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