Bird is the Worm Best of 2012: Albums 11-15

Today’s post reveals the 11th through the 15th Bird is the Worm albums of the year.

 

BitW photo (full)For each album considered for inclusion, I was looking for it to hit me right in my heart, provoke a strong emotional reaction.  I was also looking for it to engage my brain, provide some intrigue or fascination with the music being presented.  Extra points were awarded for doing Something Different or building on a premise that embraced the best qualities of creativity.  Strong musicianship alone is not enough. Many solid albums didn’t make the list.  It literally pains me when I see some of the albums that weren’t included.  But I listen to a lot of music, and one of the rare downsides to encountering so much great Jazz is that some of it won’t receive the recognition it deserves.  So there you have it.

There is a link to a more formal review following each entry.  The text that accompanies each album isn’t a review so much as reminiscences of aspects of the recording I liked when I first heard it and how I still feel about it now.  I wasn’t looking to sum any of them up… that’s what reviews are for. Most reviews are accompanied with embedded audio so you can hear some of the music, as well as personnel and label information, links to artist, label, and retail sites, and anything else that seemed relevant/helpful to me at the time.

Let’s begin…

*****

 

11.  Pete Robbins – Live in Basel

peterobbins_liveinbaselFrom a live performance while on tour, Robbins brings a studio warmth to the vivid persona of a live recording.  Robbins knows how to giftwrap a complex melody into a simple present, and it’s the highlight of this album.  Interplay between quartet members an added bonus, but it’s the tunefulness of the album tracks that makes this recording so damn addictive.  I already had a pretty strong like of past Robbins’ recordings, but he really upped the bar to my mind with this release. Robbins is making his mark.

The album is Self-Produced, released on Robbin’s Hate Laugh Music label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

 

12.  Todd Bishop Group – Little Played Little Bird

toddbishop_littleplayedlittlebirdSo, take obscure compositions from the songbook of a challenging artist and perform renditions… the math for that equation should result in something resembling a didactic lecture of music theory and not the refreshingly listenable Little Played Little Bird. Todd Bishop tackles the music of Ornette Coleman, and without watering down the source material, has created a recording that was both tuneful and a fun listen.  It’s an impressive accomplishment, and a solid album when judged on its own merits.  I find this album as infectious at the end of the year as I did when it originally came out.

Released on the Origin Arts label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

 

13.  Martin Hoper – The Bride

martinhoper_thebrideHoper knows how to present brooding music without letting things spiral down into bleak sadness.  From the Stockholm, Sweden scene, this is full-on Scandinavian Jazz sound. Brooding, contemplative, and melancholy… though it largely avoids much of the trite atmospherics that typifies some of the music coming out of the area. End result is a thoughtful album with some soul.  Some heartbreakingly beautiful tunes that never lose their emotional impact, no matter how frequently I listen to this recording.  And I’ve listened to it a lot in 2012. Just beautiful.

Released on the Hoob Records label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

 

14.  Andy Clausen – Wishbone Suite

Trombonist Clausen’s daring Wishbone Suite sounds much bigger than it really is.  Just a quintet that gives the impression of a larger ensemble, and whimsical quirky compositions that suggest the breadth of an epic journey, Clausen has made serious music a fun listen.  His differing ratios of jazz and classical have perpetually kept my ear guessing, and the proliferation of short tracks and interludes allows him spread out variations of similar themes, creating a sense of cohesion amidst the sprawling album of tunes.  Mechanically eccentric, yet simple as clockwork.

Released on the Table & Chairs Music label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

 

15.  Jesse van Ruller Chambertones Trio – The Ninth Planet

Ruller’s trio of guitar, bass clarinet, and bass brings the moodiness of the Netherlands scene full-on, and applies it to a chamber jazz format.  Sparse and haunting, yet so full of warmth.  Quiet music for quiet moments, but performed in a way to keep the brain’s synapses fully occupied.  This album has been in regular rotation on my stereo since I first discovered it, and it’s showing no signs of going away.  I’m a fan of sleepy music, but it’s the albums that also let some life shine through that gain my esteem.  One of those albums that does more with less.

Released on the C-String Records label.

A Bird is the Worm review here.

*****

 

Tomorrow I’ll reveal the Bird is the Worm number 6-10 2012 albums of the year.

Cheers.