It’s been a busy 2022 for me. I landed several new freelance opportunities, started a new day job (two, actually, which is why I’ve been so quiet here) and I even caught COVID, which was significantly less fun than I imagined it would be.
But between working and being sick, I managed to listen to a fair amount of music. Not as much as I would’ve liked, but enough that I felt like I didn’t really miss any of this year’s big releases. Some I liked (Angel Olsen), some I didn’t (Big Thief) and some were quietly forgettable (Soccer Mommy).
What follows is a list of what I liked this year. It’s not exhaustive - there’s probably another dozen records I liked too - but it’s the ones I’d recommend the most and the ones I keep finding myself going back to. It ranges from self-released EPs to one of the biggest names in contemporary jazz. I hope at least something here scratches your itch.
Dave Gisler Trio With Jaimie Branch and David Murray, See You Out There (Intakt)
Just a red hot session from Gisler’s high octane trio, this time augmented by Jaime Branch’s trumpet and Murray on reeds. The music swings and swaggers, darting in and out like a boxer. At times, I thought I was listening to a lost Miles session, but overall the magic on this disc just kept me at attention. It’s a great listen, especially if you like your jazz with a little punch to it.John Zorn, Incerto (Tzadik)
On this one, Zorn takes a piano trio he’s worked with before and adds a guitarist. In some respects, this one reaches back into the jazz tradition and sounds more than a little like something from 60 years ago. In other respects, the tricky passages couldn’t be anything but Zorn. I think it’s the best record he’s helmed in some time.Binker & Moses, Feeding the Machine (Gearbox)
I tire quickly with spiritual jazz, the kind where it feels like the solos go on forever and nothing is resolved. This one isn’t like that - these two have a kinetic kind of energy, drums that pound and push the saxophone along as it seems to just go on forever. It’s an intoxicating listen, I found myself getting lost in it while I walked around with it on my headphones.Ethan Iverson, Every Note Is True (Blue Note)
Iverson’s been working for over two decades, but this is his first session for Blue Note. Kind of funny, given how well-versed he is in jazz history. His debut is a trio session with Jack DeJohnette and Larry Grenadier. After a choir welcomes you into the record, the group stretches out. Iverson’s playing is melodic and restrained: he doesn’t explode into shards like Don Pullen, he doesn’t pummel the instrument like Cecil Taylor. Instead it’s self-assured and confident, music that slowly builds and rises. I think it’s a really enjoyable date.Nduduzo Makhathini, In the Spirit of Ntu (Blue Note)
One of the hottest names coming out of South Africa’s fertile jazz scene, Makhathini’s latest is a compelling mix of sounds and influences. It opens with the bouncing rhythms of “Unonkanyamba” where the percussion creates a solid bed for Linda Sikhakhane’s sax. Elsewhere there’s singing and chanting and all kinds of drums, but In the Spirit of Ntu never strays too far from its jazz roots, either: “Emlilweni” has some great playing by both Makhathini and Sikakhane, and has the driving, almost spiritual vibe of stuff from Impulse in the late 60s.Angel Olsen - Big Time (Jagjaguwar)
I was late to the party on Olsen’s music, which was always a little too indie rock for me. But her latest one has her leaning into a country, singer-songwriter vibe and has the sort of sunburnt haze of something coming out of a hot Los Angeles summer. The muted instrumentation of “Dream Thing” offers her space for her vocals to shine, while the lazy vibe of “This Is How It Works”is tailor made for late summer evenings on the patio. But I’m not sure it gets better than the title track, with its tack piano, pedal steel and Olsen’s yearning vocals. “Thinking the same things, I’m a believer,” she sings. I am now, too.
Oren Ambarchi - Shebang (Drag City)
A new discovery for me, Oren Ambarchi is the kind of guitarist who revitalizes my interest in the instrument. On Shebang he’s joined by a handful of musicians on a multi-part suite that recalls Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians in it’s moving, repetitive rhythms, King Crimson in its staccato guitar and bass patterns, and like a half dozen other artists in the way it uses space and ambience to create a mood. But at the same time, it’s music that feels fresh and free of influence, like a group of musicians discovering something together. This has been my go-to when I want to listen to a record, but I don’t know which one.Dumb - Pray 4 Tomorrow (Mint Records)
This Vancouver-based band isn’t exactly tight. At times the music sounds like it’s about to fall apart. And Franco Rossino doesn’t so much sing as he shouts. But that’s part of this one’s charms: the music is loose and almost shambing, the vocals smart-assed. Mint Records recommends them if you like Pavement, but to my ears they’re verging close to being a Canadian version of Half-Man Half-Biscuit, right down to the clever lyrics. My fave? “Watch This Drive” which takes a stomping beat, a George W Bush sound bite and a sludgy riff and turns it up loud, ending with what’s either a guitar solo or tape damage. Maybe it’s both? I love it either way.Mel Stone - Princess Pt. 2 (Bandcamp)
I’m bullish on Stone, who’s quickly making a name for herself as a singer-songwriter. Her latest EP is filled with loud guitars, emotional lyrics, and Stone shouting. But it’s not all doom and gloom. “If there’s a chance, let’s take it,” she sings, “If it’s a mistake, then let’s make it.” Relationships break, people get honest with each other, and the tempo is pushed to the limit. Gosh, I can’t wait for her to make a full-length.