Comin’ atcha from one of Al Capone’s old haunts! Nicole’s gettin’ a CBD massage in this haunted hotel’s famous spa, we got kicked out of the pool for some reserved loud wedding strutting, and I’m sippin’ Blue Moons to the tune of my $100 worth of Bandcamp Friday investments. School’s in for me, so with three freshman comp classes and tutoring, I haven’t even been able to read–man, when that happens, I’m like Antaeus without his feet on the ground. BUT…I made it, smellin’ like chlorine and all.

Suite Sweets:

*In 2009, at 75, Bobby Rush played a show at the school I taught at, to an audience composed mostly of our black students, their parents, and even grandparents. Though it fell into my lap, I still had to do some legwork; in the end, it’s one of my Top 3 greatest experiences as an educator. AT 89, Rush just delivered his best album since Live at Ground Zero and Folkfunk (if anyone’s keeping track)–a team-up with Willie awaits, and I am not joking. Their people need to think about it.

*I was starting to think Noname was too good to wax rap records, and that’s a statement of respect. I am glad to see her back in the game, elegant, concise, and powerful.

*The year’s most gorgeous jazz album might be Miguel Zenon’s second record of boleros.

*St. Louis’ best rock and roll band (Americana, if you prefer) is Money for Guns. They just released their very best record, so if you still recognize those two genres, you might wanna sniff it out. I must admit that their co-lead singer and songwriter substitute-taught at my school over a decade ago when he was a Frustrated Bachelor, but as sharp as he was, I figured he’d be teaching at this point. He wisely keep his shoulder to the musical wheel.*

*Those of you that are free jazz fans might still be processing all those Zoh Amba records from 2022. Her new one with Orcutt on guitar might be THE ONE you need if she hasn’t hooked you yet.

*I’ve been lucky enough to see Sonic Youth live at their peak (I’m calling that the Goo tour) and in their admirable, um, dotage (2002, maybe?). The new live-in-Brooklyn document is a lovely gift to us, and does it open with some painful honesty.

*Ember. Who the funk are they? Well, they just released the most fascinatingly responsive jazz record of the year. I need to do more research, but I played it out of obligation and ended up hypnotized.

*Steve Pick, my man! Thank you for pointing me to That Mexican OT. If you miss fun and outrageous rap, and maybe like Mexican wrestling, please don’t hesitate. Unless it’s to helmet-polish for a bit.

*It might set you back some, but The Village’s six-decade overview of the great Horace Tapscott’s musical world of Watts is well worth it. He is the most underrated figure in jazz history (mostly because he chose to devote his efforts to local musical work rather than pursuit of fame), and his accomplishment has never been better documented than on the Pan Afrikan Peoples Orchestra set.

*I am standing firm on my feeling that Anohni’s My Back was a Bridge for You to Cross is the most powerful (and therefore best) record of the year. I’ve been told the vibrato is too much (tell that to the ghost of Sarah Vaughan) and that the quality tails (I think it simply shifts in kind of quality), but it still haunts me, and I know I am not alone.

BONUS TIP: If you happen to love balls-out drums (especially drums)-and-guit Devotion-like wailing…check out Spiritual Drum Kingship. Sometimes you just need your ass kicked by surging plugged-in improv.

(Bolded items are new to the list)

1. Anohni: My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross (Secretly Canadian)
2. Gina Burch: I Play My Bass Loud (Third Man)
3. 100 gecs: 10,000 gecs (Dog Show/Atlantic)
4. boygenius:the record (Interscope)
5. Bettye LaVette: LaVette! (Jay-Vee)
6. Buck 65: Super Dope (self-released?)
7. Jessie Ware: That! Feels Good! (Universal)
8. Noname: Sundial (AWAL Recordings America)
9. billy woods & Kenny Segal: Maps (Backwoodz Studios)
10. Liv.e: Girl in The Half Pearl (Real Life / AWAL)
11. Kelela: Raven (Warp)
12. Big Freedia: Central City (Queen Diva)
13. National Information Society: Since Time is Gravity (Eremite)
14. Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: In the Dark (ESP-Disk)
15. Ethnic Heritage Ensemble: Spirit Gatherer—A Tribute to Don Cherry (Spiritmuse)
16. Jason Moran: From the Dancehall to the Battlefield (Yes Records)
17. London Brew: London Brew (Concord)
18. Fire! Orchestra: Echoes (Rune Grammofon)
19. Wadada Leo Smith: Fire Illuminations (Kabell)
20. The Mark Lomax II Trio: Tapestry (CFG Multimedia)
21. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah & Chief Adjuah: Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning (Ropeadope)
22. Janelle Monae: The Age of Pleasure (Bad Boy)
23. Dropkick Murphys: Okemah Rising (Dummy Luck Music)
24. Isach Skeidsvoll: Dance to Summon (Ultraani Records)
25. Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo: El Arte del Bolero, Volume 2 (ArcArtists)
26. Wild Up: Julius Eastman, Volume 3—If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? (New Amsterdam)
27. Parannoul: After the Magic (Poclanos/Top Shelf)
28. Yaeji: With a Hammer (XL Recordings)
29. The Urban Art Ensemble: “Ho’opomopono” (CFG Multimedia 16-minute single)
30. Felo Le Tee & Mellow & Sleazy: The Ill Wise Men (New Money Gang)
31. Brandy Clark: Brandy Clark (Warner)
32. Rodrigo Campos: Pagode Novo (YB Music)
33. The Necks: Travel (Northern Spy)
34. Kali Uchis: Red Moon in Venus (Geffen)
35. Bobby Rush: All My Love for You (Deep Rush / Thirty Tigers)
36. Marina Sena: Vicio Inerente (Sony)
37. Young Fathers: Heavy Heavy (Ninja Tune)
38. Willie Nelson: I Don’t Know a Thing About Love—The Songs of Harlan Howard (Legacy)
39. Peso Pluma: GENESIS (Double P)
40. Ice Cold Bishop: Generational Curse (Ice Cold Entertainment)
41. Allen Lowe and The Constant Sorrow Orchestra: America—The Rough Cut (ESP-Disk)
42. Tyshawn Sorey:Continuing (Pi Recordings)
43. Nourished by Time: Erotic Probiotic 2 (Scenic Route)
44. Walter Daniels: “From Death to Texas” / “Seems Like a Dream” (Spacecase Records 45)
45. Tyler Keith & The Apostles: Hell to Pay (Black & Wyatt)
46. Algiers: Shook (Matador)
47. KAYTRAMINE: KAYTRAMIUNE, Amine, & KAYTRANADA (CLBN)
48. Withered Hand: How to Love (Reveal)
49. Lori McKenna: 1988 (CN Records / Thirty Tigers)
50. ensemble 0: Jojoni(Crammed Discs)
51. Henry Threadgill: The Other One(Pi)
52. Kari Faux: REAL BITCHES DON’T DIE (drunk sum wtr records)
53. Zoh Amba & Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt: The Flower School (Palilalia)
54. Lewis Capaldi: Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (Vertigo Berline)
55. aja monet: when the poems do what they do (drink sum wtr)
56. Knoel Scott (featuring Marshall Allen): Celestial (Night Dreamer)
57. Ember: August in March (Imani)
58. Meshell Ndegeocello: The Omnichord Real Book (Blue Note)
59. Taj Mahal: Savoy (Cheraw S.C.)
60. corook: serious person (part 1) (Atlantic)
61. Haviah Mighty: Crying Crystals (Mighty Gang)
62. Rome Streetz: Wasn’t Built in a Day (Big Ghost)
63. Jaimie Branch: Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) (International Anthem)
64. Kiko El Crazy: Pila’e Teteo (Rimas)
65. Islandman (featuring Okay Temiz and Muhlis Berberoglu: Direct-to-Disc Sessions (Night Dreamer)
66. Edward Simon: Femeninas (ArtistShare)
67. Kill Bill—The Rapper: Fullmetal Kaiju (EXO)
68. Money for Guns: All the Darkness That’s in Your Head (CD Baby)
69. Rough Image: Rough Image (WV Sorcerer Productions)
70. Ingrid Laubrock: The Last Quiet Place (Pyroclastic)
71. Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra: LightningDreamers (International Anthem)
72. Kaze & Ikue Mori: Crustal Movement (Circum/Libra)
73. DJ Black Low: Impumelelo (Awesome Tapes from Africa)
74. Belle and Sebastian: Late Developers  (Matador)
75. Satoko Fujii & Otomo Yoshihide: Perpetual Motion (Ayler Records)
76. feeble little horse: Girl with Fish (Saddle Creek)
77. Rocket 88: House of Jackpots (12XU)
78. Taiko Saito: Tears of a Cloud (Trouble in the East)
79. JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown: Scaring the Hoes (self-released)
80. Water from Your Eyes: Everyone’s Crushed (Matador)
81. Lakecia Benjamin: Phoenix (Whirlwind)
82. Amaarae: Fountain Baby (Golden Angel/Interscope)
83. Blondshell: Blondshell (Partisan)
84. Satoko Fujii: Torrent (Libra Records)
85. Javon Jackson: “With Peter Bradley”—Soundtrack and Original Score (Solid Jackson)
86. YMA & Jadsa: Zelena (Matraca)
87. Palehound: Eye on the Bat (Polyvinyl)
88. J Hus: Beautiful and Brutal Yard (Black Butter)
89. Das Kondensat: Anderen Planeten (Why Play Jazz)
90. Iris DeMent: Workin’ On a World (FlariElla)
91. David Mirarchi: Ink Folly, Orchid Gleam(Unbroken Sounds) (coming soon….)
92. Baaba Maal: Being (Atelier Live/Marathon Artists)
93. Bob Dylan: Shadow Kingdom (Columbia)
94. Lana Del Rey: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd (Polydor)
95. Romulo Froes & Tiago Rosas: Na Goela (YB Music)
96. Buselli – Wallarab Jazz Orchestra: The Gennett Suite (Patois Records)
97. Florian Arbenz: Conversation #9—Targeted (Hammer Recordings)
98. James Brandon Lewis: Eye of I (Anti-)
99. Sexyy Red: Hood Hottest Princess (Open Shift)
100. Joanna Sternberg: I’ve Got Me (Fat Possum)
101. Tracey Nelson: Life Don’t Miss Nobody (BMG)
102. Etran De L’Air: Live in Seattle (EP) (Sahel Sounds)
103. Everything But the Girl: Fuse (Buzzin’ Fly)
104. Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double: March On (self-released EP—coming in March)
105. Ice Spice: Like…? (10K Projects / Capitol Records EP)
106. otay:onii: Dream Hacker (WV Sorcerer Productions)
107. Sylvie Courvoisier & Cory Smythe: The Rite of Spring—Spectre d’un songe (Pyroclastic)
108. Itamar Borochov: Arba (Greenleaf)
109. Nakimbembe Embaire Group: Nakimbembe Embaire Group (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
110. Shirley Collins: Archangel Hill (Domino)
111. Karol G: Manana Sera Bonito (Universal Music Latino)
112. Hollie Cook: Happy Hour in Dub (Merge)
113. Andrew Cyrille: Music Delivery / Percussion (Intakt)
114. Kate Gentile: b i o m e i.i (Obliquity)
115. Yves Tumor: Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (Warp)
116. Open Mike Eagle: another triumph of ghetto engineering (AutoReverse)
117. Yonic South: Devo Challenge Cup (Wild Honey)
118. Rudy Royston: Day (Greenleaf Music)
119. Basher: Doubles (Sinking City)
120. That Mexican OT: Lonestar Luchador (Good Talk)
121. Staples Jr. Singers: Tell Heaven (EP) (Luaka Bop) Note: the vinyl gets you more great minutes of testifying.
122. Brandee Younger: Brand New Life (Impulse!)
123. Babe, Terror: Teghnojoyg
124. Heinali: Kyiv Eternal (Injazero)
125. Tri-County Liquidators: “Flies” / “Weep Then Whisper” / “Bitter” (self-released)
126. Vinny Golia Quartet: No Refunds (Unbroken Sounds)
127. Kresten Osgood / Bob Moses / Tisziji Munoz: Spiritual Drum Kingship (Gotta Let It Out)
128. The Art Ensemble of Chicago: From Paris to Paris (Rogue Art)
129. Clarence “Bluesman” Davis: Shake It For Me (Music Maker Foundation)
130. The War and The Treaty: Lover’s Game (Mercury Nashville)
131. Aroof Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad, Ismaily: Love in Exile (Verve)
132. Asher Gamedze: Turbulence and Pulse (International Anthem)
133. Normal Nada the Krakmaxter: Tribal Progressive Heavy Metal (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
134. Natural Child: Be M’Guest (Natural Child Music)
135. Tanya Tucker: Sweet Western Sound (Fantasy)

Excavations and Reissues

1. Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens: Music Inferno—The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 (Umsakazo Records)
2. Kashmere Stage Band: Texas Thunder Soul 1968-1974 (Now-Again)
3. Dorothy Ashby: With Strings Attached (New Land Records)
4. Walter Bishop, Jr.: Bish at the Bank—Live in Baltimore (Cellar Live)
5. Various Artists: Yebo! Rare Mzansi Party Beats from Apartheid’s Dying Years (BBE)
6. Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra: 60 Years (The Village)
7. Nina Simone: You’ve Got to Learn (Verve)
8. William S. Burroughs: Nothing Here But the Recordings (Dais Records)
9. Balka Sound: Balka Sound (Strut)
10. Sonic Youth: Live in Brooklyn (Silver Current)
11. John Coltrane: Evenings at The Village Gate (Impulse!)
12. Various Artists: Playing for The Man at The Door (Smithsonian Folkways)
13. Hiatus Kaiyote: Choose Your Weapon (Flying Buddha / Sony Masterworks)
14. Dream Dolphin: Gaia—Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996 – 2003) (Music from Memory)
15. Eddie & Ernie: Time Waits for No One (Mississippi Records)
16. Various Artists: Purple Haze from East, Volume 1 (WV Sorcerer Productions)
17. Various Artists: Purple Haze from East, Volume 2 (WV Sorcerer Productions)
18. The Southern University Jazz Ensemble: Goes to Africa with Love (Now-Again)
19. Sonny Rollins: Live at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki 1972 (Svart)
20. Various Artists: The Best of Revelation Records 1959-1962 (NarroWay)
21. Shizuka: Heavenly Persona (Black Editions)
22. Jacqueline Humbert & David Rosenboom: Daytime Viewing (Unseen Worlds)
23. Bob Dylan: Time Out of Mind Stripped Naked (Columbia)
24. Various Artists: Blacklips Bar—Androgyns and Deviants / Industrial Romance for Bruised and Battered Angels 1992-1995 (Anthology Recordings)
25. Various Artists: Ecuatoriana (Analog Africa)
26. RP Boo: Legacy Volume 2 (Planet Mu)
27. Les Raillizes Denudes: ’77 Live (Temporal Drift)
28. Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Shirley Scott: Cookin’ With Jaws and The Queen (Craft)
29. Professor James Benson:The Gow-Dow Experience (Jazzman Records)
30. Little Bob and The Lollipops: Nobody But You (Mississippi Records)