Music Year 2019

Of course, it's too early for a year-end list. But as the proto-fascist organization of my youth insisted, one should always be prepared. For records in hand, * identifies an advance copy, ** something borrowed or streamed (**? means I wasn't able to hear all of it). Some albums released in previous years are included here, noted by a "-NN" (e.g., -19 for 2019) -- these are mostly imports or self-releases, often hard to figure out official dates, but they were unknown (to me, at least) before the current year.

I keep adding to the 2019 until the end of calendar 2020, especially where the record was known to exist in 2019 and I'm just getting around to it.

New Records

  1. Drive-By Truckers: The Unraveling (ATO) **
  2. Ross Hammond/Oliver Lake/Mike Pride: Our Place on the Wheel (Prescott) **
  3. Aly Keïta/Jan Galega Brönnimann/Lucas Niggli: Kalan Teban (Intakt) **
  4. Chicago Farmer: Flyover Country (Chicago Farmer) **
  5. Shopping: All or Nothing (FatCat) **
  6. Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia (Warner) **
  7. Shabaka and the Ancestors: We Are Sent Here by History (Impulse!) **
  8. Mac Miller: Circles (Warner) **
  9. Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio Featuring Johnathan Blake: Without Deception (Dare2)
  10. The Third Mind: The Third Mind (Yep Roc) **
  11. Evan Parker/Paul Lytton: Collective Calls (Revisited) (Jubilee) (Intakt) **
  12. Cornershop: England Is a Garden (Ample Play) **
  13. Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra: If You Listen Carefully the Music Is Yours (Odin) **
  14. Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You? (International Anthem) **
  15. Jeb Bishop Flex Quartet: Re-Collect (Not Two -19) **
  16. Jim Black Trio: Reckon (Intakt) **
  17. Al Gold: Al Gold's Paradise (self-released)
  18. Brandy Clark: Your Life Is a Record (Warner) **
  19. Schlippenbach/Narvesen Duo: Liminal Field (Not Two -19) **
  20. Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud (Merge) **
  21. Jerry Bergonzi: Nearly Blue (Savant)
  22. Megan Thee Stallion: Suga (300 Entertainment, EP) **
  23. Joe McPhee/John Edwards/Klaus Kugel: A Night in Alchemia (Not Two) **
  24. Dave Sewelson: More Music for a Free World (Mahakala Music) **
  25. Torbjörn Zetterberg & Den Stora Fragan: Are You Happy (Moserobie)
  26. Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet: When Angels Fall (WMQ/Agora Muzyka -19) **
  27. Eminem: Music to Be Murdered By (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope/Goliath) **

Pending:

Records in hand, but which haven't yet been graded.

  • Jeff Hamilton Trio: Catch Me If You Can (Capri) [07-17]
  • Samo Salamon/Igor Matkovic/Kristijan Krajncan: Common Flow (Sazas)
  • Samo Salamon/Igor Matkovic/Kristijan Krajncan: Rare Ebb (Sazas)
  • Diane Schuur: Running on Faith (Jazzheads)
  • Lou Volpe: Before & After (Jazz Guitar) [04-01]

Also Noted:

Records in hand, graded B+ or below, in alphabetical order within grade slots:

  • Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band: Just Like Moby Dick (Paradise of Bachelors) **
  • Tim Berne's Snakeoil: The Fantastic Mrs. 10 (Intakt) **
  • Daniel Bingert: Berit in Space (Moserobie)
  • Raoul Björkenheim: Solar Winds (Long Song) **
  • Carla Bley/Andy Sheppard/Steve Swallow: Life Goes On (ECM) **
  • François Carrier/Tomek Gadecki/Marcik Bozek/Michel Lambert: Wide (FMR -19)
  • CP Unit: One Foot on the Ground Smoking Mirror Shakedown (Ramp Local) **
  • Vito Dieterle: Anemone (Ride Symbol)
  • Lara Driscoll: Woven Dreams (Firm Roots Music)
  • Liberty Ellman: Last Desert (Pi)
  • Fat Tony & Taydex: Wake Up (Carpark, EP) **
  • Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York: Entity (Libra)
  • Georgia: Seeking Thrills (Domino) **
  • Vincent Glanzmann/Gerry Hemingway: Composition O (Fundacja Sluchaj)
  • Alex Goodman: Impressions in Blue and Red (Outside In Music, 2CD)
  • Grimes: Miss Anthropocene (4AD) **
  • Halsey: Manic (Capitol) **
  • Harrison²: Trout in Swimwear (self-released) *
  • The Heliocentrics: Infinity of Now (Madlib Invazion) **
  • Holy Fuck: Deleter (Last Gang) **
  • Kuzu [Dave Rempis/Tashi Dorji/Tyler Damon]: Purple Dark Opal (Aerophonic)
  • Hayoung Lyou: Metamorphosis (Endectomorph Music)
  • Mr. Wrong: Create a Place (Water Wing, EP) **
  • Nutria: Meeting in Progress (Ears & Eyes)
  • Keith Oxman: Two Cigarettes in the Dark (Capri)
  • Pet Shop Boys: Hotspot (X2) **
  • Princess Nokia: Everything Is Beautiful (Platoon) **
  • Carl Saunders: Jazz Trumpet (Summit)
  • Schapiro 17: New Shoes: Kind of Blue at 60 (Summit, 2CD)
  • Mark Segger Sextet: Lift Off (18th Note)
  • Sestetto Internazionale: Live in Munich 2019 (Fundacja Sluchaj)
  • Paul Shaw Quintet: Moment of Clarity (Summit)
  • Sløtface: Sorry for the Late Reply (Propeller) **
  • Jim Snidero: Project-K (Savant)
  • Soccer Mommy: Color Theory (Loma Vista) **
  • Superposition: Superposition (We Jazz) **
  • Ohad Talmor: Long Forms (Intakt) **
  • The Westerlies: Wherein Lies the Good (Westerlies)
  • Wire: Mind Hive (Pink Flag) **

  • Lila Ammons: Genealogy (self-released)
  • Bad Bunny: YHLQMDLG (Rimas) **
  • John Bailey: Can You Imagine? (Freedom Road)
  • Benny Benack III: A Lot of Livin' to Do (LA Reserve)
  • Antoine Berjeaut: Moving Cities (I See Colors -19) **
  • Moses Boyd: Dark Matter (Exodus) **
  • Calle Loiza Jazz Project: There Will Never Be Another You (self-released)
  • Caribou: Suddenly (Merge) **
  • Avishai Cohen Big Vicious: Big Vicious (ECM) **
  • Frank Colón: Latin Lounge (Technoprimal Music)
  • Jeremy Cunningham: The Weather Up There (Northern Spy) **
  • Day Dream: Originals (Corner Store Jazz)
  • Vito Dieterle/Joel Forrester: Status Sphere (Ride Symbol)
  • Beatrice Dillon: Workaround (Pan) **
  • John DiMartino: Passion Flower: The Music of Billy Strayhorn (Sunnyside)
  • Yelena Eckemoff: Nocturnal Animals (L&H Production, 2CD)
  • Fire! Orchestra: Actions (Rune Grammofon) **
  • Naama Gheber: Dearly Beloved (Cellar Music)
  • Gordon Grdina/Matt Mitchel/Jim Black: Gordon Grdina's Nomad Trio (Skirl)
  • The Haden Triplets: The Family Songbook (Trimeter) **
  • Paul Heaton/Jacqui Abbott: Manchester Calling (Virgin EMI) **
  • Lily Hiatt: Walking Proof (New West) **
  • Lisa Hilton: Chalkboard Destiny (Ruby Slippers -19) **
  • Christopher Hollyday & Telepathy: Dialogue (Jazzbeat Productions)
  • JC Hopkins Biggish Band: New York Moment (Twee-Jazz)
    • J Hus: Big Conspiracy (Black Butter) **
  • Nils Landgren & Jan Lundgren: Kristallen (ACT Music) **
  • Urs Leimgruber/Andreas Willers/Alvin Curran/Fabrizio Spera: Rome-ing (Leo -19) **
  • Les Amazones D'Afrique: Amazones Power (RealWorld) **
  • Arto Lindsay/Joe McPhee/Ken Vandermark/Phil Sudderberg: Largest Afternoon (Corbett vs. Dempsey) **
  • Charles Lloyd: 8: Kindred Spirits (Live From the Lobero) (Blue Note) **
  • Fred Lonberg-Holm/Joe McPhee: No Time Left for Sadness (Corbett vs. Dempsey) **
  • Harold Mabern: Mabern Plays Mabern (Smoke Sessions) **
  • Denise Mangiardi: Brown Book (Alice's Loft Music)
  • Grégoire Maret/Romain Collin/Bill Frisell: Americana (ACT Music)
  • Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra: Jazz Party (Troubadour Jass)
  • Christian McBride: The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons (Mack Avenue) **
  • Thollem McDonas/William Parker/Nels Cline: Gowanus Sessions II (ESP-Disk) **
  • Mike McGinnis/Elias Bailey/Vinnie Sperrazza: Time Is Thicker (Open Stream Music)
  • John McLaughlin/Shankar Mahadevan/Zakir Hussain: Is That So? (Abstract Logix) **
  • John Moreland: LP5 (Old Omens) **
  • Tami Neilson: Chicka Boom! (Outside) **
  • Agnes Obel: Myopia (Blue Note) **
  • Aruán Ortiz With Andrew Cyrille and Mauricio Herrera: Inside Rhythmic Falls (Intakt) **
  • Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown (International Anthem) **
  • Jonah Parzen-Johnson: Imagine Growing Up (We Jazz) **
  • Princess Nokia: Everything Sucks (Platoon, EP) **
  • Jure Pukl: Broken Circles (Whirlwind) **
  • Purna Loka Ensemble: Metaraga (Origin)
  • Gloria Reuben & Marty Ashby: For All We Know (MCG Jazz)
  • Jessie Reyez: Before Love Came to Kill Us (Island) **
  • Dan Rosenboom: Absurd in the Anthropocene (Gearbox) **
  • Andreas Røysum Ensemble: Andreas Røysum Ensemble (Motvind) **
  • Chanda Rule + Sweet Emma Band: Hold On (Blujazz/PAO)
  • Gil Scott-Heron: We're New Again: A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven (XL) **
  • SFJazz Collective: Live: SFJazz Center 2019: 50th Anniversary: Miles Davis In a Silent Way and Sly & the Family Stone Stand! (SFJazz) **
  • Skepta, Chip & Young Adz: Insomnia (SKC M29) **
  • Torben Snekkestad/Agustí Fernández/Barry Guy: The Swiftest Traveler (Trost) **
  • Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn't Make It (Joyful Noise) **
  • Oded Tzur: Here Be Dragons (ECM) **
  • Waclaw Zimpel: Massive Oscillations (Ongehoord) **

  • 070 Shake: Modus Vivendi (GOOD Music/Def Jam) **
  • Harrison Argatoff: Toronto Streets Tour (self-released)
  • Kelsea Ballerini: Kelsea (Black River) **
  • Lakecia Benjamin: Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope) **
  • Steve Beresford & John Butcher: Old Paradise Airs (Iluso) **
  • Andy Bianco: NYC Stories (Next Level) **
  • Jeb Bishop/Jaap Blonk/Weasel Walter/Damon Smith: JeJaWeDa: Poineer Works Vol. 1 (Balance Point Acoustics -19) **
  • The Coachella Valley Trio: Mid Century Modern (DMAC)
  • Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats: Unlocked (PH/Loma Vista, EP) **
  • Destroyer: Have We Met (Merge) **
  • Aaron Diehl: The Vagabond (Mack Avenue) **
  • Expansions: The Dave Liebman Group: Earth (Whaling City Sound) **
  • Nick Finzer: Cast of Characters (Outside In Music)
  • Elliot Galvin: Live in Paris at Fondation Louis Vuitton (Edition) **
  • Gilfema: Three (Sounderscore)
  • Monika Herzig: Eternal Dance (Savant)
  • Sigurd Hole: Lys/Mørke (Eivesang, 2CD) **
  • Idle Hands: Solid Moments (Posi-Tone) **
  • Kesha: High Road (Kemosabe) **
  • Kirk Knuffke: Brightness: Live in Amsterdam (Royal Potato Family) **
  • Paul Lytton/Nate Wooley: Known/Unknown (Fundacja Sluchaj)
  • Thomas Marriott: Trumpet Ship (Origin)
  • Pat Metheny: From This Place (Nonesuch) **
  • Roscoe Mitchell With Ostravska Banda: Performing Distant Radio Transmission Also Nonaah Trio, Cutouts for Woodwind Quintet and 8.8.88 (Wide Hive)
  • Never Weather: Blissonance (Ridgeway)
  • Kassa Overall: I Think I'm Good (Brownswood) **
  • Vanderlei Pereira and Blindfold Test: Vision for Rhythm (Jazzheads)
  • Reverso [Frank Woeste/Vincent Courtois/Ryan Keberle]: The Melodic Line (Out Note)
  • Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble: The New Immigrant Experience: Music Inspired by Conversations With Dreamers (Tapestry, 2CD)
  • The Secret Sisters: Saturn Return (New West) **
  • Tim Shaghoian: Gentle Beacons (Origin)
  • Dave Soldier: Zajal (Mulatta)
  • Sufjan Stevens & Lowell Brams: Aporia (Asthmatic Kitty) **
  • Tame Impala: The Slow Rush (Interscope) **
  • Sophie Tassignon: Mysteries Unfold (RareNoise) *
  • The TNEK Jazz Quintet: Plays the Music of Sam Jones (TNEK Jazz)
  • Torres: Silver Tongue (Merge) **
  • Wako: Wako (Øra Fonogram) **
  • Amber Weekes: Pure Imagination (Amber Inn Productions)

  • Gerald Beckett: Mood (Pear Orchard)
  • Boogat: El Gato Y Los Rumberos (Ray-On, EP) **
  • Benjamin Boone With the Ghana Jazz Collective: Joy (Origin)
  • Sarah Elgeti Quartet With Friends: Dawn Comes Quietly (Gateway Music)
  • John Ellis and Andy Bragen: The Ice Siren (Parade Light)
  • Amina Figarova Edition 113: Persistence (AmFi)
  • Joyce Grant: Surrounded by Blue (Craftedair/Blujazz)
  • Wolfgang Haffner: Kind of Tango (ACT Music) **
  • Christopher Icasiano: Provinces (Origin)
  • Shunzo Ohno: Runner (Pulsebeats)
  • Charles Pillow Ensemble: Chamber Jazz (Summit) **
  • Valery Ponomarev Big Band: Live! Our Father Who Art Blakey: The Centennial (Summit)
  • RJ & the Assignment: Hybrid Harmony (self-released)
  • Caroline Rose: Superstar (New West) **
  • Suzanna Ross: Is Bewitched* . . . *Not Bothered, Not Bewildered (self-released)
  • Kandace Springs: The Women Who Raised Me (Blue Note) **
  • Moses Sumney: Grae: Part 1 (Jagjaguwar) **
  • Stein Urheim: Downhill Uplift (Hubro) **

  • Carol Albert: Stronger Now (Cahara)
  • Ellen Edwards: A New York Session (Stonefire Music, EP)
  • Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis: The Music of Wayne Shorter (Blue Engine, 2CD) **
  • Painted Faces: Tales From the Skinny Apartment (ESP-Disk -19) **
  • Curt Sydnor: Deep End Shallow (Out of Your Head)
  • The United States Air Force Band Airmen of Note: Air Power! (self-released)
  • U.S. Girls: Heavy Light (4AD) **

Reissues/Compilations/Vault Music:

In previous years I tried to separate reissues from compilations, including newly released vault items in the latter. This made sense when I was reviewing a lot of Recycled Goods material, but led to other problems with year-end lists, so as of 2013 anything containing any previously released material is collected here, and anything that is wholly previously unreleased is treated as new, above.

  1. Waco Brothers: Resist! (1995-2005, Bloodshot) **
  2. Tony Allen/Hugh Masekela: Rejoice (2010, World Circuit) **

Pending:

Also Noted:

  • Hank Jones Trio: Live at Jazzhus Slukefter Vol. 2 (1983, Storyville) **
  • New Stories: Speakin' Out (1999, Origin)

  • Duke Ellington: Uppsala 1971 (Storyville -19) **
  • Bryan Ferry: Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1974 (BMG) **
  • Brent Jensen: The Sound of a Dry Martini: Remembering Paul Desmond (2002, Origin)
  • Charlie Parker: The Savoy 10-inch LP Collection (1944-48, Craft) **
  • Pharoah Sanders: Live in Paris 1975 (Transversales Disque) **
  • John Vanore: Primary Colors (1984-85, Acoustical Concepts)

  • Rashied Ali Quintet: First Time Out: Live at Slugs 1967 (Survival) **
  • Antoinette Konan: Antoinette Konan (1986, Awesome Tapes From Africa -19) **
  • The John Tchicai Quartet: Live at the Stone (2007, Minus Zero) **

  • 16-17: Phantom Limb (1995-2018, Trost) **

DVDs

I don't review DVDs. I don't watch DVDs. I don't record them in my database -- well, almost never, anyhow. Part of this is that I don't have the time, the eyes, or at the moment even the equipment. I never request DVDs. Still, some publicists insist on sending them anyway. Here's a list. They're all pending, and will probably remain that way until hell freezes over.

Songs

I always come up empty for song lists at year-end poll time. So I thought I'd start here.