Listening to Miles Davis on your headphones in your pyjamas while queuing to buy milk from the all-night garage could have been a choice. Stepping out to catch these gigs was the much better option in 2013
10 Ronnie Greer Blues Band, Ardhowen, Enniskillen Guitarist and singer Greer steered a path from Muddy Waters to Steely Dan with some ease and displayed the wit and wisdom of a natural bluesman blessed with an open approach and an ear for a chunky riff.
9 Jazz Heads, Ronnie Scott’s, London Enjoyable ‘Sugar’-led rundown by a band stocked with greatness.
8 Richard Bona, Pizza Express Jazz Club, London Even though Gonzalo Rubalcaba was a no-show back in June Bona left no stone unturned as he dazzled with a display of sheer jazz showmanship and flair.
7 The Shearing Hour, Pizza Express Jazz Club, London I’m biased but this was a gem of a gig slipped in ahead of Eli Degibri’s London debut in the Dean Street jazz basement in March. John Turville captured the necessary bittersweet Shearing tristesse and romped home on ‘Lullaby of Birdland’.
6 Keith Jarrett, Royal Festival Hall, London Solo Jarrett, what’s not to like? Cough tablets consumed by several thousand people in theory Manfred Eicher was even in the hall and Jarrett reminisced about bad food. Ah, the memories.
5 Mike Stern-Victor Wooten band, Hawk’s Well theatre, Sligo Jazz Festival Wooten and Watson throwing drum sticks at each other across the stage like apprentice jugglers, the band even signed a bass drum head in marker pen before the music stopped and threw the head Frisbee-fashion into the crowd. A sight you won’t witness at a Keith Jarrett gig.
4 Spin Marvel, Scene Norway 2, Kings Place, London Martin France muscular and intense throughout losing himself entirely in the attack to thrilling effect as Nils Petter Molvær’s dark interjections mined Miles’ Agharta period.
3 Decoy, at Brilliant Corners, Black Box, Belfast An asthmatic organ didn’t hamper Alexander Hawkins and co in this excellent Sun Ra-flavoured set.
2 Wayne Shorter Quartet and the BBC Concert Orchestra, London Jazz Festival, the Barbican The orchestral Wayne never sounded so good.
1 Vijay Iyer trio, Purcell Room, London What a year’s it been for the new Harvard professor who’s also moving to ECM and won a MacArthur ‘genius’ award into the bargain. Cutting it live as ever.
Vijay Iyer trio pictured