
Musician of the year - Mary Halvorson (MH has seemingly been everywhere this year, releasing a great album as a leader, and participating in a number of forward thinking groups.)
Newcomer Musician - Darius Jones (He's actually been on the scene for a while, but his playing in the collective Little Women and his solo performances have been thrilling.)
Group of the year - Vandermark 5 (Saxophonist and Clarinetist Ken Vandermark's signature ensemble just keeps getting better and better)
Newcomer group - Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet (Wonderful use of vibes and acoustic guitar made their album a winner. Download a free set from NPR.)
Album of the Year - Vandermark 5 - The Horse Jumps and the Ship is Gone (Great two-CD set of thrilling music.)
Composer - Henry Threadgill (His knotty and fascinating tunes were on display with a new CD and epic Mosaic reissue.)
Drums - Hamid Drake
Bass - William Parker (Parker and Drake make up one of the most fascinating rhythm teams in jazzz.)
Guitar - Nels Cline (Cline had a fantastic year, releasing two double disc sets and a fascinating live DVD.)
Piano - Vijay Iyer
Keyboards/synthesizer/organ - Craig Taborn (Taborn had a couple of excellent performances as a sideman for ECM, perhaps they will give him his own date soon.)
Saxophone - Rudresh Mahanthappa (Wonderful albums this year, sharing the limelight with colleagues Steve Lehman and Bunky Green)
Trumpet/Cornet - Charles Tolliver
Clarinet - Anat Cohen (Breathing new life into the swing clarinet tradition, as proved by an infectious live album.)
Trombone - Steve Swell
Violin/Viola - Billy Bang
Cello - Fred Lonberg-Holm
Others instruments - Vibes - Jason Adasiewicz
Female vocals - Leena Conquest (She reminds me of the late June Tyson, whether singing R&B influenced material or more traditional jazz.)
Male Vocals - Mose Allison
Best live band - Dave Holland Quintet (The most consistently excellent live band of the past decade just gets beetter with time.
Record Label - Hot Cup Records (Released a wide rage of exciting and progressive jazz albums this year.)
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