Re: OT: Musical discoveries of 2010

[Daryl Shawn <darylshawn@gmail.com>]

This is a belated response to this thread, but just wanted to share as 
I've discovered so much good music this year. These aren't necessarily 
2010 releases, or new artists, but they were new to me.

John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble "Eternal Interlude" - drummer-led big 
band, doing some really groovy, really complicated, soulful things.
Todd Sickafoose "Tiny Resistors" - fantastic band, fantastic songs, 
fantastic bassist.
So Percussion - four-person percussion ensemble. Anything they do is 
amazing, but "Amid the Noise" is a favorite.
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band - "Season of Changes" - beautiful, 
moving stuff, only tangentially related to jazz.
Mastodon "Crack the Skye" - the best metal album I've heard in 10 years, 
if not 20. Amazing production, great drummer, tight concept, and an 
excellent example of that whole 
Norse-gods-thundering-through-the-steppes feeling that metal is supposed 
to have.
Bert Jansch - member of 60's Brit-folk band Pentangle. Great guitar 
stylist - I dig him more than Fahey (horror!).
Vijay Iyer "Solo", and "Historicity" - I've simply never heard somebody 
play piano like this.
Tommy Emmanuel - unbelievable acoustic guitar player. He does things 
that seem impossible, with humor, style and intelligence. Check some 
Youtube videos, or his "Endless Road". AVOID like the plague any of his 
electric work, it's sadly cheesy.
Gamelan Galak Tiki - Boston-based gamelan ensemble doing new music, led 
by Evan Ziporyn (member of Bang on a Can All-Stars). Saw them twice; 
mindblowing.

And a whole bunch of New York-based artists who do great work in the 
nu-jazz idiom:
Mary Holverson (guitar), Ben Perowsky (drums), Ben Allison (bass), John 
Stetch (piano), Steve Cardenas (guitar), Jim Black (drums), Tyshawn 
Sorey (drums)

I also need to add that David Torn's performance two weeks ago with Tim 
Berne and Ches Smith (they called their trio Aarses) is one of the best 
looping shows I have ever seen, if not one of the best shows of 
improvised music, if not one of the best shows I have ever seen PERIOD. 
It's still resonating with me.

Daryl Shawn
www.swanwelder.com