The Latin Jazz Corner Best Of The Year Awards....

In the remaining days of 2010, we’ll be taking a look at the winners in each of the Best Of 2010 Award categories, revealing a small number with each passing day. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at half of the winners in Category 2 - Musicians. We’ll be covering five awards today - 2010 Latin Jazz Album Of The Year, 2010 Latin Jazz Next Generation Artist, 2010 Brazilian Jazz Album Of The Year, 2010 Afro-Peruvian Jazz Album Of The Year, and 2010 Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year.

Pucusana
Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian SextetGreat music inspires people in a variety of ways, makes a concrete concrete connection with them, and becomes an inseparable part of their lives. Unfortunately for us, recordings like this are few and far between, but fortunately, 2010 gave us at least one album that reached further into our Latin Jazz loving souls, Pucusana from Garbriel Alegria’s Afro-Peruvian Sextet. Pucusana certainly contained a heavy dose of musicality as Alegría and his group found sympathetic meeting points between Afro-Peruvian traditional music and jazz, pushing the still young style of Afro-Peruvian Jazz into its next plateau. At the same time, the warm nature of the musicians in Alegría’s group and the encompassing nature of Pucusana’s repertoire gave it a human quality that not only resulted in a great collection of music, but it also became one of 2010’s unforgettable artistic experiences.

Hija Del VientoCecilia AlessandraSingers have a way of touching the public consciousness that triggers peoples emotion in a unique fashion. Peruvian vocalist Cecelia Alessandra certainly reached that point in Peru this year with her album Hija Del Viento, and she is steadily expanding to a worldwide audience. Whether singing modernized Peruvian folk music, moving through a classic jazz standard, or presenting something completely original, Alessandra remains an original performer. Her professionalism and creativity brought something new to the Latin Jazz world this year with Hija Del Viento, showing us a great example of Afro-Peruvian Jazz and the future potential of skilled singers in this realm.

There’s a Storm Inside
Chico PinheiroOne of the most impactful discoveries for me during the course of the 2010 Best Of The Year Awards was Chico Pinheiro’s There’s a Storm Inside. When Pinheiro’s album first appeared as a potential nominee, I tracked down the recording and took my initial listen; I soon realized that I had been overlooking an important musician. Pinheiro has some impressive guitar skills and a wonderful voice, and he tackles Brazilian Jazz with a knowledge beyond his year as well as a youthful perspective. His ability to execute music with deep rooted traditions through a modern lens puts a new spin on Brazilian Jazz while his instrumental proficiency leads to interesting flights of improvisation, making There’s a Storm Inside a 2010 must-hear release.

Panamericana Suite
Paquito D’RiveraLarge ensemble albums certainly stand out from their counterparts due to the sheer power of their sound, but a carefully constructed ensemble filled with peerless artists plows over the competition based on pure musicality. Paquito D’Rivera regularly produces recordings based on thoughtful repertoire and outstanding performances that link tradition with creativity, but his ensemble on Panamericana Suite takes things to a completely new level. In addition to D’Rivera’s core group that includes pianist trumpet player Diego Urcola, Alon Yanvai, bassist Oscar Stagnaro, drummer Mark Walker, and percussionist Pernell Saturnino, the saxophonist brings steel pan player Andy Narell, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, harpist Edmar Castaneda, bandoneon player Hector del Curto, percussionist Pedro Martinez, and more. The amazing breadth of D’Rivera’s large ensemble allows them to execute a wide variety of Latin Jazz approaches that touch upon traditions from across South America and the Caribbean, making Panamericana Suite an impressive artistic statement.

From: http://www.chipboaz.com/blog/2010/12/31/ljc-best-of-2010-awards-large-ensemble-album-afro-peruvian-jazz-album-brazilian-jazz-album-next-generation-artist-album-of-the-year/