Ursula Rucker @ Trane Studio (Jan. 31)
Spoken word never sounded better.

Chick Corea @ Massey Hall (Mar. 5)
This lovely solo session highlighted Corea at his best.
> LMR report

Burnt Sugar: The Arkestra Chamber @ Pepper Jack Café, Hamilton (Sep. 5)
A prime performance from one of New York’s most creative outfits.

Levon Ickhanian @ The Rex (May 17)
An eclectic performance by a guitarist we hear far too seldom.

Cindy Blackman Quartet @ Art of Jazz (Jun. 8)
Dynamic!!
> LMR report

Sheila Jordan @ Art of Jazz (Jun. 7)
Jordan shone in this intimate duet performance with Steve Kuhn.

Alto Summit @ Toronto Jazz Festival (Jun. 22)
Holloway, Harrison, Osby, Watson – ‘nuff said.

Ted’s Warren Commission and Alexis Baro Sextet @ Markham Jazz Festival (Aug. 16-17)
Both performances were so powerful that it’s a toss-up.

John Zorn @ Guelph Jazz Festival (Sep. 7)
The Dreamers and Electric Masada on the same bill – wow!

Kurt Elling @ Diesel Playhouse (Dec. 4)
The premiere male vocalist of this generation proved he deserves the accolades.

Now to the Future FourPlay String Quartet
With impressive interpretations of Radiohead, The Strokes, Miles and Mingus accompanying their own fine compositions, this traditional string quartet breaks new ground.

Meeting of the Waters Mike Nock Project
Very big Down Under, obscure in this hemisphere. Pity.

Locutions Rinsethealgorithm
A breakthrough performance from one of our most creative groups.

Lucky Molly Johnson
Molly breathes new life into a fine of collection standards.

Time Away Bob Brough Quartet
"Traneian Blue", the opening cut, is reason enough to own this album.

Into the Blue Nicholas Payton
The next step in the evolution of a very talented young trumpeter.

Worrisome Heart Melody Gardot
That this young singer could triumph over serious neurological trauma to produce this lovely, moving CD is a tribute to the human spirit.

GRACEfulLEE Grace Kelly & Lee Konitz
The master is 80, the protégé 15 and it sounds as if they’ve played together forever.

Present Tense James Carter
With this performance, Carter establishes himself solidly among the best of the
hot young tenor players.

Jingle All the Way Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Finally, a seasonal album that’s so much fun I could listen to it year round.