Mark Keresman

1. Jeremy Udden, Plainville (Fresh Sound New Talent) If Wilco played Americana-infused jazz, they might sound like Jeremy Udden.

2. Ben Allison, Think Free (Palmetto) Sharp, clever, organic jazz made by rock fans.

3. Pastels/Tenniscoats, Two Sunsets (Domino) Twee, retro, tender, cozy, comforting and low-budget without being lo-fi.

4. Wadada Leo Smith, Spiritual Dimensions (Cuneiform) Wadada Leo Smith emerged from the late ’60s avant-garde but he refused to be limited even by its conventions; today he’s making jazz that crackles like Miles Davis’ best electric music without sounding anything like it.

5. Pugwash, Giddy (Ape) Andy Partridge’s own Ape label brings America (and the world at large) an Irish band that beats the High Llamas and Eric Matthews at their own game — retro-pop nirvana!

6. Or, The Whale, Or, The Whale (Seany) Imagine the Band at their Big Pink peak crossed with Sandy Denny-era Fairport Convention. This sophomore disc is loaded with powerfully evocative songs and wonderful singing.

7. Towner Galaher, Courageous Hearts (self-released) Smoking hot hard bop jazz played with the fury and gusto of the early Clash and circa mid-’60s James Brown’s JBs.

8. Rosanne Cash, The List (Manhattan) One of the best tributes to not only her late father but to country music itself.

9. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Know Better Learn Faster (Kill Rock Stars) 1960s pop/Motown/folk-rock for the brooding (and unbowed) broken-hearted, both quirky and gutsy.

10. Tinariwen, Imidiwan: Companions (World Village) Truly a band of… wandering minstrels, this band of desert Africans (Tuaregs) play what can only be described as North African psychedelic blues that could put a scare into Spiritualized and R.L. Burnside.