MUSIC FAVORITES OF THE YEAR
SOME 2020 MUSIC FAVORITES
By András Goldinger, Music Buyer
My annual 4-page Favorites handout, available at the store, lists a few of my favorite recordings.
New Released Historical Gems / Re-Issues
Joni Mitchell, ARCHIVES VOL. 1: The Early Years (1963 – 1967) (Rhino, 5 CDs) – Before her first album
HARRY SMITH B-SIDES (Dust to Digital, 4-CD box-set & book) – The “flip side” of the songs in Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music (1952)
Ella Fitzgerald, THE LOST BERLIN TAPES (Verve) – On March 25, 1962, Ella & trio shook up Berlin again!
Thelonious Monk Quartet, PALO ALTO (Impulse) – On October 27, 1968, Monk shook up a Palo Alto HS…
Sonny Rollins, ROLLINS IN HOLLAND (Resonance, 2 CDs) – The Saxophone Colussus in his prime
Bill Evans, LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT’S (Resonance, 2 CDs) – w/ Eddie Gomez & Jack DeJohnette
Charles Mingus, AT BREMEN 1964 & 1975 (Sunnyside, 4 CDs) – 1964: Eric Dolphy, Johnny Coles, Clifford Jordan, Jaki Byard. 1975: George Adams, Jack Walrath, Don Pullen. Dannie Richmond, drums; Mingus, bass!
HOW THE RIVER GANGES FLOWS: Sublime Masterpieces of Indian Violin, 1933 -1952 (Third Man)
BLACK FIRE: SOUL LOVE NOW: The Black Fire Records Story 1975 – 1993 (Strut)
Leyla McCalla, VARI-COLORED SONGS (Smithsonian Folkways) – Re-issued tribute to Langston Hughes
Pop / Soul / Roots
The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks), GASLIGHTER (Columbia) – The return of the trio
Fiona Apple, FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS (Epic) – POW!
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, REUNIONS (Southeastern Records) – All new Isbell songs.
Bob Dylan, ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS (Columbia, 2 CDs) – Late-period Dylan at his finest
Bettye LaVette, BLACKBIRDS (Verve) – A tribute to the great Black women whose songs inspired her.
Lianne La Havas, LIANNE LA HAVAS (Nonesuch) – The British star returns with her distinct soul/pop songs.
Robert Cray Band, THAT’S WHAT I HEARD (Nozzle) – the bluesman salutes his heros
James Taylor, AMERICAN STANDARD (Fantasy) – JT’s easy way with the Great American Songbook
Shemekia Copeland, UNCIVIL WAR (Alligator) – Hard charging blues
Lucinda Williams, GOOD SOULS BETTER ANGELS (Highway20) - Fierce
Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn, WU FEI & ABIGAIL WASHBURN (Smithsonian Folkways)
Kathleen Edwards, TOTAL FREEDOM (Dualtone) – A return after eight years
Leon Bridges & Khruangbin, TEXAS SUN (Dead Oceans) – Soul vocalist Bridges meets the global chill trio
Jake Blount, SPIDER TALES (Free Dirt) – Resurrecting Afro and Indigenous banjo
Alicia Keys, ALICIA KEYS (RCA)
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, A LETTER TO YOU (Columbia) – With the E Street Band
Phoebe Bridgers, PUNISHER (Dead Oceans)
Sarah Jarosz, WORLD ON THE GROUND (Rounder) – Vocalist, mandolin wiz & a wonderful songwriter
Bombino, LIVE IN AMSTERDAM (Partisan) – The Tuareg guitar wizard
Sturgill Simpson, CUTTIN’ GRASS (30 Tigers) – Hot bluegrass renditions of his best songs (Dec. 11)
Kacy & Clayton/Marlon Williams, PLASTIC BOUQUET (New West) – Folk-harmony collaboration (Dec. 11)
JAZZ
Kahil El’Zabar, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL (Spiritmuse) – Percussionist assembles a powerful quartet with Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax (on his last recording), Corey Wilkes, trumpet, and Tomeka Reid, cello, along with the James Sanders String Quartet
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blades, ROUNDAGAIN (Nonesuch)
Artemis, ARTEMIS (Blue Note) - Melissa Aldana, saxophone; Anat Cohen, clarinet; Ingrid Jensen, trumpet; Renée Rosnes, piano; Noriko Maeda, bass; Allison Miller, drums; and Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals.
Ron Miles, RAINBOW SIGN (Blue Note) – Cornetist Miles with pianist Jason Moran, guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Thomas Morgan, and drummer Brian Blade
The Westerlies, WHEREIN LIES THE GOOD (Westerlies) – 2 trumpets + 2 trombones = great music
Joel Ross, WHO ARE YOU? (Blue Note) – The young vibraphonist’s ensemble
Nubya Garcia, SOURCE (Concord) – The young saxophonist, at the forefront of the hot London jazz scene.
Kenny Barron-Dave Holland-Jonathan Blake, WITHOUT DECEPTION (Dare 2) – Dynamic piano trio
Ambrose Akinmusere, ON THE TENDER SPOT OF EVERY CALLOUSED MOMENT (Blue Note)
Lucian Ban, John Surman, Mat Maneri, TRANSYLVANIAN FOLK SONGS: The Béla Bartók Field Recordings (Sunnyside) – Pianist, saxophonist/bass clarinetist, and violist transform Bartók
Bobby Watson, Vincent Herring, Gary Bartz, BIRD AT 100 (Smoke) – Alto sax masters salute Charlie Parker
Aaron Diehl Trio, THE VAGABOND (Mack Avenue) – Plays John Lewis, Roland Hanna, Prokofiev & Glass
Thumbscrew, THE ANTHONY BRAXTON PROJECT (Cuneiform) – Guitar/bass/drum trio with Mary Halvorson out front
Susan Alcorn, PEDERNAL (Relative Pitch) – The adventurous pedal-steel player w super collaborators
Anthony Pirog, POCKET POEM (Cunieform) – The DC guitarist w Michael Formanek, bass & Ches Smith, drums
Solo Piano
Keith Jarrett, BUDAPEST CONCERT (ECM) – Regarded by Jarrett as one of his best solo recitals ever
Brad Mehldau, SUITE: APRIL 2020 (Nonesuch) – A suite for solo piano while in Covid-19 lockdown
Fred Hersch, SONGS FROM HOME (Palmetto) – Another recital response during quarantine
Vocals & Big Bands
Diana Krall, THIS DREAM OF YOU (Impulse) – Singer/pianist w/ duets, trios, quartets & larger ensembles
Candace Spring, THE WOMEN WHO RAISED ME (Blue Note) – Songs by women vocalists who most influenced her.
Luciana Souza and the WDR Big Band Cologne, STORYTELLERS (Sunnyside) – Classic Brazilian songs
Sun Ra Arkestra, SWIRLING (Strut) – Saxophonist Marshall Allen keeps the Sun Ra spirit alive
Christian McBride Big Band, FOR JIMMY, WES AND OLIVER (Mack Ave) – A tribute to Jimmy Smith guitarist Wes Montgomery and composer/arranger/bandleader Oliver Nelson
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, THE MUSIC OF WAYNE SHORTER (Blue Engine, 2 CDs) – With Mr. Shorter as guest soloist!
Loudon Wainwright III, I’D RATHER LEAD A BAND (Search Party) – With Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, singing hits from the 1920s and ’30s.
Classical
Jacob Heringman, INVIOLATA: JOSQUIN DES PREZ (Inventa) – Beautiful lute music
Takács Quartet & Garrick Ohlsson, ELGAR & BEACH PIANO QUARTETS (Hyperion) – An inspired and creative pairing of Edward Elgar & Amy Beach
Emerson String Quartet, SCHUMANN (Pentatone) – The three string quartets
BEETHOVEN: TRIPLE CONCERTO & SYMPH NO. 7 (DG) - Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter & Daniel Barenboim (playing piano and conducting his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra)
Piano & Keyboards
Vikingur Ólafsson, DEBUSSY / RAMEAU (DG) – Imaginative juxtapositions
Igor Levit, ENCOUNTER (Sony) – Arrangements of Bach & late Brahms; more Brahms, then Morton Feldman
BRAHMS: The Final Piano Pieces (Hyperion) – Stephen Hough w Fantasias, Intermezzos & Clavierstücke,
Marc-André Hamelin, LISZT & THALBERG: Opera Transcriptions & Fantasies (Hyperion) – Works based on Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Rossini.
Anthony Romaniuk, BELLS (Alpha) – Variety on 4 keyboards: harpsichord, fortepiano, piano & Fender Rhodes
Simone Dinnerstein, A CHARACTER OF QUIET: Schubert & Glass (Orange Mt.) – Recorded at home this June
András Schiff & Jörg Widmann, BRAHMS: Clarinet Sonatas (ECM)
Jean Rondeau & Thomas Dunford, BARRICADES (Erato) – Harpsichord & lute
Alexandre Tharaud, VERSAILLES (Erato) – Playing vibrant French Baroque music
FREDERICK RZEWSKI: SONGS OF INSURRECTION (Coviello) - Thomas Kotcheff, piano
Voices
GERSHWIN: PORGY AND BESS (Met Opera) – Starring Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles
Ruby Hughes, CLYTEMNESTRA (BIS) – Soprano w/ works for voice and orchestra: Berg, Mahler & Samuel
Kate Lindsey, ARIANNA (Alpha) – Mezzo-soprano sings arias from Baroque works on the Ariadne myth
BACH: REDEMPTION (Alpha) – Soprano Anna Prohaska, and the ensemble Lautten Compagney, directed by Wolfgang Katschner, recorded an album of selections from Bach Cantatas, recorded during the pandemic.
Lawrence Brownlee & Michael Spyres, AMICI E RIVALI: ROSSINI (Erato, $18.98) – Two lyric tenors
HANDEL: AGRIPPINA (Erato) – With Joyce DiDonato and Il Pomo d’Oro
Ethel Smyth, THE PRISON (Chandos) – The world-premiere recording of the 1930 choral symphony by English composer Ethel Smyth (1858 – 1944).
Sabine Devieilhe & Alexandre Tharaud, CHANSON D’AMOUR (Erato) – The soprano and pianist explore the rich world of French mélodie in works by Fauré, Poulenc, Ravel, and Debussy.
Ora Singers, TALLIS: Spem in Alium & MACMILLAN: Vida Aquam (Harmonia Mundi) – The 450th anniversary of Thomas Tallis’s beautiful 40-part motet, Spem in Alium with a new 40-voice composition
2 by Isabelle Faust:
MOZART: SONATAS FOR VIOLIN & FORTEPIANO VOL 2 (H Mundi) –Alexander Melnikov,
SCHOENBERG: Violin Concerto / Verklärte Nacht (H Mundi)
2 by Thomas Adès:
THOMAS ADÈS CONDUCTS ADÈS (DG) – the composer conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra
JANÁĈEK: SOLO PIANO (Signum) – Adès’s love letter from one composer to another
