This was not a particularly great year for jazz recordings. I may be wrong, but I'd be astonished if, 10 or 15 years from now, people are saying, "Wow, 2008. That's the year that [blank] came out!"
That being said, here are 10 albums from 2008 — presented in no particular order — that I find memorable, well-produced, full of contemporary attitude and fun to listen to. There's a generosity of spirit common to these recordings, where the artists seem to want to reach out to your world, rather than demand that you reach into theirs. These discs are a delight to listen to while living your life, whether it's doing dishes, driving around town, syncing into your iPod or just plain kicking back and relaxing.
Click here for more entries in the Best CDs of 2008 series.
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