WYNC’s Soundcheck took the mid-year temperature for great 2009 CDs yesterday aft. Nate Chinen, Will Layman, and Anastasia Tsiouiclas presented the titles they’re liking so far in pop, jazz, and classical respectively. Sadly, the jazz list was a bit thin. Here are some of the records that keep pulling my coat. Which of them will be the consensus CDs come January 1, 2010? What’s your half-way list look like?
Darren Johnston, The Edge of the Forest (Clean Feed)
Tony Malaby, Paloma Recio (New World)
John Hebert, Byzatine Monkey (Firehouse 12)
Fred Hersch, Plays Jobim (Sunnyside)
Fly, Sky and Country (ECM)
Branford Marsalis, Metamorphosen (Marsalis Music)
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam)
Peter Bernstein, Monk (Xanadu)
Tom Harrell, Prana Dance (Highnote)
Marcus Strickland, Idiosyncrasies (Strick Music)
Jeff Tain Watts, Watts (Dark Key)
Vijay Iyer, Historicity (ACT)
Mario Pavone’s Double Tenor Quintet, Ancestors (Playscape)
The Peggy Lee Band, New Code (Drip Audio)
JD Allen, Shine! (Sunnyside)
James Carney Group, Ways & Means (Songlines)
Steve Kuhn Trio, Mostly Coltrane (ECM)
Ron Horton featuring Antonio Zambrini, It’s A Gadget World (Abeat)
Joshua Redman, Compass (Nonesuch)
Charles Tolliver Big Band, Emperor March (Half Note)
Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq, Where Is Pannonica? (Songlines)
Chris Potter, Ultrahang (Artist Share)
Edward Simon, Poesia (Camjazz)
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside)
Joe Lovano Us Five, Folk Art (Blue Note)
Lament For A Straight Line 
Nice list …… concur with much of it, while it also provides welcome direction for catching up. I’d also add
Steve Lehmann Travail, Transformation and Flow
Masada Quintet Stolas – Book Of Angels 12
David Binney Third Occassion
Branford Marsalis Metamorphosen
Allen Toussaint The Bright Mississippi
Bill Frisell Disfarmer
Oran Etkin Kelenia
I’d also add
Allen Toussaint The Bright Mississippi
Bruno Leicht KellerKind
Anything by Tzadik
The Chris Potter album is actually called “Ultrahang”, not “Underground”.
Definately my pick for album of the year!
thanks for the update, matt. my gaffe. – macnie
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