The Editor’s Reflections on a Crazy Year and his Best of 2020

Historians will probably remember 2020 primarily for the COVID pandemic, movements for racial justice, and lots and lots of politics. While all of that is true, to me it will also mark the creation of this site. Postgenre was born on February 20, 2020, less than a month before state and local governments would begin shutting down live performances, I picked a “great” time to start this new venture focused on music.

Nevertheless, we persisted. We went from a very small group to a strong team of eight – and growing – writers. Reviews expanded to incorporate interviews with fascinating figures from producers Marc Urselli and Ben Rubin to artists Ted Feighan and Alexander Flood. We have a periodic column analyzing music. We found ways to celebrate the influence of Bitches Brew on its 50th anniversary and to regularly explore Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s fascinating work on the Jazz is Dead Series. And then, there is Newport. 

Initial plans called for live coverage of this year’s edition of the Newport Jazz Festival to play a major role on the site. With the event canceled, our focus shifted to its incredible history, something I have long hoped to write on. Thus far, the series has stopped with 1981 but we hope to bring the remaining four decades sometime soon, along with many other fascinating projects we already have planned for 2021. 

I would like to thank everyone who played a role in making it possible to get to where we are today. Though I am sure I will forget someone, I would particularly like to thank, in no particular order, Brian, John, Avery, Colin, Scott, Daniel, Julian, and Anthony. I would also like to especially thank my wife, Jordan. Better half does not begin to describe her. She has also played a significant role in forming and running this site behind the scenes. 

Without much further ado, the reason you clicked this link; my ten selections (and 15 honorable mentions) for the best albums of 2020. I would like to make one last observation, however. In writing summaries for this piece, I came to realize that half of the main list consisted of releases by groups led or co-led by women. As I did not notice this fact until the list was completed, it was not an overtly conscious choice on my part. One hopes it reflects increased- long overdue – attention by the music industry to the works of brilliant female artists. 

10. George Burton, Reciprocity (self-released)

   

As the first album reviewed specifically for PostGenre, Reciprocity has significant sentimental value. Because of this, considerable time and attention were needed to ensure this choice was not a biased one. Repeat listenings only further confirmed its placement among this year’s finest. Burton is a gifted pianist with a clear intent and purpose behind his work. He does not release music lightly. And, in this case, his focus on the relationship between audience and artist seems particularly prescient. To some extent, this dynamic has been redefined during a time of quarantine. But shutdowns did not begin until a month after Reciprocity was shared with the public. The expanded septet uses this focal point to not only blur lines between genre – adopting from “jazz,” “hip hop,” “rock,” and “electronic” among others – but also spoken word and music generally. Sigmund Washington’s beautiful stop-motion animated video for “Finding” just further adds to this focus by narrowing the gap between visual and aural art. The result is an exquisite multi-faceted work. 

Reciprocity is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

 9. Susan Alcorn Quintet, Pedernal (Relative Pitch)

Pedernal is another project with personal connections. The last live performance I was able to attend in the “before times” was an awe-inspiring evening of Thumbscrew joined by Alcorn; 3/5s of this group’s lineup. But, again, the recording stands on its own. Susan Alcorn is a brilliant steel guitarist who has never artificially limited her creative focus. Those paying attention are already familiar with her prowess in moving the lap steel guitar beyond its traditional realms of Hawaiian or Country/Western music. This includes her breathtaking renditions of Astor Piazzolla’s compositions on Soledad (Relative Pitch, 2015). Pedernal adds to this by showing her strengths as a songwriter. The pieces never fit into neat boxes in terms of style or approach and are simultaneously respective of her instrument’s tradition and untethered to it. Indeed, for the majority of the album, the leader’s sound seems to shift dramatically; at times reminiscent of a solo guitarist in a desolate land and others, due to its unique timbre, exhibiting the power of an orchestra. It also helps she’s assembled a superpowered team –  Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek, Mark Feldman, and Ryan Sawyer- which reads like a who’s who of artists willing to push beyond conventions. 

Check out John Chacona’s review of the album here. 

Pedernal is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

8. Angelica Sanchez & Marilyn Crispell, How to Turn the Moon (Pyroclastic)

The piano duo concept is hardly new, dating back at least two centuries to Bach’s “Sonata in G Major for Two Harpsichords or Two Pianos, Op. 15, No. 5” (1778), if not earlier. However, when those pianists are Sanchez and Crispell, the last thing one should expect is adherence to orthodoxy. Artists have long confirmed the piano’s role as a percussion instrument due to its use of hammers striking strings. But most listeners find this hard to appreciate, even while conceding physical logistics make it true. How to Turn the Moon does an exemplary job at eradicating this disconnect. Crispell has an extensive history of pushing 52 keys beyond a listener’s zone of comfort. This includes emphasizing percussiveness on last year’s The Adornment of Time (Pi Recordings, 2019) with Tyshawn Sorey.  Sanchez, a generation younger than Crispell, holds her own throughout the recording while exploring this thought in her compositions. Perhaps the best example is on “Ancient Dream,” where strings are plucked and struck with various items other than the usual mallets, in turn evoking a duet, not between two of the same tools but of one and an unusual drum kit.  

How to Turn the Moon is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

7. Charles Lloyd, 8: Kindred Spirits (Live From the Lobero) (Blue Note)

Although saxophonists are not generally known as folk artists, Charles Lloyd has long established himself as one. But even this descriptor is a bit off-base. Typically folk musicians hone into the essence of their own cultural landscape. Lloyd is more of a sonic polymath, merging ideas from multiple locations across the globe and finding a way to make them fit into his own sound. Captured live at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theater, 8: Kindred Spirits finds the musical elder statement celebrating his 80th birthday by revisiting songs throughout his career and giving them new textures and colors. Extended versions of everything from his classic “Dream Weaver” to “La Llorona” are provided new breath by him and his younger band – Gerald Clayton, Julian Lage, Reuben Rogers, and Eric Harland. The deluxe edition is even better than the regular, tripling the number of songs and providing a unique opportunity to see the bandleader teamed with another iconic figure from his home city of Memphis, Booker T. Jones. 

Read my full review here. 

8: Kindred Spirits (Live at the Lobero) is available at your nearest music store or from our Amazon Affiliate Store.

6. Carla Bley-Andy Sheppard-Steve Swallow, Life Goes On (ECM)

Humans often tend to overlook how fleeting our lives can be until confronted with the loss of another or a threat to our own well-being. For most of this past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has left many considering their own mortality and clinging to loved ones – even remotely – to help cope. For the legendary Carla Bley, this recent existentialist threat came by way of her surgery for a brain tumor and, fortunately for the listener, her closest colleagues include the two men with whom she has created art for decades. For the past five decades, Bley has solidified her role as not only a capable pianist but one of the era’s finest composers. Her skills as a writer make Life Goes On different from what one may expect from its context. Space is used well, something further aided by producer Manfred Eicher’s characteristically superb production. The titular micro-suite is primarily a slow blues invoking the image of someone pondering the meaning of their life – the highs and lows – as they walk down a barren metropolitan street in the middle of a dark and rainy night. The “Beautiful Telephone” tracks inject both humor and pointed political commentary while “Copycat” is more a more contemplative experiment in call-and-response and analyses our relationships with others. 

Life Goes On is available at your nearest music store or from our Amazon Affiliate Store.

5. Josh Johnson, Freedom Exercise (Northern Spy)

Over the past decade, Josh Johnson has shown his skills as a saxophonist on many excellent albums as a sideman for Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, and others. And while these talents recur on his debut as a leader, they are not the sole emphasis. Instead, its greatest moments are brought out by his adroitness as a composer. While Freedom Exercise speaks in the languages of jazz, hip hop, rock, and electronic music, it takes these in directions not often examined. In so doing, he raises the question of why one must distinguish between these forms at all. Often it becomes difficult to classify his inspirations or thoughts as anything beyond being themselves in that specific moment. Acoustic or electric. Pre-composed or improvised. Shifting tempos. All is malleable in Johnson’s grasp. 

Click here for my full review of Freedom Exercise.

Freedom Exercise is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

4. Lakecia Benjamin, Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope)

 

Alice Coltrane’s blurring of historically Black American music, classical Indian concepts, atonal orchestration, and (sometimes) synthesizer has significantly guided the following generations, often subtly, including in jazz, New Age, and experimental electronic music. And yet, in most circles, she remains criminally underrated.  Any release primarily dedicated to her work – including Alice influenced interpretations of her husband John’s compositions- is worth celebrating. This is particularly the case when the album is timed near the Golden anniversary of one of Mrs. Coltrane’s great recordings, Ptah El Daoud (Impulse!, 1970) and on the eve of the same for her magnum opus Journey in Satchidananda (Impulse!, 1971).  However, Pursuance’s true brilliance lies in the care with which Benjamin approaches the underlying compositions. An album of “covers” can turn predictable or stale, but this album never falls into such traps; instead, it confirms that while Benjamin is well-versed and respectful towards that which came before, she is also an artist who paves her own path. Additionally, in some ways, she is also like an expert painter, taking the shades and timbres of her incredibly diverse and exhaustive list of guest artists- from Brandee Younger and Keyon Harrold to Ron Carter and Reggie Workman- and mixing them to create a richer portrait. This is most evident in pieces penned by Alice – particularly “Prema” and “Going Home”- where colors are added to existing structures to give them new life.  

Read my full review here. 

Pursuance: The Coltranes is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

3. Kahil El’Zabar, Kahil El’Zabar’s Spirit Groove ft. David Murray (Spiritmuse)

Percussionist-vocalist El’Zabar, one of the former chairmen of the AACM, has always been open to exploring new avenues of musical expression. The kalimba and bells are not stereotypical instruments in creative music. Saxophonist Murray has likewise spent his career furthering an expansive view of art with everything from co-founding the World Sax Quartet to merging Nat King Cole with Cuban music. While the two have collaborated on several projects over four decades, Spirit Groove is their finest. Given their long-standing relationship, both artists have an almost telepathic connection which imbues the release with rare magic. Neither is compelled to sacrifice their own vision to fit the other’s, yet complement together wonderfully, creating an environment large enough for the younger bassist Emma Dayhuff and pianist Justin Dillard to find their place as well. Essentially, the album showcases a spiritual dialogue between the four. In the process, they draw connections between varied forms, from the R&B aesthetic of “In My House,” to the rap-like phrasing of “Necktar,” to the overt indebtedness to John Coltrane on “Trane in Mind.” And yes, it grooves. Hard. 

Spirit Groove is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

2. Alabaster Deplume, To Cy & Lee: The Instrumentals Vol. 1 (International Anthem)

To Cy & Lee is a somewhat unusual choice for this list as only some of the songs are new, with the remainder shared on previous albums. Indeed, this fact is what kept it from inclusion on my submission to NPR’s Jazz Critics poll. However, the release is uniquely fit for 2020. To many, social distancing coupled with our over-reliance on technology has led to massive lapses in communication. In times of stress, we increasingly need emotional support systems to thrive but they are often denied. Efforts to bridge this distance comprehensively guide the album. The album’s melodies developed from those used by Alabaster Deplume, the nom de plume of Gus Fairbairn, in helping disabled individuals to socialize. Where words failed, music broke down communication barriers. These pieces, at times deceptively simple, are elegantly beautiful. Occasionally, hauntingly so. Fittingly, the recorded versions also minimize cultural divides, borrowing from Japanese Min’yō, Celtic, Ethio-jazz, and ambient influences. The careful use of space and continued reliance on vibrato produces a work that somehow seamlessly merges the exoticism of something foreign with the assuasive calmness of that which is familiar. Even when the bandleader’s instrument is broken – as on “The Lucky Ones” – its warmth still shines through, confirming that artistic essence often matters far more than technical ability. To Cy and Lee is also a testament to the continually expanding London scene, featuring Sarathy Korwar and The Comet is Coming’s Dan ‘Danalogue’ Leavers among others. 

To Cy & Lee: The Instrumentals Vol. 1, is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

 1.  Jennifer Curtis & Tyshawn Sorey, Invisible Ritual (Tundra/ New Focus)

Tyshawn Sorey, already one of the preeminent composers of his generation, has excelled at delving into the region between “classical” composition and improvised “jazz.” This includes his work on The Inner Spectrum of Variables, arguably the best album of the 2010s. Although not on a path followed by many musicians, he finds a welcome group of compatriots in the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), including Jennifer Curtis. Just as Sorey- already one of the preeminent composers of his generation- is not a stereotypical “jazz” percussionist, Curtis is not a conventional violinist, having also played drums in “rock” bands. Both artists’ eclectic tastes pervade Invisible Ritual.  Hues of the blues, rock, classical, jazz, and Celtic, East Asian, and Appalachian music emerge throughout its eight movements. “IV” seemingly marries Eastern European fiddle with Mahavishnu Orchestra-like melodies and driving drumbeats before morphing into a frenzy of notes and pizzicato phrases. Throughout the album, one can sense the impression of both Steve Reich and Henry Flynt, among many others.  At times, the duo even escapes expectations on their instruments’ respective timbres. In addition to Sorey putting aside his sticks to sit behind a piano, Curtis produces unexpected but welcome tones with her four strings. For a few moments in “II,” she finds a way to make it sound like she is wielding a panflute from an indigenous group in Latin America, to which she is met with a series of gongs. And on “VII,” manipulation on the vibrancy of strings produces new tones entirely. Overall, Invisible Ritual is an intricate exposition on the universality of sound. 

Invisible Ritual is available on Bandcamp or in our Amazon Affiliate Store.

Honorable Mentions:

11. Lionel Loueke, HH (Edition)- A touching tribute by the master guitarist to his friend, colleague, and mentor. Particularly commendable is Loueke’s song choices. Herbie Hancock has made many great compositions through the decades which lend themselves well to a solo guitar aesthetic. But, Loueke doesn’t take the easy way out. An unaccompanied “Rockit” is as intriguing and enjoyable as it sounds.

12. Keith Jarrett, Budapest Concert (ECM)- A master work by one of the best solo pianists today. Among his finest. Read my full review here.

13. Dougie Stu, Familiar Future (Ropeadope)- An album that somehow completely flew under most people’s radars, despite Jeff Parker’s inclusion. A gorgeous, often very soothing, middle-ground between jazz, electronica, and cinematic orchestras.

14.  Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Axiom (Ropeadope)- Stepping away from the studio provides new energies and emotions to existing tunes. It is also fascinating to hear Scott, one of the finest trumpeters of his generation, visiting Miles Davis’ rendition of “Guinnevere.” Overall, Axiom is a reminder of the importance of live performance in a time of shutdown. My full review is available here. 

15. Ambrose Akinmusire, a tender spot in every calloused moment (Blue Note)- From reminiscing on his father, to remembering a fallen hero, to reflecting on injustice, it is an all around personal and touching record which also brings the concept of the blues into the 21st Century. Check out my full review here.

16. Exploding Star Orchestra, Dimensional Stardust (International Anthem) – Rob Mazurek has long produced interesting recordings, including Pharoah and the Underground (Clean Feed) with Pharoah Sanders. But he outdid himself with this one. TIghtly orchestrated yet leaving enough room for individual expression and creativity. The music is about as incredible as you would expect from a group featuring Damon Locks, Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Joel Ross, Jeff Parker, Chad Taylor, Jaimie Branch, and Angelica Sanchez (see #8 above).

17. Mary Halvorson, Artlessly Falling (Firehouse 12) – Halvorson continues to blaze her own inimitable path. Joined by some of today’s finest artists, she seemingly sets her sights towards progressive rock with impressive results. 

18. Sun Ra Arkestra, Swirling (Strut) – Almost three decades after Sun Ra’s passing, space is still the place. Read the full review here. 

19. Ben Williams, I AM A MAN (Rainbow Blonde) – In capturing the late 90’s/early 00’s Soulquarian vibe, Williams connects past sounds to the present. It works exceedingly well as a backdrop for emphasizing the lineal history from 1968 Memphis to today’s current events. My full review can be read here. 

20. Brandee Younger and Dezron Douglas, Force Majeure (International Anthem) – An incredibly intimate album that is reassuring and delightful even if the pandemic is a necessary part of its backstory. A full review is available here. 

21. Derrick Hodge, Color of Noize (Blue Note) – Hodge’s finest to date is striking, difficult to characterize, and unafraid of risk. Also a great introduction to the young pianist Jahari Stampley. 

22. Avishai Cohen, Big Vicious (ECM)- “We’re all coming from jazz, but some of us left it earlier.” Jazz, rock, trip-hop, punk, funk, classical, and more. The raw material is all familiar but it is rearranged in fresh and memorable ways. 

23. Mino Cinélu/Nils Petter Molvær, SulaMadiana (Modern Recordings)- Two master musicians – the former a Miles Davis and Weather Report alum and the latter a “future jazz” pioneer- chart out to explore some unexplored sonic territories located somewhere between the Carribean and Norway. 

24. Deer Hoof & Wadada Leo Smith, To Be Surrounded By Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough (Joyful Noise)- A live recording from Winter Jazzfest when experimental pop met one of avant garde’s finest.

25. Steve Lehman, Xenakis and the Valedictorian (Pi) – The album excels at showing the resourcefulness of artists as it emerged from necessity –  an iphone recording in a car. Challenging but worthwhile. To some extent, a perfect summation of 2020. 

Stay turned as we will be sharing additional writers’ individual lists. Agree or disagree with the choices above? Please comment below.