Jazz Albums Plowed Old Ground, Broke Little

This was a year with many good releases but few that moved the art into new territory.

For that reason, any number of fine efforts could substitute for all but the top-listed albums. Still, the growing interest in jazz as an art form and the record industry’s slow but inevitable response signals better times to come.

Top Jazz Albums of 1993:

1. Joe Henderson, “So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles)” (Verve). Today’s premier tenor spokesman and the transcendent rhythm section of drummer Al Foster, bassist Dave Holland and guitarist John Scofield look to the Prince of Darkness for inspiration: It gets no better.

2. Bennie Wallace, “The Old Songs” (AudioQuest). Wallace has a genuine voice--strong, agile, intelligent and fun-loving--and his playing here carries more character than any other tenor saxophonist you can name, save Henderson. “The Old Songs” will change the way you think about standards.

3. Bill Frisell, “Have a Little Faith” (Elektra Nonesuch). Guitarist Frisell electrifies an eclectic program of polar extremes, looking to Aaron Copland, John Philip Sousa, Sonny Rollins and Bob Dylan to provide grounding for his considered musings. A surprisingly consistent program despite the range of its material.

4. John Scofield Quartet, “What We Do” (Blue Note). Contemporary, angular expositions and in-the-saddle, rhythmic cantering from the suave guitarist and his posse. Saxophonist Joe Lovano proves the perfect foil for Scofield’s soulful gunslinging.

5. Jane Ira Bloom, “Art and Aviation” (Arabesque Jazz). As a saxophonist, Bloom is an earthy, swarming presence. As a composer, she looks to the stars. Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler’s light, soaring sound is especially apt for this flight-minded session.

6. Henry Threadgill, “Too Much Sugar for a Dime” (Axiom). Though not as earthshaking as his Very Very Circus recordings, the alto saxophonist’s sassy string and brass instrumentation is supplemented with percussive-styled vocals and tingling oud effects.

7. Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, “Live at Montreux” (Warner Bros.). Yes, this is a far-different Miles than the one who recorded Gil Evans’ orchestral charts in the late ‘50s-early ‘60s. But Davis’ commitment to lyricism and deeply struck, honest emotion makes this the year’s most moving performance.

8. Randy Weston, Melba Liston, “Volcano Blues” (Antilles). Liston’s Ellington-based arrangements and Weston’s African feel and percussive attack are applied to granddaddy blues and spiritually powerful statements. An amazingly copacetic collaboration.

9. Vinny Golia Large Ensemble, “Decennium Dans Axlan” (9 Winds). The most ambitious album on this list, multi-instrumentalist Golia’s compositions cross jazz and classical fields to give his impressive, 25-piece ensemble stimulating landscapes to traverse. Though improvisation is at the heart of these pieces, their strengths are an ability to cross rhythmic boundaries with stout, often edgy orchestrations.

10. Mingus Big Band 93, “Nostalgia In Times Square” (Dreyfus). This top-shelf collection of New York’s most serious musicians makes an argument for jazz classicism with renditions of the late bassist Charles Mingus’ compositions, both the famous and obscure.

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To hear a selection from Bill Kohlhaase’s favorite jazz album of 1993, call TimesLink and press *5560