Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead: Best of 2004

Ned Sublette's Cuba and Its Music traces a wide range of sound, from the origins of Cuban music to its influences.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead gives the lowdown on new jazz releases that are perfect for the music lover on your last-minute shopping list.

Detail of the box set for Miles Davis's complete recordings for the Columbia label.

Whitehead says that this year, there is something for every budget, from affordable classics to handsome box sets and series. Also included are a book on jazz, and a combination CD/calendar.

CDs and Box Sets

Albert Ayler — Holy Ghost (Revenant)

Jimmy Smith — Retrospective (Blue Note)

Miles Davis — Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis, 1963-1964 (Columbia)

Dexter Gordon — The Complete Prestige Recordings (Prestige)

Art Farmer/Benny Golson — The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet Sessions (Mosaic)

Charles Mingus — The Great Concert of Charles Mingus (Verve)

The Centennial Collection (RCA)— CD and DVD collections featuring artists such as Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Artie Shaw, Colman Hawkins and others

Kenneth Patchen — Kenneth Patchen Reads with Jazz in Canada (Locust)

Kenneth Rexroth/ Lawrence Ferlinghetti – Poetry Readings in the Cellar (Fantasy)

Other:

Blues Images 2005 Calendar and CD