There are a couple of reasons why I'm posting this belated "mid-year" faves lists now. For one, July was incredibly busy, and I had no time nor energy to do any writing, either of the professional or blogging kind. My first piece of August is due to be published this coming Monday, so for reason number two, consider this a sort of kick off. And third, today is Bandcamp Friday, which means today the hosting site will be waiving their cut for all sales, digital or physical media. Most of the releases listed below can be found on Bandcamp.
Now, I'm acutely aware that simply listing music without adding any rationale, explanation, whys or hows is of limited use. Yet, I've been posting music lists for years. In part, I do this for selfish reasons, as a way to keep track of what I've been enjoying the most over a specific period of time, a way of narrowing down and sorting all those incoming CDs and digital files (and sometimes LPs) into one neat pile. Now, I could easily keep those lists in my notebook or on my PC, but then again, some folks like lists, for one reason or another. As a shorthand, quick way to get a glimpse into what music the listmaker in question has been grooving to, I can see the usefulness. And if that's a thing you enjoy, well then this is for you.
Those who have read or hear me opine on music will likely get why, say, the interweaving patterns, lithe melodic flights and supple bounce of María Grand's Reciprocity and the irrepressible rambunctious thrust and soar of William Parker, Ava Mendoza and Gerald Cleaver's Mayan Space Station are stuff that resonate with me. As for the other music listed here, well I wish I had time to elaborate some. I have written about several of these picks over these past six months or so, mostly for Klassekampen's weekly music supplement Musikkmagasinet. Others, I have not, for any number of reasons. I do wish I had the opportunity to write more than I have in recent years. In time, perhaps a solution and more opportunities will arise.(The list is by no means exhaustive, there has been even more music that has struck my fancy over the past six/seven months, but for today, 50 will suffice).
- María Grand: Reciprocity (Biophilia Records)
- James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet: Jesup Wagon (TAO Forms)
- William Parker: Mayan Space Station (AUM Fidelity)
- Luís Vicente Trio, Gonçalo Almeida, Pedro Melo Alves: Chanting In the Name Of (Clean Feed)
Heavy rotation:
- Alder Ego: III (We Jazz Records)
- Christian Reim Sextet: Mona Lisa Suite Live at Molde, 1973 (Jazzaggression)
- William Parker: Painters Winter (AUM Fidelity)
- Kari Ikonen: Impressions, Improvisations and Compositions (Ozella)
- Madlib: Sound Ancestors (Madlib Invazion)
- Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg (4AD)
- Punkt. Vrt. Plastik. (Kaja Draksler, Peter Eldh, Christian Lillinger): Somit (Intakt)
- Mario Pavone / Dialect Trio + 1: Blue Vertical (Out Of Your Head Records)
- Silke Eberhard Trio: Being the Up and Down (Intakt)
- Three Layer Cake (Brandon Seabrook, Mike Watt, Mike Pride): Stove Top (Rare Noise Records)
- Sibusiso Mash Mashiloane: Ihubo Labomdabu (self-released)
- Mach-Hommy: Pray For Haiti (Griselda Records)
- Miguel Zenon: Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman (Miel)
- Carl Magnus Neumann, Ketil Gutvik, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love: New Dance (PNL)
- Fire!: Defeat (Rune Grammofon)
- Ivo Perelman Trio: Garden of Jewels (Tao Forms)
- Marthe Lea Band: Aura (Motvind)
- Claire Rosay: a softer focus (American Dream Records)
Thoroughly enjoying
- Aki Takase/Christian Weber/Michael Griener: Auge (Intakt)
- William Parker: Migration Of Silence Into and Out Of the Tone World (Centering Records)
- Tom Rainey Obligato: Untucked In Hannover (Intakt)
- Anthony Braxton: Quartet (Standards) 2020 (New Braxton House)
- Signe Emmeluth: Hi Hello I'm Signe (Relative Pitch)
- Koma Saxo: Live (We Jazz Records)
- Christopher Hoffman: Asp Nimbus (Out Of Your Head Records)
- Body Meπa: The Work Is Slow (Hausu Mountain)
- Part Chimp: Drool (Wrong Speed Records)
- Rodrigo Amado This Is Our Language Quartet: Let the Free Be Men (Trost)
- Skarbø Skulekorps: Dugnad (Hubro)
- Flow Trio with Joe McPhee: Winter Garden (ESP)
- Tine Surel Lange: Works For listening 1-10 (Sofa Music)
- Mats Eilertsen: Solitude Central (Hemli)
- Mario Pavone Tampa Quartet: Isabella (Clean Feed Records)
- Aksel Rønning Trio: ART (Øra Fonogram)
- Frode Haltli: Avant Folk II (Hubro)
- Butcher/Weston/Storesund/Knedal Andersen: Mapless Quiet (Motvind)
- Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Ding Dong. You're Dead (Rune Grammofon)
- No-no Boy: 1975 (Smithsonian Folkways)
- Paul Dunmall / Percy Pursglove / Olie Brice / Jeff Williams: Plindronmes (West Hill Records)
- Iréne Schweizer & Hamid Drake: Celebration (Intakt)
- Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime (Matador)
- Devin Grey, Ralph Alessi & Angelica Sanchez: Melt All the Guns (Rataplan)
- Arne Torvik Trio: Northwestern Songs (Losen)*
- Barry Altschul 3Dom Factor: Long Tall Sunshine
- Sons Of Kemet: Black To the Future (Impulse!)
- Mind Maintenance: Mind Maintenance (Drag City)
* Full disclosure: I wrote the liner notes for this release.
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