Sweetie's been plugging the Craig Taborn steadily for a while now and he's right, Junk Magic is a must-hear this year, but it may have a legitimate challenger for jazz album of the year and from a major label (RCA) no less.

Dave Douglas has been at it for about a decade, though I confess I only started listening to him after last year's Freak In appeared on a number of year-end lists. It was good. I liked it, but I wasn't blown away by it, so I didn't really pay very close attention to Strange Liberation when it appeared. About a month-and-a-half ago, I put it in the mix of new music I listen to when I'm not in the mood for something specific. Since then, I've been noticing it a lot. That's hardly surprising, for this album Douglas added guitarist Bill Frisell to his working quintet and Frisell usually gets my attention. More and more, though, I found myself playing and replaying the tracks in my head when I was away from the stereo. There is no question that the musicians are top notch, especially saxophonist Chris Potter, but really struck me was how ingenious the composition and arrangements are. I'm not saying that every jazz record is basically a blowing session or that a blowing session is necessarily a bad thing, but a lot are and they often are. In addition, it's largely an electric session without falling into the trap of sounding like a long-lost relic of the 70s thanks in no small part to the individual virtuosity of Uri Caine on the Fender Rhodes electric piano (which is a long-lost relic of the 70s, so this is no small feat).

There is honestly no indivdual track I'm not enjoying, but for sheer breath of style, sampling "Skeeter-ism," "Seventeen," "Mountains From The Train," and "Catalyst" alone makes a compelling case that this is not just a good album, but an important album and a group well worth watching in the future.

Two compelling jazz releases does not a musical renaissance make, but between Craig Taborn and Dave Douglas, there might be a bit of life left in the genre after all.

Now Playing: "Catalyst" Dave Douglas Strange Liberation (RCA Bluebird)

hells yeah, this album is bomb. definitely check it out if you like Miles Davis electric era stuff like Bitches Brew and In A Silent Way

I am looking forward to checking this album out as soon as I have a little more time and cash. I absolutely love his work with Masada, he is definately the premier trumpeter out there right now. The many Bitches Brew comparisons I have been hearing have me salivating with anticipation!