Here is the best jazz 2005: 20 albums in 20 tracks.
You will find all the art covers and track details, plus links to the artists’ websites. We also added a Spotify playlist at the end of the article plus the entire albums’ list.
Best jazz 2005
Manu Katché
“Number One”
from Neighbourhood
(ECM)
“Neighbourhood is an astounding, if subdued, meeting of minds.”
— ECM
Manu Katché: percussion, drums | Sławomir Kurkiewicz: double bass | Marcin Wasilewski: piano | Jan Garbarek: saxophones | Tomasz Stańko: trumpet
Released in September 2005
Contemporary Jazz
Marty Ehrlich
“Hear You Say”
from News On The Rail
(Palmetto Records)
Straight funk, straight jazz.
Marty Ehrlich: alto sax, clarinet | James Zollar: trumpet, flugelhorn | Howard Johnson: tuba, baritone sax, bass clarinet | James Weidman: piano, melodica | Greg Cohen: bass | Allison Miller: drums
Released in September 2005
Contemporary Jazz
Anello Capuano, Louis Soret, Ravy Magnifique
“Selenade”
from Spring
(Nordsud)
Anello Capuano: an italian born multi-instrumentalist, ethno-musicologist, composer, arranger, producer and sound designer in several musical fields including medieval, mediterranean, oriental, world, oriental jazz, ethno-electro and improvised music.
Anello Capuano: Oud | Louis Soret: Oud, Ney, Bagpipes | Ravy Magnifique: Percussion , Kalimba
Released in 2005
Jazz, Folk, World, & Country
Charles Lloyd
“Ken Katta Ma Om (Bright Sun Upon You)”
from Jumping The Creek
(ECM)
“The Memphis-born reed man’s 11th album for ECM is filled with magical realism, fleshed out most vividly in Allen’s overtime at the keyboard.”
— ECM
Charles Lloyd: tenor and alto saxphones, taragato | Geri Allen: piano | Robert Hurst: double-bass | Eric Harland: drums, percussion
Released in April 2005
Contemporary Jazz, Post Bop
Rez Abbasi
“Kismet”
from Snake Charmer
(Earth Sounds LLC)
“My first overtly Indian influenced album”
— Rez Abbasi
Rez Abbasi: guitars, sitar-guitar, surmandal, percussion | Gary Versace: organ | Danny Weiss: drums, tabla | Kiran Ahluwalia: Indian vocals, tanpura | Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone on “Pearl” and “Rumi.”
Released in February 2005
Contemporary Jazz, Fusion
Serge Adam, Régis Huby
“Nothing Expected”
from Too Fast For Techno
(Quoi De Neuf Docteur)
“From the journey proposed by these albums, it would be silly to go without since they’re undeniably captivating.”
— Philippe Robert @JazzMagazine
Régis Huby: violon, violon ténor, électronique | Serge Adam: trompette
Released in 2005
Avant-garde Jazz
Brad Mehldau Trio
“Knives Out”
from Day Is Done
(Nonesuch)
Mehldau calls Day Is Done, which was recorded mostly over an exhilarating six or seven-hour period, a “high-octane record, with a few moments of respite here and there.”
Brad Mehdlau: piano | Larry Grenadier: bass | Jeff Ballard: drums
Released in September 2005
Contemporary Jazz
Dave Douglas
“A Noise From The Deep”
from Keystone
(Greenleaf Music)
“These scores are meant to evoke the atmospheres and feelings in Roscoe’s early work. Innocence, caring, devotion, and a wicked, winking sense of humor and the absurd.”
— Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas: trumpet | Marcus Strickland: saxophones | Jamie Saft: wurlitzer | Brad Jones: bass | Gene Lake: drums | DJ Olive: turntables
Released in September 2005
Contemporary Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz
Keith Jarrett
“Part 3”
from Radiance
(ECM)
“After dismissing the idea of performing lengthy improvised solos, Radiance marked a new beginning in Jarrett’s approach to solo piano concerts and this would be assessed in future solo recordings”
— Wikipedia
Part of Keith Jarrett – Piano Solos (1998-2017)
Keith Jarrett: Piano
Released in May 2005
Free Improvisation, Contemporary Jazz
Vijay Iyer
“Revolutions”
from Reimagining
(Savoy Jazz)
“Reimagining balances rapturous emotion and knotty intellect, melodic flow and rhythmic heft.”
— PiRecordings
Vijay Iyer: piano | Rudresh Mahanthappa: alto saxophone | Stephan Crump: bass | Marcus Gilmore: drums
Released in May 2005
Contemporary Jazz
Cuong Vu
“Brittle, Like Twigs”
from It’s Mostly Residual
()
“Vu’s writing, which can combine legato melodies with freer explorations, running the gamut from delicate and spacious to dense and aggressive, has never been better.”
— John Kelman @AllAboutJazz
Stomu Takeishi: bass | Ted Poor: drums | Cuong Vu: trumpet/writing | Guest Bill Frisell: guitar
Released in May 2005
Contemporary Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz
Rabih Abou-Khalil, Joachim Kühn, Jarrod Cagwin
“Little Camels”
from Journey To The Centre Of An Egg
(Enja Records)
“Rabih Abou-Khalil is an oud player and composer born in Lebanon, who combines elements of Arabic music with jazz, classical music, and other styles.”
— Wikipedia
Rabih Abou-Khalil: oud | Joachim Kühn: piano, alto saxophone | Jarrod Cagwin: drums, frame drums
Released in 2005
Contemporary Jazz
Wayne Shorter Quartet
“Beyond The Sound Barrier”
from Beyond The Sound Barrier
(Verve Records)
Beyond the Sound Barrier received the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album.
Wayne Shorter: tenor and soprano saxophones | Danilo Perez: piano | John Patitucci: bass | Brian Blade: drums.
Released in June 2005
Contemporary Jazz
Bebo Valdés
“Tú”
from Bebo
(Calle 54 Records)
“Bebo will find its way into the hearts of many Cubans. And the hearts of many others who are not Cubans.”
— Bebo Valdés
Bebo Valdes: piano
Released in 2005
Latin Jazz
Gerald Wilson Orchestra
“Blues For Manhattan”
from In My Time
(Mack Avenue)
“Six time Grammy nominee Gerald Wilson is truly one of jazz’s greatest statesmen. With In My Time he has created another musical triumph in his esteemed legacy and does so with undeniable eloquence and grace.”
— MackAvenue
Gerald Wilson: arranger, conductor | Jon Faddis, Eddie Henderson, Sean Jones, Jimmy Owens, Jeremy Pelt, Mike Rodriguez: trumpet | Luis Bonilla, Benny Powell, Dennis Wilson: trombone | Douglas Purviance: bass trombone | Jerry Dodgion: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute | Steve Wilson: alto saxophone, flute | Dustin Cicero: alto saxophone | Ron Blake: tenor saxophone, flute | Kamasi Washington: tenor saxophone | Gary Smulyan: baritone saxophone | Renee Rosnes: piano | Russell Malone: guitar | Peter Washington: bass | Lewis Nash: drums
Released in September 2005
Big Band
Terence Blanchard
“Flow, Part I”
from Flow
(Blue Note)
Flow nominated for a “Best Jazz Instrumental Album” Grammy Award in 2005.
Terence Blanchard: trumpet |Aaron Parks: keyboards | Brice Winston: tenor and soprano saxophones | Derrick Hodge: bass | Lionel Loueke: guitar, vocals | Kendrick Scott: drums
Released in June 2005
Hard Bop, Contemporary Jazz
Romano, Sclavis, Texier, Le Querrec
“Derrière Le Sable”
from African Flashback
(Label Bleu)
The compositions are inspired by images of African life by photojournalist Guy le Querrrec.
Louis Sclavis: Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone | Henri Texier: Double Bass | Aldo Romano: Drums, Guitar
Released in November 2005
Contemporary Jazz, Free Improvisation
Wadada Leo Smith, Walter Quintus, Katya Quintus, Miroslav Tadić, Mark Nauseef
“Coiling”
from Snakish
(Leo Records)
The official catalog explains that this music can be a hint of what Miles Davis might have achieved in his later years had he been able to rise above the banalities of rock and jazz fusion.
Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet | Walter Quintus: computer, processing | Miroslav Tadic: acoustic and baritone guitars | Katya Quintus: vocals | Mark Nauseef: percussion and live electronics
Released in August 2005
Free Improvisation, Experimental
Polar Bear
“Beartown”
from Held On The Tips Of Fingers
(Babel)
The success of Held On The Tips Of Fingers lead to Polar Bear being shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005.
Pete Wareham: tenor saxophone | Mark Lockheart: tenor saxophone | Sebastian Rochford: drums | Tom Herbert: double bass | Leafcutter John: electronics
Released in Mars 2005
Post Bop, Future Jazz, Experimental
Jason Moran
“I’ll Play The Blues For You”
from Same Mother
(Blue Note)
Same Mother is “a reconsideration of the blues that doesn’t depend on clichéd dynamics and song structure”
— The New York Times
Jason Moran: piano | Tarus Mateen: bass | Marvin Sewell: guitar | Nasheet Waits: drums
Released in February 2005
Fusion
Playlist
Best Jazz 2005 – Albums List
Here is the list of the 20 best jazz 2005 albums:
- Manu Katché – Neighbourhood
- Marty Ehrlich – News On The Rail
- Anello Capuano, Louis Soret, Ravy Magnifique – Spring
- Charles Lloyd – Jumping The Creek
- Rez Abbasi – Snake Charmer
- Serge Adam, Régis Huby – Too Fast For Techno
- Brad Mehldau Trio – Day Is Done
- Dave Douglas – Keystone
- Keith Jarrett – Radiance
- Vijay Iyer – Reimagining
- Cuong Vu – It’s Mostly Residual
- Rabih Abou-Khalil, Joachim Kühn, Jarrod Cagwin – Journey To The Centre Of An Egg
- Wayne Shorter Quartet – Beyond The Sound Barrier
- Bebo Valdés – Bebo
- Gerald Wilson Orchestra – In My Time
- Terence Blanchard – Flow
- Romano, Sclavis, Texier, Le Querrec – African Flashback
- Wadada Leo Smith, Walter Quintus, Katya Quintus, Miroslav Tadić, Mark Nauseef – Snakish
- Polar Bear – Held On The Tips Of Fingers
- Jason Moran – Same Mother
2000’s
Discover all the other 2000’s jazz selections: 2000 – 2001 – 2002 – 2003 – 2004 – 2005 – 2006 – 2007 – 2008 – 2009