Top Tens 2007

This week in the Hum we looked at favorite records of the year from various sources. Since it was for the print edition where space is tight, I kept the lists to a Top 5. I put the word out via KHSU deejay Gus Mozart that I was looking for more lists. Those are presented below. But first some addendums to the column...

The Redwood Jazz Alliance folks sent a list of 10, which as I understand was based on lists of several members of the group's central committee. The paper just has their Top 5 (with commentary) - here's the complete list:

Subject: And the picks are in...

T1) Chris Potter 10, "Song for Anyone" (Sunnyside)
T1) Chris Potter Underground, "Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard" (Sunnyside)
2) Maria Schneider Orchestra, "Sky Blue" (Artist Share)
3) Enrico Rava Quartet, "The Words and the Days" (ECM)
4) Michael Brecker, "Pilgrimage" (Heads Up)
5) Trio M (Myra Melford-Mark Dresser-Matt Wilson), "Big Picture" (Cryptogramophone)
T6) Dave Douglas & Keystone, "Moonshine" (Greenleaf)
T6) Dave Douglas Quintet, Live at the Jazz Standard (Greenleaf)
7) Kenny Werner, "Lawn Chair Society" (Blue Note)
8) Joshua Redman Trio, "Back East" (Nonesuch)
9) David Binney & Edward Simon Oceanos (Criss Cross)
10) Carla Bley, "The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu" (Watt/ECM)

You'll find a list from Metro owner Gini Noggle in the Hum. She also sent lists from a couple of her employees:

Metro's manager Rebbecca Caya chose five women's discs:
1. The Story - Brandi Carlile - She is an alt-country-rock lyrical goddess, a voice like no other. Challenging lyrics. Raw, powerful guitar-work that complements her arrangements perfectly.
2. Little Voice - Sarah Bareilles - Local girl makes it big with her first major label release that doesn't disappoint. Poppy R&B with jazzy , catchy tunes and heartfelt lyrics, expertly performed and arranged.
3. Over the Hills - Lucy Kaplansky - Beautiful folk-country album with meaningful lyrics about life, love and death.
4. The Awakening - Melissa Etheridge
5. Djin Djin - Angelique Kidjo - Awesome, funky, danceable beats, great vocals and instrumentation. She also does a wonderful cover of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter."

Chris Grossman, aka DJ Itchie Fingaz
Manager, The Metro (spins regularly at Sidelines and other local clubs)
1. Budos Band - "II"
2. Various artists - "The Rough Guide to Latin Jazz"
3. Lily Allen - "Alright, Still..."
4. Greyboy Allstars - "What Happened to Television?"
5. Peter Bjorn and John - "Writer's Block"

And here are a few from KHSU 90.5 FM :

Subject: Top Ten Songs of '07

Heard you were looking for our top ten cuts from the year , so here are mine: (These may not all have been released this year, but I played them for the first time and they are all pretty new)...

1. Hey Fela - The New Mastersounds "102%"
2. Ma Gee - Calypso King & The Soul Investigators
3. Bongo Fury - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra "Music & Rhythm"
4. Mas O Menos - The Budos Band "Budos Band II"
5. Share The Sea - Will Bernard "Party Hats"
6. Deck Shoes - Greyboy Allstars "What Happened To TV?"
7. Rawville - The Bamboos "Rawville"
8. Electric Worm - Beastie Boys "The Mix Up"
9. Gorillafaceugmopotomus - Papa Grows Funk "Mr Patterson's Hat"
10. South Coastin - Quantic Soul Orchestra "Stampede"

These are in no particular order, just ones I remember especially liking that were new this year. Have a great holiday...
Bud Culbertson "Giant Steps" KHSU - Thursday: 8:30-10:00 pm

Hi Bob,
i never have participated in your end-of-year album lists thingy before.
Saw a post from Gus Mozart on the KHSU listserve about it...so thought I'd send something. Use it or not... it was fun to compile the list.

My list includes 3 re-issues in 2007 and two from 2006 that i did not hear til '07.
These aren't in any order of preference. And I have not necessarily played from all of these on my show...but most of them I have.

Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)/An Other Cup (released in Nov. 2006)
Bruce Cockburn/Life Short Call Now (also 2006)
Martin Sexton/Seeds
Patti Smith/Twelve
Nick Lowe/At My Age
Paul McCartney/Memory Almost Full
Josh Rouse/Country Mouse City House
Laurie Anderson/Big Science (remastered)
The Pretenders/Learning to Crawl (remastered)
Electric Light Orchestra/Out of the Blue (remastered)

Thanks!

"Your Saving" Grace (on KHSU Saturdays 5-7 p.m.)

Subject: Top Ten for 2007... Dan Wargo ... khsu ...

Here are my top Tens... Daniel Wargo

'The Hayride' khsu-fm, Sundays at 5:00PM
1.'Amarillo' ,Emmy Lou Harris
2.'Samuel Hall, Tex Ritter
3.'Texas Bluebonnets', Laurie Lewis
4.'Crossing Muddy Waters',John Hiatt
5.'Choctaw Hayride' , Allison Krauss and Union Station
6.'Bluesberry Hill', Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
7.'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' Hank Williams
8.'Ghost Riders In The Sky' Mary Mc Caslin
9.'Bill Monroe Fiddle Tune Medley' The Mando Boys
10.'Bear Creek Blues' John Prine

Top Ten for 'The Stone Age' khsu-fm, 12 midnight (when Wed, turns into Thursday...)
1.'Tomorrow Never Knows', The Beatles
2.'The Fool', Quicksilver Messenger Service
3.'Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine', Country Joe and The Fish
4. 'Twentieth Century Fox, The Doors
5.'Old Brown Shoe', The Beatles
6.'I'm A Man', The Spencer Davis Group
7.' Hungry Freaks Daddy ' The Mothers of Invention'
8.'Song For Our Ancestors' The Steve Miller Band
9. 'Searching For Madge/ Fighting For Madge' Fleetwood Mac
10.'Strawberry Fields Forever', The Beatles

More opinions:

Subject: Best Reggae album of the year

Bob you forgot to mention in your column that Tarrus Riley's "Parables" is hands down the best reggae album of the year!

It's about 100 times better than the over-hyped and somewhat boring "Mind Control" by Stephen Marley which will probably win the Grammy. The main difference being that Tarrus is a much better song writer than Stephen, who is basically just a singer and producer.

Matt Lang

And finally, a note from Mike Dronkers of KHUM , who turned me on to The Hype Machine MP3 blog aggregator this year:
Hey Bob-

Glad you like the Hype Machine.

Tools for 2008, accept no substitutes.

RSS.

www.skreemr.com : Totally useful mp3 search engine. Bigger and uglier than the Hype Machine.

somevelvetblog.blogspot.com : If KEXP was 2007 and KCRW was 2006, WXPN is 2008. SVB is their Music Director's semi-personal music blog. Vetted with precision and quality, not hipster hucksterism. Please don't tell it's curator about the level of DJ-on-DJ theft that I am perpetrating. I have written him a letter explaining the situation.

www.wfmu.org : NYC's hippest public radio station's blog. If WXPN is 2008, WFMU is orange. I listen to WFMU for fun more than any other station. Totally useless unless you want to know about duck-duck-goose leagues in Brooklyn or a history of Converse All-Stars . Where the cool kids hang.

~~~

Well, call me cool - I'm a long time fan of the WFMU web presence, particularly the MP3 section of Beware of the Blog ...

Ready to make your own list? Add it in the comments! And don't forget, you can find most of the CDs above at your favorite local independent music store.