Listen and enjoy the 2003 selection (and playlist hereunder) with 20 amazing tracks extracted from 20 amazing jazz albums.
Best Jazz 2003
E.S.T.
“Seven Days Of Falling”
from Seven Days Of Falling
(Superstudio Gul)
Seven Days Of Falling received the German Jazz and Swedish Grammy-award 2004.
Dan Berglund: double bass | Magnus Öström: drums | Esbjörn Svensson: piano
Released in September 2003
Contemporary Jazz
Madlib
“Stormy”
from Shades Of Blue
(Blue Note)
“Madlib Invades Blue Note is a unique project that turns over the legacy of the esteemed Blue Note jazz label to one of hip-hop’s most unique artists, Madlib, aka Otis Jackson, Jr.”
— StoneThrow
Part of the selection: The Best Acid Jazz Albums
Madlib: Remix
Released in June 2003
Instrumental, Downtempo, Jazzy Hip-Hop
Wayne Shorter
“Angola”
from Alegría
(Verve Records)
“Convincing testimony to Shorter’s undiminished creativity”
— Don Heckman @LosAngelesTimes
Wayne Shorter: tenor and soprano saxophones | Chris Gekker, Lew Soloff,Jeremy Pelt: trumpet | Michael Boschen, Steve Davis, Bruce Eidem, Jim Pugh, Papo Vázquez: trombone | John Clark, Stewart Rose, Stephen Taylor: horn | Marcus Rojas: tuba | Paul Dunkel: flute | Chris Potter: tenor saxophone | Allen Blustine: clarinet, bass clarinet | Frank Morelli: bassoon | Brad Mehldau, Danilo Perez: piano | Charles Curtis, David Garrett, Barry Gold, Gloria Lum, Daniel Rothmuller, Brent Samuel, Cecilia Tsan: cello | John Patitucci: bass | Brian Blade, Terri Lyne Carrington: drums | Alex Acuña: percussion | Robert Sadin: conductor
Released in March 2003
Contemporary Jazz
Tim Berne
“Van Gundy’s Retreat”
from The Sublime And. Science Friction Live
(Thirsty Ear)
“A remarkably accessible piece of uncompromising new music from undoubtedly the best group Tim Berne has ever led”
— John Fordham @TheGuardian
Tim Berne: alto saxophone | Marc Ducret: guitar | Craig Taborn: Fender Rhodes, laptop, organ | Tom Rainey: drums
Released in July 2003
Free Jazz
Miroslav Vitous
“Faith Run”
from Universal Syncopations
(ECM)
“Infinite surge! Miroslav Vitous, the great bassist and Weather Report founding member, with an extraordinary cast of old friends, musicians who have changed the course of jazz, in an exciting album that is at once timeless and contemporary.”
— ECM
Miroslav Vitous: Double-Bass | Jan Garbarek: Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone | Chick Corea: Piano | John McLaughlin: Guitar | Jack DeJohnette: Drums | Wayne Bergeron: Trumpet | Valerie Ponomarev: Trumpet, Flugelhorn | Isaac Smith: Trombone
Released in September 2003
Contemporary Jazz
Akosh S. Unit
“Árnyak”
from Vetek
(Universal Music Jazz France)
Vetek is third and last part of the trilogy made with Kebelen and Lenne. If you want to explore Akosh S. discography or complete your collection, then here are the five essential albums you should definitely go for: Five Essential Akosh Szelevényi Albums
Bernard Malandain: Double Bass | Philippe Foch: Drums, Percussion, Tabla | Mokhtar Choumane: Flute Ney | Nicolas Guillemet: Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone | Akosh Szelevényi: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Vocals | Joe Doherty: Violin, Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
Released in 2003
Free Jazz
Tord Gustavsen Trio
“IGN”
from Changing Places
(ECM)
“This is music that sings, at once gentle and robust. The songs Gustavsen writes sound like standards-in-the-making: lyrical, immediately memorable songs, songs of an appealing freshness, yet sophisticated in their involvement with the melodic line”
— ECM
Tord Gustavsen: piano | Harald Johnsen: bass | Jarle Vespestad: drums
Released in March 2003
Contemporary Jazz
William Parker Violin Trio
“Scrapbook”
from Scrapbook
(Thirsty Ear)
“Combines the raw sounds of the blues, spirituals, and funk with a keen sense of adventurous experimentation”
— All About Jazz
William Parker: bass | Billy Bang: violin | Hamid Drake: drums
Released in June 2003
Free Jazz
Andy Emler, Pascal Contet
“E Face”
from Bouts De Souffles
(In Circum Girum)
A music which is whispered.
Pascal Contet: accordeon | Andy Emler: piano
Released in October 2003
Contemporary Jazz
The Bad Plus
“Big Eater”
from These Are The Vistas
(Columbia)
“Jazz power trio with a rock-and-roll heart.”
— Wall Street Journal
Ethan Iverson: piano | Reid Anderson: acoustic bass | David King: drums
Released in February 2003
Contemporary Jazz
Matthew Shipp
“Vamp To Vibe”
from Equilibrium
(Thirsty Ear)
“According to Shipp, this fourth Blue Series record is a synthesis of what he learned from all their other albums in the series.”
— Wikipedia
Matthew Shipp: piano | William Parker: bass | Gerald Cleaver: drums | Khan Jamal: vibes | Flam: synths, programming
Released in January 2003
Free Jazz
John Surman
“Free And Equal”
from Free And Equal
(ECM)
Classical ensemble London Brass joins the Surman/DeJohnette duo in a live recording from London’s South Bank.
John Surman: soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet | Jack DeJohnette: drums, piano | London Brass: trumpet, flugelhorn, horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba
Released in February 2003
Contemporary Jazz
David S. Ware String Ensemble
“Ananda Rotation”
from Threads
(Thirsty Ear)
“It showcases the musician at the height of all of his powers: improvisational, compositional, and as an arranger and bandleader. This is Ware’s masterpiece and the first really new compositional statement in jazz in years”
— Thom Jurek @AllMusic
David S. Ware: tenor saxophone | Matthew Shipp: piano, Korg Triton | Daniel Bernard Roumain: violin | Mat Maneri: viola | William Parker: bass | Guillermo E. Brown: drums
Released in September 2003
Free Jazz
Dave Holland Quintet
“Jugglers Parade”
from Extended Play
(ECM)
Grammy-winning bassist Dave Holland and his poll-topping quintet, recorded live in 2001 at New York City’s famous Birdland club.
Chris Potter: soprano, alto and tenor saxophones | Robin Eubanks: trombone | Steve Nelson: vibraphone and marimba | Billy Kilson: drums | Dave Holland: double-bass
Released in September 2003
Live Jazz
Jason Moran
“Planet Rock”
from The Bandwagon
(Blue Note)
“The artist is well known for his prodigious talent and his much-earned respect for being both unconventional and progressive in his approach. The new release is not an exception”
— Mark F. Turner @AllAboutJazz
Jason Moran: piano | Tarus Mateen: bass, double bass | Nasheet Waits: drums
Released in 2003
Contemporary Jazz
Gianluigi Trovesi Ottetto
“Blues And West”
from Fugace
(ECM)
“The ghosts of Louis Armstrong and W. C. Handy smile down benevolently as Trovesi and his men roar through a programme that cross-references the spirit of New Orleans with Italian popular song and European classical music.”
— ECM
Gianluigi Trovesi: Alto Saxophone, Piccolo, Alto Clarinets | Beppe Caruso: Trombone | Massimo Greco: Trumpet, Electronics | Marco Remondini: Violoncello, Electronics | Roberto Bonati: Double-Bass | Marco Micheli: Double-Bass, Electric Bass | Fulvio Maras: Percussion, Electronics | Vittorio Marinoni: Drums
Released in May 2003
Contemporary Jazz
Hiromi
“Double Personality”
from Another Mind
(Telarc)
Another Mind is the debut release from Hiromi Uehara, a jazz and jazz fusion pianist.
Hiromi Uehara: Piano | Mitch Cohn: Bass | Dave DiCenso: Drums | Guests: Anthony Jackson: Bass; Jim Odgren: Alto saxophone; David Fiuczynski: Guitar
Released in April 2003
Fusion
Pat Metheny
“One Quiet Night”
from One Quiet Night
(Warner Bros.)
One Quiet Night is a solo acoustic guitar album that won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2004.
Pat Metheny: baritone guitar
Released in May 2003
Contemporary Jazz
David Murray Latin Big Band
“Blue Muse”
from Now Is Another Time
(Justin Time)
Murray now turns his ear toward Cuba.
David Murray: bass clarinet, tenor saxophone | Orlando Sanchez, Irving Michel Acao Sierra: tenor saxophones | Orlando Sanchez Soto: alto & tenor saxophones | German Fermin, Ernesto Varona Rodriguez German, Cesar Lopez Martinez, Valazco Urdeliz, Velasco Urdeliz: alto saxophones | Hamiet Bluiett, Moises Marquez Loyva: baritone saxophones | Carmelo Andrés, Alexander Brown Cabrera, Elpidio Chapottin, Cristobal Ferrer, Hugh Ragin: trumpets | Leonardo Alarcon Henville, Rafael Gavilan, Craig Harris, Sergio Luna Longchamp, Sergio Ricardo Luna, Bacillio Bernardo Marquez Richards, Amaury Perez Rodriguez, Denis Cuni Rodriguez, Boris Sarmiento, Heikel Fabian Triminio: trombones | Jose Luis Cortez, Kahil Ikshr Smith: flutes | Carcasses Colon, Luis Miguel Guerra Crespo, Roberto Julio, Tony Perez, Emilio Morales: piano | Reyes Hernandez, Narciso Jorge, Feliciano Arango Noa: bass | Giraldo Piloto, Olivier Valdes Rey: drums | Tomas Ramos Ortiz, Adel Gonzales Gomez: congas | Jorge Luis Guerra: guiro | Jose Luis Quintana Fuerte: timbales
Released in January 2003
Big Band, Latin Jazz
Greg Howe, Victor Wooten, Dennis Chambers
“Extraction”
from Extraction
(Tone Center)
“The tunes often recall the carefree fusion days of the 1970s […] As far as modern-day fusion goes, Extraction is pretty darn consistent from front to back”
— Greg Prato @AllMusic
Greg Howe: guitar, guitar synthesizer, keyboards | David Cook: keyboards | Victor Wooten: bass guitar | Dennis Chambers: drums
Released in October 2003
Fusion, Jazz-Rock
Playlist 2003
Best Jazz 2003 – Albums List
Here are the selected 20 albums for our best jazz 2003 page:
- E.S.T. – Seven Days Of Falling
- Madlib – Shades Of Blue
- Wayne Shorter – Alegría
- Tim Berne – The Sublime And. Science Friction Live
- Miroslav Vitous – Universal Syncopations
- Akosh S. Unit – Vetek
- Tord Gustavsen Trio – Changing Places
- William Parker Violin Trio – Scrapbook
- Andy Emler, Pascal Contet – Bouts De Souffles
- The Bad Plus – These Are The Vistas
- Matthew Shipp – Equilibrium
- John Surman – Free And Equal
- David S. Ware String Ensemble – Threads
- Dave Holland Quintet – Extended Play
- Jason Moran – The Bandwagon
- Gianluigi Trovesi Ottetto – Fugace
- Hiromi – Another Mind
- Pat Metheny – One Quiet Night
- David Murray Latin Big Band – Now Is Another Time
- Greg Howe, Victor Wooten, Dennis Chambers – Extraction
2000’s
Discover all the other 2000’s jazz selections: 2000 – 2001 – 2002 – 2003 – 2004 – 2005 – 2006 – 2007 – 2008 – 2009