It was a monumental year for jazz by the Bay.

Notably, we celebrated milestone anniversaries for both the Monterey (50) and San Francisco (25) jazz festivals. We also marked the opening of the new Yoshi’s in San Francisco, which fills a major gap in that city’s arts scene.

I was fortunate to attend many of this year’s biggest jazz events , as well as some of the smaller, though equally enjoyable, concerts. The following is a look back at the year in live jazz in the Bay Area, courtesy of my own personal Top 10 list.

Top 10 jazz concerts of 2007
1. Ornette Coleman
(Oct. 28, Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco)
The saxophone hero could have begun resting on his laurels about 1959, the year his groundbreaking “The Shape of Jazz to Come’’ was released. Instead, he went the other way and fashioned a lengthy and lasting legacy that is simply beyond compare. This Masonic show _ as exciting a night of jazz as I’ve experienced in years _ showed that Coleman isn’t finished writing his own legend. We’re clearly in the midst of a prime era for this gifted musician, who won both a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and a Pulitizer Prize in 2007.

2. Monterey Jazz Festival
(Sept. 21-23, Monterey County Fairgrounds)
The 50th anniversary of the world’s most prestigious jazz festival proved to be everything a fan could’ve hoped. We saw great sets by the East Bay’s own Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins and _ yes, him again _ Ornette Coleman. With due respect to Oscar Peterson and a handful of others, one could make a very convincing case that Brubeck, Rollins and especially Coleman are the three greatest living jazz artists. Throw in my gal _ Diana Krall _ and you’ve got an anniversary occasion to remember for the next 50 years.

3. The Christian McBride Situation
(July 27, Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, Oakland)
At the start of the show, the bass wizard instructed fans to “strap up _ we will reach our cruising altitude of infinity shortly.’’ The combo _ featuring East Bay saxophonist Dave Ellis, DJ Jahi Sundance and keyboardist Patrice Rushen _ proceeded to perform one of the most impressive evenings of wholly improvised music that I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. That, dear friends, was jazz.

4. Josh Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade
(May 4, Herbst Theatre, San Francisco)
For this SFJAZZ concert, saxophonist Redman, pianist Mehldau, bassist McBride and drummer Blade _ a quartet that worked together for two years in the ‘90s _ reunited to honor the great Thelonious Monk. The band used the opportunity to perform sensational covers/reinterpretations of songs found on the acclaimed “Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall’’ record.

5. E.S.T.
( May 22, Yoshi’s at Jack London Square)
The Esbjorn Svensson Trio (E.S.T.) is a Swedish outfit that plays “America’s music’’ better than just about anyone. That’s the good news. The better news is that the band _ featuring pianist Svensson, bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Ostrom _ accomplishes that feat in startingly new and refreshing ways. Plus, it’s equally good on record and in concert.

6. Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood
(Sept. 20, Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga)
MMW _ keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin and bassist Chris Wood _ is already so great in concert that the thought of adding champion guitarist John Scofield to the mix seems totally unfair to all the other working jazz combos. Thankfully, life isn’t always fair _ and the fans at Montalvo received a gluton’s share of jazz riches on this evening.

7. Ravi Coltrane
( July 25, Yoshi’s at Jack London Square)
I’ve been lucky to catch John C’s son on numerous occasions _ including in performance with his mother, Alice Coltrane, at the Masonic in 2006 and as part of an all-star band at the grand opening of Yoshi’s San Francisco last month. That Masonic gig was a magical evening, one that ranked as my pick for best jazz concert of 2006, but the finest saxophone work that I’ve heard Ravi deliver came at this Yoshi’s show.

8. Chick Corea, Gary Burton
(Feb. 17, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley)
Pianist Corea and vibraphonist Burton share a undeniable musical bond, one that manifested to the greatest extent on 1972’s masterful “Crystal Silence.’’ On this evening, the pair celebrated the 35th anniversary that landmark album with an evening of duets that made one wonder why on earth do these two players ever perform separately?

9. Branford Marsalis
(Feb. 12, Yoshi’s at Jack London Square)
Wynton’s sax-blowing brother was in exceptionally fine form on this night, which featured a mix of original tunes composed by Branford and his band mates (drummer Jeff “Tain’’ Watts, bassist Eric Revis and pianist Joey Calderazzo). The best of the lot was Marsalis’ own “Sir Roderick, the Aloof,’’ which included a spiraling soprano sax solo that sent shivers down fans’ spines.

10. Chris Botti
(Feb. 16, Paramount Theatre, Oakland)
I won’t make the Jazz Police happy by including Botti on this list. The self-appointed guardians of “real jazz’’ don’t like this trumpeter because he has the nerve to sell large numbers of records. Their reasoning goes something like this: If the general public likes it then it can’t be worthwhile jazz. If, however, you’d rather enjoy an evening of beautifully performed instrumental ballads than stay at home and worry about your “cool’’ credentials, I highly recommend catching Botti in concert.

Saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade spent two years working together in the early ’90s. That ensemble, which clearly ranks as one of the most impressive bands in modern jazz history, was documented on two of Redman’s albums _ “MoodSwing” and “Captured Live.”

On Friday night (May 4), the four contemporary jazz giants reassembled to pay tribute to two jazz legends _ pianist Thelonious Monk and saxophonist John Coltrane _ at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. The event, part of SFJAZZ’s season-long exploration of Monk’s music, marked the first time the four players had performed full-length concerts together since 1994.

Let’s just hope they don’t wait another 13 years to do it again. Based on what I heard during the 7 p.m. concert, which was followed by another set at 9:30 p.m., it’s pretty easy to get excited about what these guys would sound like if they gigged together more often.

Besides the long-awaited reunion, another factor that made this show special was the material. The songs all hailed from “Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall.”

There’s a story behind that album, which many jazz fans already know, so I’ll keep the recap brief. Coltrane played in Monk’s band for a little over a year in the late ’50s (April 1957-Sept. 1958). Unfortunately, there wasn’t much recorded output from that period.

Or, at least, so we thought.

A few years back, a live recording from 1957 was unearthed at the Library of Congress. It was then released to the public and the result, “Carnegie Hall,” became the most widely acclaimed jazz disc of 2005.

Wisely, the band didn’t try to re-create, note for note, Monk and Trane’s concert on Friday. Instead, the group used the recording, which also featured the fine work of bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik and drummer Shadow Wilson, as a roadmap for its own performance. The end product was closer to a re-imagination than a re-creation.

The quartet kicked off the show with a solid run through Monk’s own “Crepuscule with Nellie,” which is actually the third track on the “Carnegie Hall” disc, as Mehldau took the first of many impressive solos.

Although the pianist lists Thelonious as a major influence, Mehldau rarely comes across particularly Monk-like in concert. He’s got his own thing going on _ and what a wonderful thing it is _ and his playing is as singular as that of any pianist in the game.

On this night, however, Mehldau clearly had Monk in his head and seemed to alter his style accordingly. It was far from being a copycat performance, but the young pianist was definitely exuding a Monk vibe as he jumped and jived his way through “Nutty.”

Conversely, Redman didn’t seem to ride the Trane anymore than usual. Sure, you could find bits and pieces that reminded you of Coltrane _ but, then again, when is that ever not the case when it comes to saxophone-led jazz music? Coltrane’s music has so greatly shaped modern jazz that it barely registers when a saxophonist directly quotes him.

Redman, a Berkeley native and the artistic director for SFJAZZ’s spring season, used the “Carnegie Hall” framework to turn in some deliriously good, and smartly diverse, leads. Notably, he swung like mad during “Nutty” and erupted like a volcano on “Evidence.”

Nobody was more impressive than McBride. Be honest here _ how many times do you walk away from a show wishing that you heard more bass solos? It’s rare. But not when McBride is on the stage.

The heavily in-demand bassist _ who showed exactly why _ stole the spotlight on several occasions as he plucked out mesmerizing passages on “Monk’s Mood” and “Epistrophy.” He also brought the funk to the table convincingly. (If you want to hear McBride at his funkiest, I highly recommend 2006’s “Live at Tonic.”)

The ever-stylish Blade, as per usual, delivered exactly the right beats at all the right times. He makes everything look so effortless, even as he twists and turns out rhythms that other drummers can only dream about.

In all, the foursome turned in a performance that both served as a tribute to the original “Carnegie Hall” masterpiece and worked as a standalone piece of art. Bravo.