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Best Jazz Albums of 2000

Discover or re-discover and enjoy the Best Jazz Albums of 2000.

The Best Jazz Releases of 2000

Best jazz 2000 - Anouar Brahem Trio - Astrakan Café

Anouar Brahem Trio

Astrakan Café
(ECM)

“Tunisian oud virtuoso Anouar Brahem counts as one of ECM’s most important ‘discoveries’ of the last decade. After his highly successful trans-cultural recording ‘Thimar’, he returns to a more purely Middle Eastern music on ‘Astrakan Café’, with the trio that has been his first priority for several years. The improvisational exchanges between Brahem, clarinetist Barbaros Erköse, and percussionist Lassad Hosni are exceptionally fluid, and the atmospheres that they create by turns mysterious, hypnotic, dramatic…”
ECM

Anouar Brahem: Oud; Barbaros Erköse: Clarinet; Lassad Hosni: Bendir, Darbouka
Released September 2000

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Best jazz 2000 - St Germain - Tourist

St Germain

Tourist
(Blue Note)

As of 2018, Tourist has sold over four million copies worldwide!

Part of the selection: The Best Acid Jazz Albums

Ludovic Navarre: producer; Pascal Ohsé: trumpet; Claudio De Queiroz: baritone saxophone; Edouard Labor: saxophones, flute; Alexandre Destrez: keyboards; Ernest Ranglin: guitar; Idrissa Diop: talking drum; Edmundo Carneiro: percussion
Released May 2000

Website Wikipedia


Best jazz 2000 - Andrew Hill - Dusk

Andrew Hill

Dusk
(Palmetto Records)

“With Dusk, Andrew Hill makes it plain that his uncompromising musical vision is intact, undiluted, and perhaps more advanced than ever”
David R. Adler

Andrew Hill: piano; Marty Ehrlich: bass clarinet, alto saxophone; Greg Tardy: bass clarinet, tenor saxophone; Ron Horton: trumpet; Scott Colley: bass; Billy Drummond: drums
Released May 2000

Wikipedia
Best jazz 2000 - David S. Ware - Surrendered

David S. Ware

Surrendered
(Columbia)

“All in all, Surrendered might truly represent one of Ware’s finest recordings to date as no two songs sound alike which makes for a divergent and noteworthy mix while Steven Joerg’s sharp and insightful production only enhances the overall scenario”
Glenn Astarita

David S. Ware: tenor sax; Matthew Shipp: piano; William Parker: bass; Guillermo E. Brown: drums
Released May 2000

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Best jazz 2000 - Tony MacAlpine, Bunny Brunel, Dennis Chambers - CAB

Tony MacAlpine, Bunny Brunel, Dennis Chambers

CAB
(Tone Center)

“Cab delivers an aggressive fusion Super Session, bringing together three of the most revered instrumentalists of our time.”
Guitar9

Tony MacAlpine: guitar, keyboard; Bunny Brunel: keyboard, bass, engineering, mixing, production; Dennis Chambers: drums; Brian Auger: organ
Released March 2000

Discover the Best Jazz Fusion Albums

Wikipedia
Best jazz 2000 - Matthew Shipp Quartet - Pastoral Composure

Matthew Shipp Quartet

Pastoral Composure
(Thirsty Ear)

“One of Shipp’s more accessible albums, making it a great place to start for those interested in checking out this important modern jazz pianist”
Joslyn Layne

Matthew Shipp: piano; Roy Campbell: trumpet, pocket trumpet, flugelhorn; William Parker: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums
Released 2000

Bandcamp
Best jazz 2000 - Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette - Whisper Not (Live In Paris 1999)

Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette

Whisper Not (Live In Paris 1999)
(ECM)

“It’s a reframing of what always was, and ever will be, a profound talent”
Tyran Grillo

Keith Jarrett: Piano; Gary Peacock: Double-Bass; Jack DeJohnette: Drums
Released September 2000

Website
Avishai Cohen - Colors

Avishai Cohen

Colors
(Stretch Records)

“The composer wrote 13 selections for this program and each is a meeting of artistic colors, each rare and emanating its own originality through Cohen’s sense of harmony, expansive tones, and polyrhythms.”
Paula Edelstein

Avishai Cohen: Piano, Fender Rhodes Piano, Acoustic & Electric Basses, Percussion; Jimmy Greene: Soprano & Tenor Saxophones, Flute; Avi Lebovich, Steve Davis: Trombone; Tom Chin, Jesse Mills: Violin; Kenji Bunch: Viola; Fred Sherry: Cello; Amos Hoffman: Oud and Guitar; Jason Lindner: Piano; Yagil Bavas: Acoustic Bass; Jeff Ballard, Antonio Sanchez: Drums
Released August 2000

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Bobo Stenson Trio - Serenity

Open Spaces

Serenity
(ECM)

The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected Serenity as part of its suggested Core Collection.

Bobo Stenson: piano; Anders Jormin: bass; Jon Christensen: drums
Released June 2000

Website
Medeski Martin & Wood - The Dropper

Medeski Martin & Wood

The Dropper
(Blue Note)

The Dropper is a complex blend of Latin jazz, haunting soundscapes, hip-hop grooves, and John Medeski’s trademark organ funk”
Zac Johnson

John Medeski: keyboards; Billy Martin: drums, percussion; Chris Wood: basses
Released October 2000

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Pat Metheny - Trio 99→00

Pat Metheny

Trio 99→00
(Warner Bros. Records)

Metheny won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for “(Go) Get It

Pat Metheny: electric, acoustic guitars; Larry Grenadier: double bass; Bill Stewart: drums
Released February 2000

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Branford Marsalis Quartet - Contemporary Jazz

Branford Marsalis Quartet

Contemporary Jazz
(Columbia)

“But I think we’re finally playing good contemporary music. We’ve gone through what we needed to, as people and as musicians, to be at the top of our game. We’re not students anymore; we’ve gone through ‘university.’ Now we can just play good tunes.”
— Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis: Saxophones; Eric Revis: bass; Jeff “Tain” Watts: drums; Joey Calderazzo: piano
Released August 2000

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Bill Frisell - Ghost Town

Bill Frisell

Ghost Town
(Nonesuch)

“But the overall mood here is relatively dark, though consistently beautiful.”
AllMusic

Bill Frisell: electric and acoustic guitars, 6 string banjo, loops & bass
Released 2000

Website
Jason Moran - Facing Left

Jason Moran

Facing Left
(Blue Note)

“It’s impossible not to view him as one of the most striking originals to emerge in jazz in years. With rare technical assurance and a bold sense of vision, Moran has made a record for the ages.”
JazzTimes

Jason Moran: piano, Hammond B3 organ, Fender Rhodes piano; Tarus Mateen: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums
Released June 2000

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Bill Dixon With Tony Oxley - Papyrus - Volume I

Bill Dixon With Tony Oxley

Papyrus – Volume I
(Soul Note)

“On Papyrus Volume I Dixon and Oxley provide the listener with a series of miniatures that go straight to the heart as though the twosome were transfixed in some sort of mystical aura.”
All About Jazz

Bill Dixon: trumpet, piano; Tony Oxley: drums, percussion
Released January 2000

Wikipedia
Erik Truffaz - The Mask

Erik Truffaz

The Mask
(Blue Note)

The Mask is a compilation of the three previous albums published by EMI France – Out of Dream, The Dawn, and Bending new Corners – but this time released on Blue Note and highlighting exclusively instrumental pieces.

Erik Truffaz: trumpet; Patrick Muller: piano, Fender Rhodes; Marcello Giuliani: bass; Marc Erbetta: drums, percussion
Released June 2000

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James Carter - Chasin' The Gypsy

James Carter

Chasin’ The Gypsy
(Atlantic)

Chasin’ the Gypsy is an homage to Django Reinhardt.

“This is the spirit marriage a tribute should be. It swings like a horse thief, parlays Fransay, and adores the melody.”
Robert Christgau

James Carter: bass saxophone, tenor saxophone, mezzo-soprano saxophone, soprano saxophone; Regina Carter: violin; Jay Berliner: steel-string acoustic guitar; Romero Lubambo: classical guitar; Charles Giordano: accordion; Steve Kirby: bass; Cyro Baptista: percussion; Joey Baron: drums
Released 2000

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Terence Blanchard - Wandering Moon

Terence Blanchard

Wandering Moon
(Sony Classical)

For “I Thought About You”, the album was nominated in 2000 for Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.
“Trumpeter Blanchard has released some fine recordings in the ’90s, but this one may be the best of them all”
Michael G. Nastos

Terence Blanchard: trumpet; Aaron Fletcher: alto saxophone; Dave Holland: bass; Eric Harland: drums; Edward Simon: piano; Branford Marsalis: tenor saxophone; Brice Winston: tenor saxophone
Released February 2000

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Chucho Valdés - Live At The Village Vanguard

Chucho Valdés

Live At The Village Vanguard
(Blue Note)

Live At The Village Vanguard won Chucho Valdés the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Chucho Valdés: Piano; Francisco Rubio Pampin: Acoustic Bass; Roberto Vizcaíno Guillot: Congas, Drums; Raul Pineda Roque: Drums
Released April 2000

Wikipedia
Charles Lloyd - The Water Is Wide

Charles Lloyd

The Water Is Wide
(ECM)

“After the highly successful Voice In The Night album, the most widely praised of all his ECM recordings, the great saxophonist from Memphis, Tennessee, follows up with an imaginatively programmed album that takes his music to the next level.”
ECM

Charles Lloyd: Tenor Saxophone; Brad Mehldau: Piano; John Abercrombie: Guitar; Larry Grenadier: Double-Bass; Billy Higgins: Drums; Derek Oles: Double-Bass
Released August 2000

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Best Jazz 2000 – Albums List

Here is the entire short list of our best jazz 2000 albums:

  • Anouar Brahem TrioAstrakan Café
  • St GermainTourist
  • Andrew HillDusk
  • David S. WareSurrendered
  • Tony MacAlpine, Bunny Brunel, Dennis ChambersCAB
  • Matthew Shipp QuartetPastoral Composure
  • Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnetteWhisper Not (Live In Paris 1999)
  • Avishai CohenColors
  • Bobo Stenson TrioSerenity
  • Medeski Martin & WoodThe Dropper
  • Pat MethenyTrio 99→00
  • Branford Marsalis QuartetContemporary Jazz
  • Bill FrisellGhost Town
  • Jason MoranFacing Left
  • Bill Dixon With Tony OxleyPapyrus – Volume I
  • Erik TruffazThe Mask
  • James CarterChasin’ The Gypsy
  • Terence Blanchard Wandering Moon
  • Chucho ValdésLive At The Village Vanguard
  • Charles LloydThe Water Is Wide

Discover the Spotify Playlist “Best Jazz 2000”, with 20 tracks, one for each of the selected album.

The 2000s

Discover all the other 2000’s best jazz selections: 2000200120022003200420052006200720082009


Filed under: 2000s, Yearly Selection

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Hi, I am Paul, blogger at Best of Jazz and Jazz enthusiast since 1995.

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