75 or so new recordings I enjoyed in 2023

Number 71. Not a ringer, although you would not be blamed for think­ing so. 

People some­times ask me, “What music are you listen­ing to?” or “What kind of music do you like to listen to?” and a lot of the time when I tell them they’re like, “Wha?” So for some reas­on I thought if I made a list of what I got into this year it might.…clear some things up? Anyway, via the below list, which is neither ranked nor alpha­bet­ic­al but in more or less te order I heard them, I unequi­voc­ally endorse all the following: 

• Oren Ambarchi, Shebang (Drag City): As self-advertised
• Arto Lindsay, Charivari (Corbett Vs. Dempsey): The man and his gui­tar can still get their freak on, and hotly, after all these years
• Tim Berne and Matt Mitchell, One More Please (Intakt): Bracing duets
• Ivo Perelman, Ray Anderson, Joe Morris, Reggie Nicholson, Molten Gold (Funacja Sluchaj): Spectacular ensemble improvisation
• John Cale, Mercy (Double Six): Not about tunes anymore
• Yo La Tengo, This Stupid World (Matador): As self-advertised
• The Necks, Travel (Northern Spy): Another apt title
• John Zorn/New Masada Quartet, Volume 2 (Tzadik): Incredible momentum and invention
• Avram Fefer Quartet, Juba Lee (Clean Feed): As self-advertised
• Marc Ducret, Palm Sweat: Marc Ducret Plays The Music of Tim Berne (Screwgun): Real blow-out-the car­bur­etor sonics
• Paul Dunmall Ensemble, It’s A Matter of Fact (Discus): Britain’s most pro­lif­ic liv­ing blower wrangles a remark­able ensemble
• John Zorn, Multiplicities II (Tzadik): Acoustic (instru­ments) alchemy
• Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra, In The Dark (ESP-Disc): Three discs of prodi­gious feel­ing and invention
• Peter Brötzmann, Heather Leigh, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Naked Nudes (Insel): The dynam­ic duo invites a third play­er to the rumpus
• Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily, Love in Exile (Verve): Transcendental materialism
• Henry Threadgill Ensemble, The Other One (Pi): It’s Threadgill
• Nuria Andorra and Fred Frith, Dancing Like Dust (Klang): An unusu­ally cogent and attract­ive dual improve
• Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra, America: The Rough Cut (ESP-Disk): A good primer for the triple set among oth­er things
• Pere Ubu, Trouble on Big Beat Street (Cherry Red): Crocus’ self-regard can be annoy­ing but the guy does get the job done
• Dietrichs, Catch the Leaves (Relative Pitch): The damned­est father-daughter music­al pair­ing ever
• Peter Brotzmann, Majid Bekkas, Hamid Drake, Catching Ghosts: Live At Jazzfest Berlin (The Act Company): Sublime
• Evan Parker, NYC 1978 (Relative Pitch): So fresh and inspired
• John Zorn, Quatrain (Tzadik): Julian Lage and Gyan Riley nev­er miss
• Tyshawn Sorey Trio, Continuing (Pi): A friend writes: “Holy shit, the glory of this. Of this groove.”
• Bill Lowe and the Signifyin’ Natives Ensemble, Sweet Cane: Suites and Other Pedagogical Prompts (Pi): A revelation
• Marc Ducret, Ici (Ayler): Acerbic in all the best ways
• PJ Harvey, I Inside The Old World Dying (Partisan): I always knew she had a grand folk-horror record in her
• Frank Zappa, Funky Nothingness (Zappa): Just wow.
• John Zorn, Bagatelles Vol. 4 (Tzadik): Just wow again.
• John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, Evenings at the Village Gate (Impulse!): Just wow with Elvin Jones at the front of the room. 
• Claire Chase, Density 2036 (New Focus): One more once with just wow.
• Alan Skidmore, A Supreme Love (Confront): A great com­pil­a­tion of the pro­tean British sax man, chron­ic­ling his Trane love and his originalityy.
• Ceramic Dog, Connection (Knockwurst): My kind of protest music
• Los Toscos + Peter Brotzmann/Tony Malaby, La vigil­ia de las flores (Matik Matik): Adventurous Spanish blowers seek ace horn players
• Jason Kao Hwang Critical Response, Book of Stories (True Sound): A fusion trio with a gor­geously wide range
• Soft Machine, Other Doors (MoonJune): A more ano­dyne sound than they’ve evr had, and its’ beter than fine, it’s resplendent
• John Zorn, Full Fathom Five (Tzadik): I like a lot of Zorn
• Mat Maneri Quartet, Ash (Sunnyside): The viol­in of sloe unease
• Tu-ner, Contact Information (7D Media): Twenty First Century prog: It’s good
• David Tamura and Toadal Package, Final Entrance (self-released): Great clam­or with an Electric Miles feel
• Kresten Osgood, Bob Moses, Tisziji Muñoz, Spiritual Drum Kingship (Gotta Let It Out): Two drum­mers and Tiszij go prof­it­ably nuts
• Quinos, Lune de Miel, Heavy Single Jet Wash…,Live Au Lab_49 (CEM): French gui­tar­ist on a cre­at­ive jag
• Evelyn Davis, Fred Frith, Phillip Greenlief (Lankstap Logic), Hidden Danger Lets Me In (Clean Feed): The Mills College trio reunites
• John Zorn, Homenaje A Remedios Varo (Tzadik)
• AMM, Last Calls (Matchless): Heartbreaking and heart-filling
• John Butcher, Marjolaine Charbin, Ute Kenngiesser, Eddie Prevost, The Art of Noticing (Matchless): Four play­ers who know how to be free
•  Eddie Prevost et. al., A Company of Others (Matchless) A few more players
• London Workshop, Widdershins (Matchless) And more still
• Fowler, Cartwright, Parker, Hurt, Stewart, Hirsh, Amba, Miserere (Mahakala): A super­ses­sion that retains soul­ful coherence
• Matthew Shipp, The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp (Mahakala): Solo piano, highest order 
• The Feelies, Some Kinda Love (Bar/None): But of course
• Nevaris, Reverberations (M.O.D.): Groove and dub, heavy and brisk
• Live at Plus-Etage, Volume 1 (A New Wave of Jazz): Strong simple silences, and more
• François Carrier Ensemble fea­tur­ing Mat Maneri, Tomasz Stanko, Gary Peacock, Michel Lambert, Openness (Fundacja Sluchaj): Just wow
• Emergency Group, Venal Twin (CF): A quar­tet fea­tur­ing my friend Dave Mandl, “Emergency” as in Tony Williams 
• Diego Caicedo, Seis Amorfismos (Burning Ambulance): BA label head digs met­al and avant garde, releases album exem­plary in both respects
• Kate Gentile, Find Letter X (Pi): Jaw-dropping three-disc prog-fusion-glitch music of unflag­ging inven­tion and energy
• Tomas Fujiwara’s 7 Poets Trio, Pith (S/R): Bracing lyricism
• Zoe Amba,Chris Corsano, Bill Orcutt, The Flower School (Palilaila): If you know any one of the play­ers you’ll love this
• Jimmy Agren, Scott Colby, Henry Kaiser, Trouble With The Treble (Fractal promo): A romp of covers
• Scott Amendola, Henry Kaiser,Michael Manring, Haunted By Eternity (Fractal): A wider-ranging romp of originals
• John Zorn, Nothing is as Real as Nothing (Tzadik): Beckett-inspired heads, you can almost tell without being told
• Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet, Hear the Light Singing (Rogue Art): Five women make the title idea come alive
• Elliott Sharp, The Collapsed Wave (S/R): Sharp’s trib­ute to Jeff Beck. No really.
• Wilco, Cousins (D8Pm): First Wilco record to hook me in a while 
• Alan Courtis and David Grubbs, Braintrust of Fiends and Werewolves (Husky Pants): Inspired gui­tar duets.
• Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids, Afro Futuristic Dreams (Strut): A truly magic­al record!
• Bill Laswell and Pete Namlook, Outland (Cold Spring): Chilly. 
• Univers Zero, Leuer (Sub Rosa): These cats still slap.
• Florian Arbenz, Conversations 10: Inland (Hammer): A ter­rif­ic drum­mer with truly open ears and great taste in conversationalists.
• 100 Gecs, 10,000 Gecs (Atlantic/Dog Show): You’ve heard of this.
• Olivia Rodrigo, Guts (Geffen): Check the record check the record check the girl’s rock record
• John Zorn, Parhesiastes (Tzadik): Fusion with Zorn heads, always a good idea
• Marjolaine Charbin and Eddie Prevost, The Cry of a Dove Announcing Rain (Two after­noon con­certs at Café OTO) (Matchless)
• John Butcher and Eddie Prevost, Unearthed (Matchless) ARE YOU READY EDDIE (he’s over 80 year’s old for God’s sake)
• Ivan Vukosavlievic, Slow Roads (else­where): Unique organ music recor­ded in rur­al Netherlands churches.
• Graham Lambkin and James Rushford, Gondolas (erstwhile): Not quite hyp­not­ic sound­scapes between the jazz club and the field recording.