Taking notice of worthy work, whatever the year

Call me irresponsible. At least that’s the line from the song that came to my mind looking back at a full list of the jazz and world music albums released in 2004. But irresponsibility isn’t the problem. The truth is that so many CDs are coming down the pike that it’s virtually impossible to give equal attention to every deserving disc. So, in retrospect, here are a few that didn’t make the original cut but should not be overlooked.

Nels Cline Singers

“The Giant Pin” (Cryptogramophone)

Guitarist Cline is a charter member of the Southland’s minimal jazz avant-garde, crossing easily from improvisational music to edgy contemporary rock. Iconoclasm reigns in this second album from the Singers (who, in appropriately ironic fashion, consist only of instrumentalists -- Devin Hoff, bass, and Scott Amendola, drums). There are intriguing musical pleasures to be found in tracks that rove between progressive rock, electronica, hypnotic grooves and straight-ahead jazz.

The Great Jazz Trio

“Someday My Prince Will Come” (Sony)

The superlative in the title is not an overstatement. This extraordinary trio consisted of pianist Hank Jones; his late brother, drummer Elvin Jones; and bassist Richard Davis. Their last effort, recorded two years before Elvin Jones died last May, is a glorious example of mainstream jazz at its best. With each member of the trio past 70, mature inventiveness is ever present, but so too -- especially in the gentle waltz of the title track and the Latin rhythms of “Caravan” -- is the ageless joy of spontaneous music making.

Joel Harrison

“So Long 2nd St.”

(High Note/ACT)

Guitarist-singer Harrison describes his music as a trip “along the seams of jazz, country, blues and spirituals, using country classics, hymns and folk tunes as a gateway to creative music-making.” That’s an ambitious task, but he brings it off, with considerable help from saxophonist David Binney, in a collection filled with surprising, but utterly convincing, shifts of musical emphasis. Harrison is on to something both innovative and compelling, and he deserves a much wider hearing.

Al Jarreau

“Accentuate the Positive” (Verve)

Jarreau returns to straight-ahead jazz here, which is good news for jazz and good news for Jarreau. Working for the most part with Diana Krall’s rhythm team of guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Peter Erskine allows his considerable imagination to fly freely through a program of tunes ranging from Dizzy Gillespie’s “Groovin’ High” to Lionel Hampton’s “Midnight Sun” and Bill Evans’ “Waltz for Debby.”

Mory Kante

“Sabou” (World Disc)

The Guinean singer, kora player and griot is the first African artist to sell more than a million copies of a single, but he hasn’t quite yet reached international visibility comparable with Youssou N’Dour or Salif Keita. Like several other African artists over the last year, he returns to his acoustic roots in this new release, mixing the colorful sounds of flutes, traditional percussion and female choruses with the inimitable, emotionally engaging sound of his voice.

Omar Sosa

“Mulatos” (Ota Records)

Cuban-born pianist Sosa seems to search through new territory in every album release. This time, he affirms his view of music as a “meeting of cultures, a crossroads, a fusion of races and traditions” with an ensemble that includes Tunisian oud player Dhafer Youssef, German bassist Dieter Ilg, Anglo-Catalan percussionist Steve Arguelles and guest artist clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera. And there’s more -- a creative use of electronic sounds, vocal samples and Latin jazz grooves interspersed with rhythms reaching from Puerto Rico to Africa to India. Jazz without boundaries or limits.

James Moody

“Homage” (Savoy Jazz)

The irrepressible Moody celebrates his 80th birthday in March. But neither his saxophone playing nor his whimsical vocals have lost an iota of fascination since he played his classic “Moody’s Mood for Love” solo in 1949. The “Homage” here takes place via a set of numbers written for Moody by the likes of Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Joe Zawinul and Chick Corea, and performed by him in his airy, stylistically unbound fashion. Arrangements by Bob Belden add a further enhancement.

Tinariwen

“Amassakoul” (World Village)

The group Tinariwen (originally Taghreft Tinariwen, or “Edification of the Lands”) has been in existence, with various personnel, for two decades. One of the first North African ensembles to use the tools of contemporary pop and blues to express the concerns of a youthful Toureg generation, they have begun to gather a significant following in the West as well. “Amassakoul” simmers with an unlikely but gripping blend of electric guitars, blues riffs, desert rhythms, ululating female cries and call-and-response vocals.

Various Artists

“The Contemporary Records Story” (Contemporary)

Contemporary Records played a vital role in West Coast jazz from the label’s inception in 1951. This boxed set of four CDs surveys the Los Angeles scene of the ‘50s and ‘60s, touching upon breakthrough performances (Andre Previn’s show tune albums) and the cool sounds of Lennie Niehaus and Shelly Manne, as well as the more diverse and rigorous jazz of players such as Phineas Newborn, Art Pepper, Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman. A vital addition to anyone’s jazz collection.