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.

Christian McBride can play straight-ahead jazz with the best in the business. In fact, the bassist did just that when he appeared at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square back in December in a McCoy Tyner-led combo that also featured saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts.

But it’s his versatility that has made this 35-year-old Philadelphia native one of the most sought-after sidemen in music. Since bursting onto the scene in the late ’80s, McBride has performed with such jazz greats as Diana Krall, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea as well as with pop/R&B stars like Sting and James Brown.

His versatility was on full display over this past weekend as the Christian McBride Situation performed wholly improvised evenings of funk-jazz at Yoshi’s in Oakland.

The Situation isn’t the bassist’s regular troupe. He still devotes the lion’s share of his time to his Christian McBride Band, a quartet featuring drummer Terreon Gully, pianist Geoff Keezer and saxophonist Ron Blake that will perform Aug. 5 at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society in Half Moon Bay.

Of course, given McBride’s busy schedule _ which includes a trio tour with pianist Bruce Hornsby and drummer Jack DeJohnette, set to stop on Aug. 23 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco _ the lion’s share of his time wouldn’t impress many kings of the jungle.

Still, when McBride finds himself with some free time, and his regular band mates are unavailable to gig, he calls up some other musicians and gets something new going on stage. He calls these occurrences “Situations.”

The particular Situation that McBride found himself in on Friday night (July 26) at Yoshi’s was leading a band that featured East Bay saxophonist Dave Ellis, DJ Jahi Sundance and keyboardist Patrice Rushen. And, yes, we’re talking about the same Patrice Rushen who was well known in the ’80s for such pop/R&B hits as “Forget Me Nots.”

The ensemble had never played together prior to the Yoshi’s engagement and had no solidified game plan going into these performances. The bassist embraced the uncertainty that is inherent in such a setting and, instead of being intimidated, seemed truly excited about the musical possibilities that could be explored in the Christian McBride Situation.

“What exactly is the `Situation?”’ McBride said after introducing the band to the crowd. “I don’t know. (The other musicians) don’t know. So, we know that you certainly don’t know.”

Simply describing the ensemble as “four musical minds coming together to fly,” McBride instructed listeners to “strap up _ we will reach our cruising altitude of infinity shortly.”

The group gelled exceedingly well in this format, where improvisation was king and the music was indeed made “on the fly.” The pieces began with a fresh idea, often arising from some record that Sundance slipped on the turntable, and they went wherever the musicians felt necessary. The numbers (a term I use loosely) ended when, well, they were done.

For the listener, the experience was tremendously exciting and full of the unexpected. Each of the players delivered individual highlights _ McBride showcased his blistering finger speed, causing his upright bass to buzz like a hive of bees; Rushen delivered some real deal ’70s “funkadelic” keyboard work; Ellis hit with blossoming leads on both soprano and tenor; Sundance always seemed to find the platter that mattered.

None of those individual accomplishments, however, topped how the band played as a whole. On a purely clinical level, it was fascinating to watch how quickly the band members could find each other, musically speaking, and lock into a groove.

Yet, this concert was as much for the feet as it was for mind. At times, little kids danced in the aisles to the joyously free music _ in the same fashion as they might boogie to a Kidz Bop record. That’s not a sight one sees often at Yoshi’s. But, then again, this was a wholly different kind of a “Situation.”

Write jazz critic Jim Harrington at jharrington@angnewspapers.com. For more jazz coverage, visit www.insidebayarea.com/jimharrington.

The Christian McBride Band in concert
When: 4:30 p.m. Aug. 5
Where: The Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society at the Douglas Beach House, 311 Mirada Road, Half Moon Bay
Tickets: $30
Call: (650) 726-4143 or visit www.bachddsoc.org

Also: McBride will perform with Bruce Hornsby and Jack DeJohnette at 8 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. Tickets are $49.50. Call (415) 567-6642 or visit www.apeconcerts.com.