Month: December 2022

It’s our end-of-the-year round-up of our favorite records that came out in 2022. This year had so many excellent albums that putting this list together was not easy – every time we thought an album should be placed near the top, another worthy candidate seemed just as good! So to accommodate the wealth of exciting music and reflect such a strong year in music, we’ve expanded this list to 40 places, the top 15 albums with comments, and then the next 25.

Enjoy! We’re going to take a few days to appreciate and listen to these outstanding records, and hope you will too.

1 Charles Lloyd – Trio of Trios

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to purchase from Blue Note

Lloyd’s music-making was with us all through much of 2022 – he released the singularly beautiful Chapel mid-year, followed by Ocean and Sacred Thread, and then in November combined the three albums into the 3-hour plus Trio of Trios. This massive album smartly puts the trio with Hussain and Lage first, but don’t miss the highlights from the other trios, such as Clayton’s great blues piano solo on “Jaramillo Blues” and the deep lyricism and close listening throughout the Frisell/Morgan trio. A classic for the ages.

2 Mary Halvorson – Amaryllis

2022 was another banner year for Halvorson, one of today’s definitive musicians. In addition to this excellent album, Halvorson was on Thumbscrew’s Multicolor Midnight (#35 on our list) and was an essential voice in the mix on Myra Melford’s For The Love of Fire and Water (#24) and Nate Wooley’s Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes (#36). We could not contain our excitement as soon as we heard that Halvorson would be releasing this album with Patricia Brennan (whose More Touch is #7 on our list). This album did not disappoint-every track is a gem. Halvorson’s compositions are as much a star as her guitar, and her band is exceptional – Jacob Garchik’s trombone stands out in particular, whose Assembly (#5 on our list) was also one of the year’s best.

3-Alabaster DePlume – Gold

It’s rare to hear an album that sounds like nothing else, but DePlume’s Gold has an indescribable mixture of atmospheric playing and unique musical settings. The album was recorded in the summer of 2020 in sessions where DePlume invited a different set of musicians each day and would record the same tunes at the same speed so that DePlume would then cut them together later, assembling the most otherworldly final product. Enjoy this fantastic album!

4-Wild Up and Christopher Rountree – Julius Eastman, vol. 2: Joy Boy

The Julius Eastman revival continues! Joy Boy is Wild Up’s second of seven anticipated volumes of Eastman’s music, following up on last year’s excellent Feminine. The results are pretty varied, opening with the frenetic vocal exhortations of “Joy Boy,” moving to the heavy guitar stylings in the middle of the album, and ending with the joyous “Stay On It.”

5-Jacob Garchik – Assembly

We listened to this album several times in wonder, trying to figure out how Garchik and his players (Sam Newsome – soprano saxophone, Jacob Sacks – piano, Thomas Morgan – bass, Dan Weiss – drums) achieved such speed, cohesion, and unity on wildly tricky pieces. “Fanfare” closed with one of the fastest tempos we’ve ever heard. Then it clicked – Assembly refers to Garchik’s post-production process – the disparate parts were recorded in multiple sessions and then “assembled” to create a luminous whole. Bonus points for a remarkable channeling of Ellington (“Fanfare” features soloing based on “In a Sentimental Mood”). More bonus points for the best album cover of the year!

6-Pat Thomas – Pat Thomas Plays The Duke

More Ellington, and for those who have heard about the great Pat Thomas’ live sets of Ellington repertoire, this is a welcome release. Thomas plays inside, outside, and everywhere in between in an exhilarating set. For an extended dose of the “outside” Pat Thomas, check out his spellbinding tribute to Cecil Taylor, “Akisakila” / Attitudes​ ​of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (#18 on our list).

7-Patricia Brennan – More Touch

A record that creates musical questions and draws you back again, searching for the answers. Like on last year’s brilliant Maquishti, Brennen’s intelligence and lyricism are evident throughout. And her supporting cast, especially Marcus Gilmore (drums), is perfect.

8-Michael Leonhart Orchestra – The Normyn Suites

Normyn was Leonhard’s beloved dachshund, whose life inspired the two engaging suites presented here. The range of orchestral and thematic ideas is exciting throughout the suites, and the extra tracks with guest vocals by Elvis Costello.

9-Loraine James – Building Something Beautiful for Me

Yet more Julius Eastman, but here filtered through the sensibility of James’ electronic soundscape. The results are utterly different from Wild Up’s Joy Boy (No. 4 on our list) but just as compelling. A excellent late-night record.

10-Trish Clowes – A View With a Room

Probably the most “inside” album on our top 15, but so irrepressibly fun! Clowes’ playing is warm and lyrical, and her band matches the spirit of her playing and compositions. Just simple, pure fun – nothing wrong with that.

11-Editrix – Editrix II – Editrix Goes To Hell

Wendy Eisenberg’s guitar playing works so well in avant-garde jazz contexts (check out last year’s Bloodletting) and here in a “rock” context. However, not like any rock record you’ve heard!

12-Hedvig Mollestad and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra – Maternity Beat

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify
Link to purchase from Rune Grammaphone

Mollestad’s guitar playing is just the tip of the iceberg. She joins forces with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, creating an album that paints with a vast palette – you’ll hear a vocal chorus, spoken word interludes, electric violin, saxophone solos, and asymmetrical drumming all sharing space with Mollestad’s searing guitar interludes. Full of “noisy joy.”

13-Jon Irabagon – Rising Sun

An exuberant outing from Irabagon, with terrific support from Matt Mitchell, Chris Lightcap, and Dan Weiss. To see what this album is all about, go to the second track, “Alliance.” The statement of the elaborate, knotty theme takes a full five minutes, but that’s only a prelude to what follows: the band switches into ecstatic, grooving playing that notches higher and higher in intensity, culminating with screaming exhortations from Irabagon, over the band at full tilt. The album was inspired by travels in the west during the pandemic, and Irabagon says, “I hope that this music can uplift and galvanize you as much as it has for me.” It does!

14-Palm – Nicks and Grazes

Palm returns after their excellent 2018 album Rock Island. This one is a little less angular but has even deeper layers of dissonance buried in the mix, which unravel with each listen. We’re told they are mesmerizing live, too!

15-Rosalía – Motomami

Link to Apple Music
Link to Spotify

If this blog were about pop music rather than the intersection of the folkloric and the avant-garde, this album might be #1 on the list. The most innovative pop record of 2022.

The next 25 (all music no comments):

16-Marta Sanchez – SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)


17-Cecile McLorin Salvant – Ghost Song


18-Pat Thomas & XT – “Akisakila” / Attitudes​ ​of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees)


19-David Murray, Dan Jones & Hamid Drake – Seriana Promethea


20-Emily Wells – Regards to the End

Link to Bandcamp

21-Oort Smog – Every Motherfucker Is Your Brother

22-Janel Leppin – Ensemble Volcanic Ash


23-Myra Melford Fire and Water Quintet – For The Love of Fire and Water


24-Lucrecia Dalt – Ay!


25-Qasim Naqvi, Wadada Leo Smith & Andrew Cyrille – Two Centuries

26-Miguel Zenón – Música De Las Américas


27-Miles Okazaki – Thisness


28-Elsa Nilsson – Atlas of Sound – 41​°​32’09​.​8″N 124​°​04’35​.​5″W


29-Beth Orton – Weather Alive

30-Alvvays-Blue Rev


31-Steve Lehman & Sélébéyone – Xaybu: The Unseen


32-Fred Pallem & Le Sacre du Tympan – X


33-Kirk Knuffke Trio – Gravity Without Airs

34-Thumbscrew – Multicolored Midnight


35-Avram Fefer – Juba Lee


36-Nate Wooley – Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes

37-Mathis Picard – Live at the Museum

Link to Apple
Link to Spotify

38-Roxy Coss – Disparate Parts


39-Horse Lords – Comradely Objects

40-Leyla McCalla – Breaking the Thermometer

Today, December 12th, 2022, is the 99th birthday of the amazing muse of a unique brand of devotional piano music, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbru. Happy birthday, Emahoy!

When has such a slender discography had such an impact? Noteworthy musicians have professed their love or devoted themselves to the performance and preservation of Emahoy’s music, and fans have had their lives changed in unexpected places, all by the meditative and soulful music of the modest nun, composer, and pianist. A great place to begin is with journalist Kate Molleson of The Guardian, who conducted a terrific interview with Emahoy, which you can listen to here, and read the accompanying article.

Both Emahoy’s music and story are something to celebrate. In the interview with Molleson, Emahoy explains, in English, how she was born into a wealthy Ethiopian family, was sent aboard and learned concert piano, had a near-death experience after which she entered the convent, and only slowly came back to music. Eventually, Emahoy devoted her life not only to God but to spreading her faith through the writing of quietly graceful and life-affirming compositions for solo piano. Remarkably, Emahoy self-released her music “in small editions as fundraisers for orphanages, [to] support organizations for widows of war victims, and other philanthropic causes.”

The first of these releases is a German issue from 1963, Spielt Eigen Kompositionen. This 5-song LP shows Emahoy’s early songs, most notably “The Homeless Wanderer,” which starts with a chromatic run of notes, and settles into what Ethan Iverson calls a “one-chord blues.” It’s evocative and draws multiple you back for repeat listening.

Emahoy’s second LP, titled simply Emahoy Tsegue Maryam Guebru brings slightly better audio and even deeper song craft. The album starts with one of the gems of Emahoy’s catalog, “Mother’s Love.” The song is built around a moving bass pattern, while the right hand plays gorgeous fills. Emahoy states that she wrote the song for the love of her mother for her beloved son, a victim of Ethiopia’s war with Italy. Elsewhere, the often programmatic titles are matched with evocative music – “Song of Sea” captures the rocking of waves, “Homesickness” a feeling of nostalgic longing, and “Story of The Wind” an elemental blues feeling. Once you get drawn into this music, its utterly centered quality stays with you.

The excellent Ethiopiques series released the two above LP’s on one CD as Ethiopiques, vol. 21: Emahoy (Piano Solo) in 2006, and that’s how most people have become acquainted with Emahoy, Since then, her legend and influence have grown. Unsurprising, Emahoy has not changed her devotional life or capitalized on her international fame. She emigrated to Jerusalem years ago, where she lives at the Ethiopian monastery, continuing to write music and play piano privately. However, with the assistance of Israeli pianist Maya Dunietz (check our post about Dunietz’ terrific 2021 album, Free the Dolphin), Emahoy has taken care to preserve her music, most of which remains unreleased.

Much has been made of Emahoy’s connection to the compositions of the European 19th-century piano literature. The always astute Iverson makes the fair point that Emahoy’s music shares an antique quality with music “you would find in your grandmother’s piano bench.” The otherworldly timelessness of Emahoy’s music is one of its real draws. But while Emahoy certainly uses the technique and phraseology drawn from those European masters, the melodies and the harmonies reflect her experience in Northern Africa in the 20th century and are very much her own. For example, listen to “Jordan River Song” from her self-titled album. The roaming chromaticism, relaxed time, and deep blues feeling have nothing all to do with Chopin – it’s all Emahoy.

So, happy birthday Emahoy! I urge you to go to the link here and listen to the opening notes of “The Homeless Wanderer”, which has been how most of the world has been initiated into this great music. It’s music that keeps giving and keeps you returning to it, as unpretentious and generous as its creator.

And, more good news – following the excellent vinyl reissues this year of Emahoy’s first two albums, a new album, Jerusalem, is scheduled for release in 2023. It’s the first new issue of additional music by Emahoy since Ethiopiques, vol. 21! You can hear the title track on YouTube here. Looking forward to it! Also make sure you check out Emahoy’s website, it’s a great repository of all that makes her unique and wonderful.