We made it through a half-year of this* (well…some of us were fortunate to have). Music sure helped. I’m doin’ things a mite different this month: below are my 50 favorite releases and 10 favorite excavations of 2026, rather than my usual cumulative list of all the really good ones I’ve hunted down. See my other 2026 posts for those, those I’ve somewhat shorted the month of June. I am recognizing a spotlight record of last month, though—it’s not on the sweepstakes list, but it’s my favorite debut recording, by a terrific improvising Argentine trio that evokes traditional New Orleans thanks to a very empathetic relationship between drummer and clarinetist over bassist glue. Also, if you show up her regularly, new items to be recognized here are italicized.

I’d love to have a definitive Top 10, but it’s too early for me. Yes, the list is jazz-heavy (in fact, the Bobby Bradford offering is the most sublime thing I’ve heard this year, and it’s from a nonagenarian+ other than Willie Nelson or Marshall Allen—I hear it’s the new 70!). However, I’ll note that within there’s a fantastic modern classical record (the latest Julius Eastman exaltation by Wild Up), an Americana EP by a 77-year-old garage punk widow whom I’ve personally pledged fealty to (she actually got her start playing Americana with her legendary husband in the ‘80s), my continued unpaid celebration of Nyege Nyege Tapes’ mission, a happy surrender to the Forces of Rodrigo (she does have multiple “forces”), a little OMINOUS footwork, a 45 that won’t let me up, some K- (I mean, X-) Pop, and a jubilant, breezy, very funny and very successful jazz ’n’ spoken word run at Joyce’s Ulysses. So gimme a break, jazz-haters.

SPOTLIGHT ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Las Instancias: Las Instancias (625 Discos)

2026 Mid-Year Sweepstakes Roll Call

1. The 5678s: Run Run Run (Bomb)
2. Dave Adewumi: The Flame Beneath the Silence (Giant Step Arts) 
3. [ahmed]: Play Monk (Otoroku) 
4. Zoe Amba: Eyes Full (Matador)
5. MC Paul Barman & Kenny Segal: Antinomian Pandemonium (Fused Arrow) 
6. Steven Bernstein: ResoNation Trio/Ultraresonance (Royal Potato Family)
7. Carsie Blanton & The Burning Hell: Everything is Great (self-released)
8. Bobby Bradford/Mark Dresser/Hafez Modirzadeh: Sonic House Reunion (No Business)
9. Buck 65: Do Not Bend (self-released)
10. The Delines: The Set-Up (decor) 
11. Jesse DeSilva: Glitter Up The Dark (Nine Athens) 
12. Art Edmaiston and Chad Fowler : Memphis Mandala (Mahakala Music)
13. EDU & JUDGITZU: Nuku (Nyege Nyege Tapes) 
14. Joel Futterman & William Parker: Transcendent Universe (Burning Ambulance)
15. Golomb: The Beat Goes On and On and On (No Quarter EP)
16. Itak Tek: Mind Abandon (Planet Mu) 
17. Anthony Joseph: The Ark (Heavenly Sweetness)
18. Kehlani: Kehlani (Atlantic) 
19. Kneecap: FENIAN(Heavenly) 
20. KINACT: Kinshasa in Action (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
21. Kin’Gongolo Kiniata : Kiniata (Helico Music)
22. Mark Lomax II: The Unity Suite (CFG Multimedia)
23. Mod Lang: Borrowed Time (Jaw)
24. Ava Mendoza: Alive Alone, Alive Together (Burning Ambulance)
25. Jason Moran: Jason Moran Plays Duke Ellington (Yes Records)
26. Kasey Musgraves: Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway)
27. Angelika Niescier: Chicago Tapes (Intakt) 
28. Bill Orcutt: Music in Continuous Motion (Palilalia) 
29. Orcutt/Shelley/Miller: “Hothead” / “A Man Needs a Maid” (Silver Current 45)
30. Genesis Owusu: Redstar Wu & The Worldwide Scourge (Ourness PTY)
31. Jeff Parker ETA IVtet: Happy Today (International Anthem) 
32. Grant Peeples: Code to Live By (self-released) 
33. Ivo Perelman and Damon Smith: Duologue 6—Core of Existence (Squidnote)
34. Pinky Tex: The Singing Angel from Devil Rock Canyon (Mississippi Records EP)
35. Tomeka Reid: dance! skip! hop! (Out of Your Head Records)
36. Olivia Rodrigo: you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love (Geffen)
37. Talibah Safiya: Eternal (self-released)
38. Serengeti: KENNYV (self-released)
39. Serokolo 7: Maramfa Musick Pro (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
40. Sha Ra and DJ Haram: Critical Thot (BackwoodzStudioz)
41. SML: Spontaneous Music Live (International Anthem) 
42. Tyshawn Sorey: Members … Don’t (Pi Recordings)
43. Swamp Dogg: …Contemplates the Afterlife (S-Curve)
44. Tanya Tagaq: Saputjii (Six Shooter) 
45. This is Lorelei: Box for Buddy, Box for Star (Super Deluxe) (Double Double Whammy) 
46. LOS THUTHANAKA: Wak’a (self-released EP) 
47. Harriet Tubman & Georgia Muldrow: Electrical Field of Love (Pi Recordings)
48. Twisted Teens: Blame the Clown (Jazz Life)
49. Wild Up: Julius Eastman, Vol. 5—Gay Guerilla (New Amsterdam)
50. XG: The Core (XGALX) 

Archival Releases

1. Antoine Dougbé et L’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou: 1977 – 1982 (Analog Africa)
2. Fugazi: Albini Sessions (Dischord)
3. Joe Henderson: Consonance–Live at the Jazz Showcase (Resonance) 
4. Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra: Concert a Prades Le Lez, Volumes 1&2 (Souffle Continu)
5. Ahmad Jamal: At the Jazz Showcase–Live in Chicago (Resonance) 
6. Louis Stewart: Joyce Notes (Livia Records)
7. Les Rallizes Dénudés: Disque 4—’76 Studio et Live (Temporal Drift)
8. Ranil y su Conjunto: Galaxia Tropical (Analog Africa) 
9. Alan Silva Celestrial Communication Ensemble: 2000-06-24 Amherst (Eremite)
10. Cecil Taylor New Unit: Words and Music—The Last Bandstand (Fundacja Słuchaj Records)
11. Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane: At Iridium 2004 (Burning Ambulance)

Special Note: If you have never heard of electro-country, please check out Owen Lake and The Tragic Loves’ new album Bury Deep My Heart, on Carrier Records. It’s a little more country (Americana-honky-tonk-rockabilly stylee) than electro, but its quirky wit while messing with tradition is worth snatchin’ a flyer on.

If you enjoy these lists, please follow my IG feed (“Good to My Earhole”), where regardless of whether I’m sick, traveling, stranded, partying, mourning, working, going insane, panicking, or just lovin’ ’n’ livin’ I post a quadrant of four records I listened to the previous day, or my Substack education blog, The Overeem (Failed) Farewell Tour.

Vintage Albums I Deeply Enjoyed This Month

Everything I own of the late James Blood Ulmer’s discography (which is most of it). His Caravan of Dreams live album is better than most have reported.

Pretty much Tom Waits’ entire discography, but especially the swordfishtrombones/Rain Dogs/Frank’s Wild Years/Big Time run, which my wife and I courted to, doncha know?

Phil Freeman of Burning Ambulance recommended some vintage recordings to listen to to staunch the magnetic power of the Miles Centennial, and I’ve found he’s extremely reliable. In this case: Teramasu Hino’s Hi-Nology and Donald Byrd’s Electric Byrd.

Thanks to Barry Walters’ terrific book Mighty Real (a revelatory—maybe just for cishets?–LGBTQ+ Stonewall-to-Y2k music survey), Off the Wall and Diana.

Hey! I Read, Too, and So Should You!

Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart

Lucy Ellmann: Sweet Deserts and Ducks, Newburyport (the latter’s gonna take all year but what a ride!)

Barry Walters: Mighty Real