The best jazz and blues spins of 2008

I don't really have any sweeping statements to make about the jazz or blues worlds in 2008. Both genres continue to be marginalized by popular culture, with the occasional radar blips, such as Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters winning a Grammy for Album of the Year (a hen's-tooth rare honor for a jazz recording), or the big-screen epic Cadillac Records, basically a Chess Records bio-pic, reminding the mainstream how cool jazz and blues are ... for about a second. That said, jazz and blues artists continue to chug along and, against all odds, released some excellent recordings this year. Here are my favorite jazz and blues albums of the past 12 months.

Jazz:
1. History, Mystery: Bill Frisell (Nonesuch). Frisell once again ventures into eerie, backwoods Americana, his razor-stropped guitar lines dancing gleefully through a soundscape rife with the tones and colors of jazz, country, chamber music and world music over the span of two sonically fascinating discs. Featuring familiar cohorts such as violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang and cellist Hank Roberts, Frisell's ensemble has been honed to a keen edge, beautifully bringing his singular, sepia-toned vision to life.
2. Dreams Come True: Andrew Hill and Chico Hamilton (Joyous Shout). Idiosyncratic pianist and composer Hill engages in eloquent musical conversation with drummer and composer Hamilton, the pair responding to one another with terrific sensitivity. Rather than simply keeping time, Hamilton comments on Hill's fractured, Monk-inspired bop lines, adding layers of texture and excitement and showcasing a dazzling virtuosity at any tempo, any volume. Recorded in 1993, the session serves as a unique entry in the discography of Hill, who died in 2007.
3. Norma Winstone: Distances (ECM). British vocalist Norma Winstone's crystalline intonation and dreamy, image-laden lyrics are set jewel-like against the sparse accompaniment of pianist Glauco Venier and reed player Klaus Gesing. The mood is introspective, as Winstone sings poetic, metaphorical verses that wander "unfathomed streets," vaguely recall "villages of confused colour" and gaze out on "sun-silent seas." Bass clarinet and soprano saxophone add to the tonal pallette and accentuate the air of mystery and melancholy. (Winstone, Venier and Gesing will perform in West Palm Beach in February. Details to come.)
4. Solo Piano: Paul Bley (Justin Time). Over the years, Bley, 76, has returned time and again to the solo format, finding new avenues of expression each time. Here, Bley explores the long form, as he departs on a 33 and a half-minute journey that takes him through ever-shifting emotional terrain, from pissed-off to mocking to surprisingly tender. For a followup, the pianist dives into the familiar changes of Sonny Rollins' "Pent Up House," a humor-filled and affectionate nod to his own bebop roots.
5. Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol II: Paul Motion Trio 2000 Plus Two (Winter and Winter). Drummer Motian's subtle shadings and nuances render him as of one of jazz's true master impressionist. His Trio 2000 Plus Two was captured in all its thorny glory during a live set at the Village Vanguard in 2006, the second volume of which was released earlier this year. Here, the drummer's sly, silvery percussion insinuates itself throughout an exceptional set alongside saxophonist Chris Potter and bassist Larry Grenadier. Pianist Masabumi Kikuchi also provides spiky explorations throughout.

Blues:
1. One Kind Favor: B.B. King (Geffen). This stripped-down, powerful album is one of my favorite B.B. King recordings in years. With bare-bones production from T-Bone Burnett, the 82-year-old blues icon touches bedrock with versions of classics by heroes such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker, Howlin' Wolf and Lonnie Johnson. Nathan East's rich-toned bass and Jay Bellerose's ever-present bass drum root the selections in the loamy soil of the Delta, as King — in terrific if somewhat aged voice, and still making Lucille sing with heartrending, jazzy precision — makes each selection indelibly his own.
2. Roamin' and Ramblin': Honeyboy Edwards (Earwig). A variety of harmonica players provide accompaniment on new and vintage tracks by nonagenarian blues great Edwards, whose haunting, dusty vocals and distinctive fingerpicking engage with Bobby Rush, Billy Branch and the late Big Walter Horton. An archival cut from 1942, "The Army Blues" provides a snapshot of Honeyboy as a young artist and shows how deep was Robert Johnson's influence on his young protege just a few years after his tragic death.
3. Midnight Blues: Magic Slim and the Teardrops (Blind Pig). Despite constant personnel changes, Slim and the 'Drops have long ruled the Chicago blues scene, and the incarnation captured here provides ample justification. Guest stars such as James Cotton and Little Ed Williams up the excitement ante, but Slim's big voice rightly remains centerstage as he digs in on classics such as Muddy Waters' "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had" and Willie Dixon's "Spider in My Stew."
4. 2 Man Wrecking Crew: Cedric Burnside and Lightin' Malcolm (Delta Groove). The grandson of Mississippi Hill Country blues giant R.L. Burnside, drummer Cedric Burnside teamed up with guitarist Lightnin' Malcolm on the appropriately named 2 Man Wrecking Crew. The pair pay heartfelt homage to forebears such as Junior Kimbrough, and of course, grandpa Burnside, who's celebrated on the opening track that bears his name, but they're obviously determined to forge their own sound with all original material.
5. The Mannish Boys: Lowdown Feelin' (Delta Groove). An allstar assemblage of veteran bluesmen takes turns fronting a superb band, with Chicago vocalist Bobby Jones featured prominently. He's spelled at the vocal mike by equally character-rich singers Finis Tasby and Johnny Dyer, as well as Little Sammy Davis, who damn near steals the show with a read of his laid-back groover "When I Leave." Instrumental backing throughout is topnotch, with stinging contributions from guitarists "Paris Slim" Goldwasser, Kid Ramos and Junior Watson.