Eldridge Weighs In

Hard to top Stratton; I won't try. But here's my humble offering, just the same:

First, 10 of my favorite discs of 2011, in no particular order (well, OK, in alphabetical order):

• Ben Allison, Action-Refraction (Palmetto)
• Etienne Charles, Kaiso (Culture Shock)
• Adam Cruz, Milestone (Sunnyside)
• Dymaxion Quartet, Sympathetic Vibrations (self-released)
• Steven Lugerner, Narratives (self-released)
• Rene Marie, Black Lace Freudian Slip (Motema)
• Verneri Pohjola, Aurora (ACT)
• Craig Taborn, Avenging Angel (ECM)
• Tunnel Six, Lake Superior (OA2)
• Sam Yahel, From Sun to Sun (Sunnyside)

And since neither rules nor algorhythms govern the blog, I'll follow with a slew of honorable mentions that I like just about as well as any of the ten discs above:

• Ambrose Akinmusire, When the Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note)
• Bill Carrothers Trio, A Night at the Village Vanguard (Pirouet)
• Chris Dingman, Waking Dreams (Between Worlds)
• Aaron Goldberg/Guillermo Klein, Bienestan (Sunnyside)
• Joel Harrison String Choir, Music of Paul Motian (Sunnyside)
• Orchestre National de Jazz/John Hollenbeck, Shut Up and Dance (Bee Jazz)
• Noah Preminger, Before the Rain (Palmetto)
• Matt Slocum, After the Storm (Chandra)