I was listening to the radio (WKNC’s Post Rock Block to be precise) on my drive home from Raleigh to Durham this evening, excited for the upcoming recording session for The Beast + Big Band, and thinking about how both Peter Lamb and the Wolves and The Mint Julep Jazz Band are both working on Kickstarter-funded albums. I wondered just how prolific my jazz colleagues were in 2012 as measured by commercially released recordings. We don’t yet have enough newsworthy happenings to warrant a journalist to champion consistently the scene or to put together a year-end list. Inspired by the Independent Weekly’s annual appraisal, I couldn’t rest until I determined how many local jazz albums came out in 2012 for myself.

Without further ado, here are the 12 jazz and jazz-related albums Triangle musicians released in 2012, organized approximately by release date. If I’ve missed an album, please let me know and I’ll update the post.

Jim Ketch, A Distant View (Summit Records)

Jim Ketch, A Distant View

Buy on Amazon

Kate McGarry, Girl Talk (Palmetto Records)

Kate McGarry, GirlTalk

Buy on Amazon

Ecco La Musica, Morning Moon (Big Round Records)

Ecco La Musica, Morning Moon

Buy on Amazon

John Brown, Quiet Time (Brown Boulevard Records)

 Buy on CDBaby

Doug Largent Trio, Right In The Pocket (self-released)

Doug Largent, Right In The Pocket

Buy from artist website

Branford Marsalis, Four MFs Playin’ Tunes (Marsalis Music)

Branford Marsalis, Four MFs Playin Tunes

Buy on Amazon

Keith Ganz & Kate McGarry, Smile (Edition Longplay)

Keith Ganz Kate McGarry, Smile

Buy from German vinyl store

Jo Gore and The Alternative, The Herstory (self-released)

Jo Gore, TheHerstoryjpg

Buy from artist website

The MPS Project, Goes Without Saying (self-released)

The MPS Project, Goes Without Saying

Buy on CDBaby

Ira Wiggins, When Freedom Swings (IWiggs Music)

Ira Wiggins

I can’t find an album cover. But here is a press release. I’m pretty certain it has been released – it shows up on jazz radio charts here and there.

Yolanda Rabun, Christmastime (Yodyful Music)

Yolanda Rabun, Christmastime

Buy on CDBaby

Nnenna Freelon & John Brown Big Band, Christmas (Brown Boulevard Records)

Nnenna Freelon, Christmas album cover

This CD marks my first credit as a big band arranger. I arranged Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmastime Is Here” as a 3/4 Latin songo. A far cry from the original melancholy ballad.

Buy on CDBaby

I think the Triangle made a fine showing in 2012 in that this list reveals a good diversity of styles. Not only will you find straight-ahead jazz, but also some contemporary/progressive, some blues, some neo-soul, even some world influences.

Coming next week: the year ahead – what to expect from the Triangle jazz scene in 2013. I’m going to make a lot of calls and tweets to my artist friends and determine as many albums slated for release that they’re willing to tell me about. I already know that Stephen Anderson, Kim Arrington, Peter Lamb, and Scott Sawyer are on that list. More details to come!

Also, I recently made a list of Triangle jazz musicians on Twitter. Please let me know if I should add someone to the list!