2007 jazz charts showcase a vocal majority
By Dan Ouellette
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Jazz is one of the great instrumental genres, but in 2007, albums recorded by singers, or featuring impressive lineups of guest vocalists, commanded the charts.
The chart-topping exception? Kenny G, the perennial victor in the contemporary jazz sweepstakes, who ranks as No. 1 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Artists tally thanks to three Arista CDs: "I'm in the Mood for Love ... The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time," "Holiday Collection" and "The Essential Kenny G."
The sets rank Nos. 1, 3 and 10, respectively, on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums recap. The saxophonist offers a style of instrumental jazz that easily blends into the background.
Granted, jazz at its most vital requires attentive listening to grasp the subtleties and appreciate the created-in-the-moment alchemy. It's not an easy listen, so instrumental jazz artists who are creating much of the most imaginative music suffer in market share.
A case in point: Ron Carter's "Dear Miles," released this year on Blue Note, received plenty of label support, tons of laudatory press and was buoyed within a week of its release by a Carnegie Hall concert by this legendary bassist and former Miles Davis sideman. Total sales as of October? Around 3,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Fellow Davis alum Herbie Hancock appears twice on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart with "River: The Joni Letters" (Verve/VG) at No. 10 and last year's "Possibilities" (Hear/Hancock/Vector) at No. 21, which feature snatches of Hancock's brilliant piano playing.
But both CDs teem with vocalists, including Norah Jones and Joni Mitchell on the former, and Christina Aguilera and John Mayer on the latter. The lesson: Singers make the sales.
IN STRONG VOICE
Vocal jazz albums trump the instrumentals this year. On the Top Jazz Albums chart, Michael Buble's "Call Me Irresponsible" (143/Reprise/Warner Bros.) takes top honors, followed by Diana Krall's "From This Moment On" (Verve/VG), Harry Connick Jr.'s "Oh, My Nola" (Columbia/Sony Music), another Warner Buble album ("It's Time") and rapper/actor Queen Latifah's "Trav'lin Light" (Flavor Unit/Verve/VG).
In the top 25, the only bona fide instrumental jazz album is Michael Brecker's posthumously released "Pilgrimage" (WA/Heads Up) at No. 23.
Likewise, on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums recap, instrumental jazz is rare, with Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood's "Out Louder" (Indirecto) placing at No. 15 and Fourplay's "X" (Bluebird/RCA Victor) at No. 18.
High honors on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums tally go to vocals-infused albums including "Givin' It Up" (Monster/Concord), by George Benson and Al Jarreau, at No. 2; Dave Koz's "At the Movies" (Capitol) with guests Anita Baker, Barry Manilow and Vanessa Williams, at No. 4; and Boney James' "Shine" (Concord), with guest vocalists including Esthero, Faith Evans and Philip Bailey, at No. 5.
Another significant note for chart watchers is how strong a showing Concord Music Group has made in the jazz realm, on both the Top Jazz and Top Contemporary Jazz charts.
Concord is No. 1 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Labels chart, with 13 titles, and fourth on the Top Jazz Labels recap, with 14. Its 27 albums in the combined categories bested all other labels -- a testament to the indie label increasingly acting like a major.
Reuters/Billboard
