Podcast 606: A Few of My Favorite Things 2017

It's time once again for me to close out the year with my annual "A Few of My Favorite Things" podcast. This is the chance I get to go back through the music I have had the privilege to listen to during the year, and present some of my favorites to you. I prefer not to think of this as a true "Best of" list, but rather a way of commenting and making recommendations to you on those that caught my fancy and earned repeat playings on my stereo in 2017. I created five somewhat arbitrary categories for my presentation to allow me to highlight veteran performers, newcomers, tribute albums or projects, special collaborations, and reissued or archival releases. This year was especially difficult, and I think  you'll enjoy my choices. And they are: New Things from Old Friends Matt Wilson – Salt and Honey: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg Sean Jones – Live from Jazz at the Bistro Jimmy Greene -  Flowers: Beautiful Life, Volume 2 Jane Ira Bloom – Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition - Agrima Those Hitting Their Stride Tyshawn Storey - Verilisimitude Brian Landrus Orchestra - Generations Noah Preminger – Meditations on Freedom Linda May Han Oh – Walk Against the Wind Christian Sands - Reach Tributes to Musical Greats John Beasley's Monk'estra - `Monk'estra, Vol. 2 Organissimo – B3atles: A Soulful Tribute to the Fab Four Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, feat. Jon Batiste and Wynton Marsalis – The Music of John Lewis Various Artists – For Oscar, With Love Gregory Porter – Nat King Cole & Me Reissue or Archival Jaco Pastorious – Truth, Liberty & Soul – Live in NYC: The Complete 1983 NPR Jazz Alive! Recording Wes Montgomery – In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording Stan Getz Quartet – Newport Jazz Festival 1964 Alice Coltrane - World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane  Thelonious Monk - Les Liasones Dangeruese Collaborations Omer Avital and Avi Avital – Avital Meets Avital  Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, and Bobby Previte with Iggy Pop – Loneliness Road Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau - Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonclaves- Outra Coisa  Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski, John Scofield – Hudson 2017 was also the year that JazzTimes magazine's readers chose "Straight No Chaser" as Best Podcast for the first time. This was an honor beyond anything I had hoped when I started this project more than a decade ago. To me, it means that I'm doing something right on my end, and I hope I can keep doing it well into the future. A Happy New Year to you all! Musical selections for Podcast 606 include: Matt Wilson - "As  Wave Follows Wave" from Salt and Honey: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg Brian Landrus Orchestra - "Arise" from Generations Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, feat. Jon Batiste and Wynton Marsalis – "Spanish Steps" from The Music of John Lewis Alice Coltrane - "Rama Rama" from World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane  Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski, John Scofield – "Up on Cripple Creek" from Hudson