justin Time) by Bennie Wallace read review
3. Better Late Than Never (Smalls) by Gil Coggins read review
4. In Pursuit (Sunnyside) by Donny McCaslin read review
5. Go There (Doll) by Scott Sawyer
6. The Lost Bill Holman Charts (MAMA) by The Carl Saunders Exploration
7. A Portrait (HEP) by Joe Temperley read review
8. Dearest Duke (Arbors) by Carol Sloane read review
9. Don’t Misunderstand (HighNote) by Etta Jones & Houston Person read review
10. Beyond the Red Door (Jazzed Media) by Bud Shank & Bill Mays read review

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Colin Fleming

Top Reissue(s)
1. Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions (Mosaic) by Chu Berry
2. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
3. The Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions (Mosaic) by Duke Ellington read review
4. The Complete Machine Gun Sessions (Unheard Music Series/Atavistic) by Peter Brötzmann
5. Soul Samba (Blue Note) by Ike Quebec

Top CDs
1. Shock Value (MaxJazz) by Jeremy Pelt & Wired read review
2. Tongues (Domino) by Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid read review
3. Taking Chances: Live at the Dakota (MaxJazz) by Terell Stafford read review
4. With Love (Blue Note) by Charles Tolliver read review
5. Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note) by Bill Charlap Trio read review
6. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
7. Back East (Nonesuch) by Joshua Redman read review
8. Time and Time Again (ECM) by Paul Motian/Bill Frisell/Joe Lovano read review
9. My Foolish Heart (ECM) by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette read review
10. Portology (Omnitone) by Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor Big Band

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David Franklin

Top CDs
1. Hommage (Jazzed) by Bill Holman Band read review
2. Disorder at the Border (Enja/Justin Time) by Bennie Wallace read review
3. Bop Boy (Explore) by Bob Mintzer
4. Homecoming: Live at the Iridium (IPO) by Eddie Daniels read review
5. Fast Track (Jazzed) by Jack Cortner New York Big Band read review
6. Hits by Brits (Challenge) by Harry Allen read review
7. Blues Alley—Third Set (Reservoir) by Hod O’Brien read review
8. Beyond the Red Door (Jazzed Media) by Bud Shank & Bill Mays read review
9. 4 Brothers 7 (Jazzed) by Frank Tiberi read review
10. The Very Best of Diana Krall (Verve) by Diana Krall read review

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Steve Futterman

Top Reissue(s)
1. Live at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Dizzy Gillespie read review
2. Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival) by Thelonious Monk read review
3. Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles (Columbia/Legacy) by Billie Holiday read review
4. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
5. The Jewel in the Lotus (ECM) by Bennie Maupin

Top CDs
1. River: The Joni Letters (Verve) by Herbie Hancock read review
2. Night and the Music (Palmetto) by Fred Hersch read review
3. Dearest Duke (Arbors) by Carol Sloane read review
4. My Foolish Heart (ECM) by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette read review
5. The Spaces in Between (ECM) by John Surman read review
6. Time and Time Again (ECM) by Paul Motian/Bill Frisell/Joe Lovano read review
7. Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Blue Note) by Joe Lovano & Hank Jones read review
8. C’est Magnifique! (Arbors) by Ruby Braff And the Flying Pizzarellis read review
9. People Will Say We’re in Love (Arbors) by Nicki Parrott & Rossano Sportiello read review
10. Perfect Circularity (AJL) by Gary Foster/Putter Smith read review

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Andrew Gilbert

Top Reissue(s)
1. Horizon (Milestone) by McCoy Tyner
2. Power to the People (Milestone) by Joe Henderson
3. The Right Touch (Blue Note) by Duke Pearson
4. The Spoiler (Blue Note) by Stanley Turrentine read review
5. Undercurrent (Blue Note) by Kenny Drew

Top CDs
1. With Love (Blue Note) by Charles Tolliver read review
2. Plays Monk (Long Song Records) by Plays Monk
3. The Third Quartet (ECM) by John Abercrombie Quartet read review
4. Quartet (McCoy Tyner Music) by McCoy Tyner read review
5. The Timeless Now (CTA) by Dayna Stephens featuring John Scofield read review
6. Ain’t Necessarily So (12th Street) by Andy Bey read review
7. The Antisocial Club (Cryptogramophone) by Alan Pasqua read review
8. Pogo (Sunnyside) by Jerome Sabbagh read review
9. Poetica (Anzic) by Anat Cohen read review
10. Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Blue Note) by Joe Lovano & Hank Jones read review

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Steve Greenlee

Top Reissue(s)
1. The Complete On the Corner Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) by Miles Davis read review
2. Live at the Blue Note Cafe, Paris 1961 (ESP-Disk) by Bud Powell read review
3. In Paris: The Complete America Session (Sunnyside) by Charles Mingus
4. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
5. Sunny Murray (ESP-Disk) by Sunny Murray

Top CDs
1. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
2. Prezens (ECM) by David Torn read review
3. Uncommon Circumstances (MishaMusic) by Misha Piatigorsky
4. Hidden Intentions (Jazz Excursion) by Jim Saltzman
5. Corn Meal Dance (AUM Fidelity) by William Parker/Raining On The Moon read review
6. Asmodeus: Book of Angels, Volume 7 (Tzadik) by Marc Ribot
7. My Foolish Heart (ECM) by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette read review
8. Live at Tonic (Ropeadope) by Marco Benevento
9. Cique (Capri) by Cique
10. At Your Service (Ayler) by Exploding Customer

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Evan Haga

Top Reissue(s)
1. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
2. A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story (Dreyfus) by Roy Haynes read review
3. The Complete On the Corner Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) by Miles Davis read review
4. The Complete Machine Gun Sessions (Unheard Music Series/Atavistic) by Peter Brötzmann
5. Trio of Doom (Columbia/Legacy) by John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius & Tony Williams

Top CDs
1. Time and Time Again (ECM) by Paul Motian/Bill Frisell/Joe Lovano read review
2. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
3. Back East (Nonesuch) by Joshua Redman read review
4. With Love (Blue Note) by Charles Tolliver read review
5. We Are All From Somewhere Else (Thrill Jockey) by Exploding Star Orchestra read review
6. In My Element (Blue Note) by Robert Glasper read review
7. Tenorist (Savant) by Jerry Bergonzi read review
8. Happy Apple Back on Top (Sunnyside) by Happy Apple read review
9. Quartet (McCoy Tyner Music) by McCoy Tyner read review
10. Transcendence (KMB) by Ras Moshe Quartet

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Don Heckman

Top Reissue(s)
1. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
2. Interplay (Prestige) by John Coltrane read review
3. A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story (Dreyfus) by Roy Haynes read review
4. Trio of Doom (Columbia/Legacy) by John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius & Tony Williams
5. The Hilversum Session (ESP-Disk) by Albert Ayler read review

Top CDs
1. Pilgrimage (Heads Up) by Michael Brecker read review
2. Back East (Nonesuch) by Joshua Redman read review
3. Sky Blue (ArtistShare) by Maria Schneider Orchestra read review
4. The Enchantment (Concord) by Chick Corea & Béla Fleck read review
5. Brown Street (Heads Up) by Joe Zawinul read review
6. Dear Miles (Blue Note) by Ron Carter read review
7. Re: Pasolini (ECM) by Stefano Battaglia read review
8. You and the Night and the Music (Open Art) by Jackie Ryan read review
9. Monterey Moods (Mack Avenue) by Gerald Wilson Orchestra read review
10. In My Element (Blue Note) by Robert Glasper read review

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Chris Heim

Top CDs
1. Abbey Sings Abbey (Verve) by Abbey Lincoln read review
2. River: The Joni Letters (Verve) by Herbie Hancock read review
3. Red Earth: A Malian Journey (EmArcy) by Dee Dee Bridgewater
4. Poetica (Anzic) by Anat Cohen read review
5. Paz (Norte) by Nino Josele read review
6. Zamazu (Enja/Justin Time) by Roberto Fonseca read review
7. El Espiritu Jibaro (Sunnyside) by Roswell Rudd & Yomo Toro read review
8. This Meets That (EmArcy) by John Scofield read review
9. After the Big Rain (Anzic) by Avishai Cohen
10. Nomad (No Man's Land) by Gato Libre read review

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Geoffrey Himes

Top Reissue(s)
1. Cornell 1964 (Blue Note) by Charles Mingus Septet with Eric Dolphy read review
2. Early and Late (Cuneiform) by Steve Lacy-Roswell Rudd Quartet read review
3. Interplay (Prestige) by John Coltrane read review
4. Made in New Orleans: The Hurricane Sessions (Preservation Hall) by Preservation Hall Jazz Band read review
5. Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles (Columbia/Legacy) by Billie Holiday read review

Top CDs
1. The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu (ECM) by Carla Bley read review