Best Of 2020: Jazz, Latin, And Global

This is perpetually my smallest category, but what I do love I love wholeheartedly. A few of these were covered earlier in 2020, which you'll find at the top, while others are things I've been dying to share with you. Read on - but first click play on this playlist or below.

Of Note In 2020: Jazz, Latin, And Global
Wayne Escoffery - The Humble Warrior
Makaya McCraven and Gil Scott-Heron - We're New Again: A Reimagining
Yorkston/Thorne/Khan - Navarasa : Nine Emotions

BLK JKS R BK
BLK JKS - Abantu/Before Humans

Record Roundup: Catching Up (Sort Of)
Vibration Black Finger - Can't You See What I'm Trying To Say

Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You? I've decided to stop trying to keep track of the myriad activities of Moor Mother (born Camae Aweya) and just grab hold of the ones that stick quickly - like this stellar outing from her jazz quintet. Collaborating with Keir Neuringer (saxophone, percussion), Aquiles Navarro (trumpet, percussion), Luke Stewart (double bass, percussion), and Tcheser Holmes (drums, congas), leads to some of her most focused work in a setting in which she is comfortable being both contemplative or enraged. The credits also tell a story, as many tracks here are rooted in percussion jams for a funky, polyglot vibe reminiscent of Kip Hanrahan's great American Clavé recordings. But there's no doubt that Moor Mother's gift for language and the power of her voice are key factors in elevating Who Sent You? above a plethora of recent contemporary jazz releases. For more, don't miss her "afrofuturist song cycle," Circuit City, which includes many of the same players.

Sylvie Courvoisier Trio - Free Hoops Fleet of finger and of an analytical bent, Courvoisier's pianism once again finds new heights of avant jazz delight with Drew Gress (bass) and Kenny Wollesen (drums) on their first album since 2018's excellent D'Agala. They are obviously her perfect foils as I found the two albums she made with others since then to be slightly too cerebral, i.e. dry. But not here, as the creativity and interaction of the rhythm section keeps Courvoisier both down to earth and as dazzling as a star-filled sky. For proof, check out Just Twisted, a neo-noir chase scene that will leave you breathless.

Mark de Clive-Lowe - Dreamweavers While this trio record, with the keyboard/production maven accompanied by Andrea Lombardini (bass) and Tommaso Cappellato (drums), is very stripped down for him, it's quite a different proposition from what Courvoisier is doing. Skywriting analog synths soar over rich acoustic piano, while the rhythm section pushes and recedes intuitively, from dense rhythms to airy accents. Slickness is also part of the picture, harkening back to an earlier time when jazz reentered the pop firmament on the wings of electricity and bright melodies. It's also wonderful to see MDCL pay tribute to the late, great Ras G with a cover of his Strolling Down Degnan. 

Mike Sopko, Bill Laswell & Tyshawn Sorey - On Common Ground It's hard to imagine players of less stature than bassist/producer Laswell and drummer/composer/multi-instrumentalist Sorey being able to find common ground with Sopko, whose coruscating guitar is an unstoppable force on this trio date. There's an almost evil thrill in hearing Sorey - essentially capable of anything on drums - pound away in Oracle. I can picture a cinderblock attempting to hold his bass drum in place and crumbling to dust as he builds an almighty groove. Parascience, another standout track, moves from reflective to eerie to full on skronk with frightening facility. Can I be greedy and ask for a residency at The Stone when concerts come back? I'd go every night.

Sun Ra Arkestra - Swirling Beyond the surprise of the mere existence of the first album under the Arkestra name in over 20 years is the shock at how good it is. It also remains true to the master's vision of a cosmic yet soulful music which draws as equally from outer space imaginings as it does from Ellington, Mingus, and Monk. Beautifully recorded, with fervent performances under the direction of Marshall Allen, who at 96 shows no sign of losing the thread he picked up with Sun Ra back in 1958, Swirling is an end-to-end triumph. But don't get the idea that Allen and Co. are taking their legacy too seriously - there's even a romp called Unmask The Batman, which rips through the TV theme song, paying homage to the 1960's session that resulted in Batman And Robin, credited to The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale. Sensational indeed!

Jahari Massamba Unit - Pardon My French This full-length debut from the collaboration between DJ/producer/multi-instrumentalist Madlib and percussionist/producer Karriem Riggins has been a long time coming - and exceeds expectations in its epic sweep and deeply involving jams. No surprise, the drumming is especially spectacular, but working with Madlib has enabled Riggins to stretch beyond the occasional sketchbook feel of his (fantastic) solo albums, Alone Together and Headnod Suite. If whatever they do next is this good, I say take your time, gentlemen.

Thiago Nassif - Mente Fascinatingly fragmented no-wave Brazilian, assisted by producer Arto Lindsay, who knows all there is to know about both sides of that coin. Simpatico guest vocalists like Ana Frango Elétrico and Gabriela Riley smooth things out a little, but the true pleasure is in letting these burnished and brittle bits and pieces assemble in your head.

Jungle Fire - Jungle Fire Concision and conviction are the keys to success for this LA-based octet's "Tropi-funk," as this 30-minute album blasts through a blend of Afrobeat, Afro-cuban, boogaloo, and other sonic signatures of the diaspora. It's all fun, but it's on Emboscada where they truly go beyond pastiche with some astonishing 3D guitar riffage.

The Mavericks - En Español After In Time, which hit not only my Best Of 2013 but also my Best Albums Of The 2010's, these Tex-Mex-Americana experts seemed to lose their footing. Mono (2015) felt like a rush job, Brand New Day (2017) was forgettable, and the less said about their Christmas and covers albums the better. Now, with their first album in Spanish, they've roared back again. Singer Raul Malo sounds fully engaged and avoids any showboating, the sound is rich, with layers of live instruments, and the energy never flags. I'd rather play this at a party than any of the forced disco retreads that got so much acclaim last year. As for how "authentic" their takes on old school Conjunto and Tejano actually are, I'll leave that to the scholars. I'm just happy to go along for the ride.

For more in these genres, make sure to dig into my archive playlist and follow the 2021 edition to stay up to date.

You may also enjoy:
Best Of 2019: Jazz, Latin, and Global 
Best Of 2018: Jazz, Latin, and Global

Of Note In 2020: Jazz, Latin, and Global

The train to catch up on 2020's music is on track, although with each station I hit, another station adds itself to the itinerary as more great music continues to be released. But no matter. This leg of the journey is stoked by three albums, two that fall under jazz and one that (for lack of a better term) falls under global. The main playlist has plenty of other goodies for your listening pleasure, but these were the ones that kept me coming back. You can find samples from each in the 40 For 2020 playlist, along with tracks from previous posts focusing on Classical, Electronic, and Hip Hop.



Wayne Escoffery - The Humble Warrior For most people, having a colleague tell them that their nephew is a musician would be an excuse to exit stage right. When that happened to me a couple of years ago, however, I a beeline back to my office to check it out. That's how I discovered this supremely skilled and passionate sax player and his album Vortex. His new one finds him exploring new areas while paying homage to his own roots and that of the music itself. For the former, he's created a searching, expansive take on Benjamin Britten's Missa Brevis, which he heard as a child growing up in London, where he sang with the Trinity Boys Choir. For the latter, his own composition Chain Gang reflects the role of work songs and slave chants in the DNA of jazz. Fittingly, it opens with a Coltrane-like voluntary, heralding in a powerfully involving piece. As on Vortex, his band is all in, especially pianist David Kikoski, who sparkles throughout. Guitarist David Gilmore (not Gilmour!) and trumpet legend Randy Brecker lend a hand to the Britten tracks, giving more foils for Escoffery's reed to work against. If more mainstream jazz was this good I would listen to more mainstream jazz.

Makaya McCraven and Gil Scott-Heron - We're New Again: A Reimagining In 2011, Jamie XX spun spooky electronic gold out of I'm New Here, Scott-Heron's somewhat misshapen final album. Now to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original, Chicago's avatar of the new jazz scene has reimagined the album entirely with all new backing tracks for Scott-Heron's gravelly reflections - and came up with another winner. Aided by crack players like Jeff Parker (guitar) and Brandee Younger (harp) and driven by McCraven's percussion, it refers back to the master's albums with Brian Jackson while the addition of Ben Lamar Gay's diddley bow seems to take it to a more elemental place. Not only does this album honor Scott-Heron's extraordinary legacy, it's also the most convincing work McCraven has yet released. A remarkable and riveting achievement.

Yorkston/Thorne/Khan - Navarasa : Nine Emotions In 2016, I put this trio's Everything Sacred in the "rock, folk, etc." category but as Suhail Yusuf Kahn's voice and sarangi are even more to the fore this time, I'm putting it here. The title refers to a Sanskrit theory of the various emotions expressed by the performing arts and each of the nine tracks represents one sentiment. Even so, it's a consistently contemplative album, with its highest spirits reserved for the second track, The Shearing's Not For You, with James Yorkston singing what sounds like an ancient Scottish folk song. With each release, the polyglot trio's vision sounds ever more gorgeous and full of natural affinities between cultures. There's no better example of that than Westlin' Winds, which combines the Pakistani devotionals of the Qawwali tradition with the poetry of Robert Burns. If you're still unfamiliar with Yorkston/Thorne/Khan, start here but by all means trace the journey back through all three albums.

Make sure to follow this playlist to see what else gets added in these genres.



You may also enjoy:
Best Of 2019: Jazz, Latin, and Global

Best Of 2018: Jazz, Latin, and Global
Double Bass, How Low Can You Go
Bayeté's World