The jazz publication Downbeat Magazine and the London-based experimental music periodical The Wire recently released rankings of their top albums of 2014. The following CalArts musicians were included in these magazines’ highly regarded lists, with the late Charlie Haden, a longtime CalArts jazz faculty member, earning two notices from Downbeat, and former music faculty Wadada Leo Smith honored by both publications for the same recording.
Downbeat Magazine’s Best Albums of 2014
Historical Category (4 1/2 stars)
- Charlie Haden / Jim Hall – (self-titled, issued posthumously)
Released in December by Impulse! Records
New Category (4 stars)
- Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden – Last Dance (issued posthumously)
Released by ECM in August - James Brandon Lewis (Music MFA 10) – Divine Travels
Released by OKeh in April - The Daniel Rosenboom (Music MFA 07) Quintet – Fire Keeper
Released by Orenda in September - Angelica Sanchez / Wadada Leo Smith (former faculty) – Twine Forest
Released by Clean Feed in April
The Daniel Rosenboom Quintet performs ‘Tendrils’ from ‘Fire Keeper’
Also making the list are REDCAT performers The Claudia Quintet, The Necks and Trio 3 & Vijay Iyer. Iyer and Matana Roberts are also Alpert Award winners.
In the same issue, Downbeat raved about:
- Herb Alpert (CalArts benefactor) – In the Mood (3 stars)
Released by Shout! Factory in September - Wadada Leo Smith (former faculty) – The Great Lakes Suites (4 1/2 stars)
Released by Tum in September
The Wire’s Top 50 Albums of the Year
- 19. Michael Pisaro (faculty) – Continuum Unbound
Released by Gravity Wave in October. - 29. Wadada Leo Smith (former faculty) – The Great Lakes Suites
Released by Tum in September - 47. Ariel Pink (Art BFA 00) – pom pom
Released by 4AD in November.
Ariel Pink’s ‘Put Your Number In My Phone’ from ‘pom pom’
Related post: This fall, The Wire featured The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts dean David Rosenboom and alum Cat Lamb.