The 100 Best Recordings of 2019

Here are my picks for the 100 best albums of 2019 (all styles, all genres). These are listed in
alphabetical order. Happy listening!

HONORABLE MENTION

Here are another 100 albums of merit from 2019 worthy of your attention

Marco Ambrosini with Ensemble Supersonus: Resonances
Ambient Medieval Jazz

Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli: Continent's End
Song Cycle Based on Nine Poems by Robinson Jeffers

Timo Andres: Work Songs
Genre-Crossing Contemporary Music About Work

Azymuth: Demos (1973-1975)
Previously Unreleased Tracks by a Power Funk-Samba-Jazz Trio

Philip Bailey (with jazz guest artists): Love Will Find a Way
Soul/R&B

Sara Bareilles: Amidst the Chaos
Singer-Songwriter

Daniel Beaudoin: Long Gone
Blues-Oriented Singer-Songwriter

Patrick Beaulieu-Hardin: Nightlight
Minimalist Piano Compositions

Guy Bélanger: Eldorado
Funky Harmonica from Quebec

Seamus Blake: Guardians of the Heart Machine
Jazz

R.L. Boyce: Rattlesnake Boogie: The Instrumentals
Hill Country Blues

Alan Broadbent: New York Notes
Jazz Piano Trio

Margaret Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King
Premiere Recording of Modern African-American Cantata

Burna Boy: African Giant
Afro-Fusion Contemporary Pop from Nigeria

Uri Caine/Prism Quartet: Book of Days
Contemporary Chamber Music for Piano and Saxophone Quartet

Carminho: Maria
Fado

Gary Clark Jr.: This Land
Crossover Album from Blues Guitarist

Billy Conahan: For You, Too
Singer-Songwriter

Constantinople & Ablaye Cissoko: Traversées
Contemplative Crosscultural Compositions

Santiago Córdoba: En Otros Lugares
Transcendental South American Desert Psych

Minyo Crusaders: Echoes of Japan
Afro-Colombian Cumbia Mixed with Japanese Folklore (and a Dose of Duke Ellington)

Bryce Dessner (composer)/Katia and Marielle Labèque (performers): El Chan
Extroverted Contemporary Classical Music

Steve Earle: Guy
Tribute Album Dedicated to Folk/Country Singer-Songwriter Guy Clark (1914-2016)

Chand Tara Orchestra: Chand Tara Orchestra
Sufi Soul from Karachi Superband

Andy Findon: The Golden Days of the Circus
Slightly Nightmarish Music for Creepy Clowns

Bill Frisell (with Petra Haden): Harmony
Ambient American Roots Music (with Jazz Flavorings)

G&D: Black Love & War
Contemporary Funk/R&B/Hip-Hop

Gaijin Blues: Gaijin Blues
Polish Band Obsessed With Japanese Music and Disco

Galactic: Already Ready Already
New Orleans Funk

John Garcia and the Band of Gold: John Garcia and the Band of Gold
Stoner Rock

Marvin Gaye: You're the Man
Previously Unreleased Music from Marvin Gaye

Sara Gazarek: Thirsty Ghost
Jazz Vocals

Larry Grenadier: The Gleaners
Music for Solo Bass

Guma: Guma
Alt Pop with Double Rhythm Section and Saxes

Tigran Hamasyan: Soundtrack to They Say Nothing Stays The Same
Film Soundtrack

Matt Harlan: Best Beasts
Plaintive Country

Juliana Hatfield: Weird
Weird Pop

Hejira: Thread of Gold
British-Ethiopian Alt Soul Music

Howl Quartet: Lines, Vol. 1
Two-Sax London Jazz Quartet with a Heavy Tristano and Cool School Vibe

Ethan Iverson (with Tom Harrell): Common Practice
Jazz

Vijay Iyer/Craig Taborn: The Transitory Poems
Two Piano Jazz Duets

Nathalie Joachim: Fanm d'Ayiti
Genre-Crossing Music from Haitian-American Composer/Performer

Kalbata (featuring Tigris): Vanrock
Techno + Voodoo Drums + Surf Guitar + Italian Film Music

Roger Kellaway: The Many Open Minds of Roger Kellaway
Jazz Piano

Angélique Kidjo: Celia
Afropop Versions of Celia Cruz Songs

Simon Kiselicki: Same No More
Solo Piano from Macedonian Composer/Improviser

Ståle Kleiberg: Do You Believe in Heather?
Contemporary Neo-Romantic Classical Music from Norway

Lee Konitz: Old Songs New
Jazz Standards Played by a Nine-Piece Ensemble

J.Lamotta: Suzume
Neo-Soul

The Last Love: Ephemera
Contemporary Funk (with a bit of Brazilian Tropicalia and Steely Dan)

Jenny Lin: Artur Schnabel: Complete Works for Solo Piano
Compositions by a Leading 20th Century Concert Pianist

Colin Linden and Luther Dickinson: Amour
Old-Time Country/Roots

Mapumba: Kaleidoscope
Traditional African Singer-Songwriter

Eve Maret: No More Running
Nashville Electropop/EDM

Branford Marsalis: The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul
Jazz

Wynton Marsalis: Soundtrack to Bolden
Film Soundtrack

Jimbo Mathus: Incinerator
Roots

Bill Mays (with Matt Wilson and Martin Wind): Live at COTA
Jazz Piano Trio

Reba McEntire: Stronger Than The Truth
Country

John McCowen: Mundanas I-V
Drone Music for Two Clarinets

Fabio Mechetti / Minas Gerais Orchestra: Alberto Nepomuceno: Symphony in G minor
Orchestral Works from Neglected Brazilian Composer (Teacher of Villa-Lobos)

Brad Mehldau: Finding Gabriel
Jazz Suite Inspired by Prophetic Scriptural Texts

Adam Miller: Love/Home/Fight/Solo
Solo Acoustic Guitar Groove Music

Nivhek: After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house
Experimental Music for Lamentations

Nubiyan Twist: Jungle Run
Afrobeat with Electronics from a 10-Piece London-Based Ensemble

Giacomo Palazzesi: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Time Regained
Modern Classical Music for Guitar

Papisa: Fenda
Experimentall Brazilian Pop Recorded at Home in São Paulo

Marek Pasieczny: Tate Sonata
Modern Solo Guitar Sonata with Jazz Spicing

Ryan Porter (with Kamasi Washington, Thundercat): Force for Good
Contemporary Jazz from Los Angeles

Chris Potter: Circuits
Electric Jazz

Rasmee: Roots
Thai Folk Singer-Songwriter

Enrico Rava and Joe Lovano: Roma
Jazz

Joshua Redman: Come What May
Jazz

Frank Rothkamm: Quarter Tone Partitas
A Cross Between Hawaiian Slack Key Music, Wendy Carlos Electronics and a Timothy Leary Acid Trip

Rozi Plain: What a Boost
Art Pop (with a Sun Ra cover)

Phil Salathé: Imaginary Birds: Music for Oboe & English Horn
Ornithologically-Inspired Contemporary Music for Woodwinds

András Schiff: Franz Schubert: Sonatas and Impromptus
Classical Music

Tristan Scroggins: Fancy Boy
Bluegrass with a Celtic Tinge

Caroline Shaw/Attacca Quartet: Orange
Contemporary Chamber Music

Bob Sheppard: The Fine Line
Jazz

ShoutHouse: CityScapes
Cross-Genre Collaboration Between 4 Composers, 5 Rappers, 3 Jazz Soloists and Classical Musicians

Gerald Situmorang & Sri Hanuraga: Meta
Jazz Duets for Prepared Piano and Guitars from Indonesia

Wadada Leo Smith: Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio of Seven Songs
Progressive Jazz Art Songs

Stile Antico: In a Strange Land: Elizabethan Composers in Exile
Renaissance Music

Dexter Story: Bahir
East African-Inspired NuJazz from Los Angeles

Surfaces: Where the Light Is
Texas Soul

Tierney Sutton: ScreenPlay
Jazz Vocals

Esbjörn Svensson Trio: E.S.T. Live in Gothenburg
Previously Unreleased Live Jazz Recording from 2001

Swindle: No More Normal
Hip-Hop with a Mix of NuJazz

Stefan Temmingh (with Wiebke Weidanz): Handel The Recorder Sonatas
Classical Music for Recorder and Harpsichord

Tartit: Amankor/The Exile
Mali Desert Blues

33EMYBW: DONG2 侗2
Experimental Polyphonic Folktronica

Tiny Giant: Flying Mouse
Dream Pop from Hanoi

Tredici Bacci: La Fine del Futuro
13-Piece Orchestra Playing a Mish-Mash of Sounds from 60s-70s Italian Films and Vintage Pop Tunes

Tune Recreation Committee: Afrika Grooves with the Tune Recreation Committee
South African Jazz

Townes Van Zandt: Sky Blue
Previously Unreleased 1973 Tracks from a Modern-Day Troubadour

Various Artists: Seitō: In the Beginning, Woman Was the Sun
Compilation of Current-Day Underground Japanese Music by Women

Rik Warren: Sleep Fast We Need the Pillows
Pop Blues

Leo Welch: The Angels in Heaven Done Signed My Name
Last Album by Blue-Gospel Guitarist Leo Welch (1932-2017)

John Wilson/BBC Philharmonic: Eric Coates: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Orchestral Works by the British "John Williams of the 1930s"

The Best of 2019

Related Links:
The 100 Best Albums of 2018
The 100 Best Albums of 2017
The 100 Best Albums of 2016
The 100 Best Albums of 2015
The 100 Best Albums of 2014
The 100 Best Albums of 2013
The 100 Best Albums of 2012
The 100 Best Albums of 2011

BACKGROUND

I am often asked how I compile my
annual list of the 100 best albums.
Here is some background information.

What is different about this year's list?

I am listing my top 100 and honorable
mention albums for 2019 in alphabetical
order, rather than ranking them. This
marks a change from some of
my earlier end-of-year lists. I am
doing this because each of these
albums deserves recognition and the
sequential ranking tended to focus
too much attention on just a few
recordings.

What styles of music do I include in my
listening?

I listen to all genres and all styles of
music. I like to listen to music that is
fresh and different, and this spurs me
to search outside the dominant
commercial categories and hit
releases. But I also listen to the
heavily promoted albums from the
major labels.

How much music do I listen to?

I like to hear new music every day.
During 2019 I listened to more
than 1,000 new album releases.
(The exact number was 1,040.)

Why do I compile this list?

Like any music lover, I enjoy sharing
my favorite recordings with others.
But in the last few years, a different
motivation has spurred me. I believe
that the system of music discovery is
broken in the current day. There is
more music recorded than ever before,
but it is almost impossible for listeners
to find the best new recordings. The
most creative work in music is
increasingly found on self-produced
projects and releases from small
indie labels— to an extent hardly
conceivable only a decade ago. Very
little of this music ever shows up on
the radio or the heavily-promoted
playlists, where formats seem to get
narrower and narrower with each
passing year. Music fans once heard
good new music at indie record stores,
but most of them have closed. Or
they could read reviews in the
newspaper, but both the newspapers
and the music reviews are shrinking or
disappearing. And the big record
labels are the worst culprits of all,
picking acts for their looks or their
potential appeal to fourteen-year-olds,
or some other egregious reason, and
in general jumping on the most trivial
passing fads. On the other hand,
the Internet presents an almost
infinite amount of music and music
commentary—yet where do fans
even begin to separate the good from
the bad and ugly? My personal solution
to this dilemma has been to listen to
lots and lots of music, and try to
identify recordings of quality and
distinction. I share my list because
I know, from past experience, that
many other listeners are frustrated
with the broken system of music
discovery, and are also looking for
good new music.

Why is this list so strange?

Yes, I am often asked that question. I
respond that there are two kinds of
end-of-year lists. The first type celebrates
cultural heroes and popular successes.
But there's a second type of list that
focuses on musical discovery and digs
deeply into under-the-radar releases
in search of hidden gems. This list does
a little of both, but leans more to the
second camp.

What criteria do I apply?

I have no axe to grind. My list is
filled with music I enjoy, and suspect
others will too—especially if they
have a reasonably good ear, and
an open mind. I like recordings that
show some flair and creativity, a
sense of style, solid musicianship,
and an emotional commitment to
the moment of performance. I
appreciate it when an artist
possesses a sense of musical
tradition; on the other hand, I don’t
want to see slavish imitation of the
past. When music strikes me as
too formulaic or contrived or cold,
I start to lose interest. Like any critic,
I want my readers to think that I am
cool and hip and oh-so-up-to-date,
but I learned some time ago that
many of the best recordings are
decidedly uncool and unhip. So if
you want to laugh at me for honoring
some aging AM radio rock star or a
peculiar tuba album, go ahead
and do so. But also check out some
of the lesser-known titles on the list...
you might just be pleasantly surprised
by what you hear.

Happy listening!

T ED GIOIA

The 100 Best Recordings of 2019

Follow Ted Gioia on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/tedgioia

John Luther Adams
Become Desert
Ecological Orchestral Soundscapes

Laurie Anderson / Tenzin Choegyal / Jesse Paris Smith
Songs from the Bardo
Musical and Textual Evocation of 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Areni Agbabian
Bloom
Genre-Crossing Music for Voice, Piano and Percussion Influenced by Armenian Folk and Sacred Songs

Melissa Aldana
Visions
Jazz Saxophony

Laurie Antonioli
The Constant Passage of Time
Jazz Vocal Interpretations of Singer-Songwriter Classics

Christian aTunde Adjuah
Ancestral Recall
Traditional and Futuristic Diaspora Soundscapes with Trumpet

Beyoncé
Homecoming: The Live Album
Contemporary R&B/Pop Meets a Marching Band

Paul Bley/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian
When Will the Blues Leaves
Previously Unreleased Live Jazz Trio Recording from 1999

Blue Heron/Scott Metcalfe
Johannes Ockeghem: Complete Songs, Vol. 1
Neglected Love Songs from Flemish Renaissance Liturgical Composer

Richard Bonynge/Victorian Opera
Alfred Cellier: Dorothy
Forgotten Gilbert & Sullivan-esque Operetta That Was a Huge Hit in the 1880s

Liz Brasher
Painted Image
Modern Memphis Soul-Pop Music

Brijean
Walkie Talkie
Disco from the Future

Jeffrey Brooks
The Passion
Contemporary Classical Music with a Psychedelic Rock Ambiance

James Carter
James Carter Organ Trio: Live from Newport Jazz
Groove Jazz

Brìghde Chaimbeul
The Reeling
Contemporary Scottish Bagpipe Soundscapes with Noir/Gothic Flavoring

Chicago Sinfonietta/Mei-Ann Chen
Project W: Works by Diverse Women Composers
Orchestral Music

Ivan Conti
Poison Fruit
First Album in 20 Years from a Pioneer of 'Samba Doido' ('Crazy Samba')

Chick Corea (with Christian McBride and Brian Blade)
Trilogy 2
Jazz Piano Trio

Cosey Fanni Tutti
Tutti
Techno with Touches of Cornet and Road Vehicles

Theon Cross
Fyah
Tuba-Driven Dance Jazz from London

Cucina Povera
Zoom
Songs Made by Finnish Sound Collage Artist With Tascam Zoom Recorder and Loop Pedal

Colin Currie & Steve Reich
Live at Fondation Louis Vuitton
Minimalist

Daisy the Great
I'm Not Getting Any Taller
Acoustic Punk Pop (Spiced with Folk Music) for Two Voices

Lana Del Rey
Norman Fucking Rockwell
Pop Singer-Songwriter

Jeremy Denk
c.1300-c.2000
Pianist Surveys 700 Years of Music in 100 Minutes

Arrington de Dionyso
Shouting Over Deep Water Blues
Avant-Garde Horn Music Played on Homemade Instruments by a Man in a Boat off the Coast of Sweden

Dolphin Midwives
Liminal Garden
Fractured, Floating Music for Harp, Voice and Electronics

Carolina Eyck and Eversines
Waves
Transcendent Alternative Pop for Theremin and Voice

Billie Eilish
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Alt Pop Singer-Songwriter

Peter Eldridge (with Kenny Werner)
Somewhere
Jazz Vocals with Strings

Kelly Finnigan
The Tales People Tell
Old School Soul

Flying Lotus
Flamagra
Soulful NuJazz with Elements of Chillout and R&B

Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan
Epistrophy
Jazz Guitar and Bass Duets

Ricardo Gallén
Leo Brouwer: Guitar Sonatas
Contemporary Classical Guitar Works by Cuban Composer

Antón García Abril (composer), Hilary Hahn (performer)
6 Partitas by Antón García Abril
Contemporary Music for Solo Violin

Stan Getz
Getz at the Gate
Previously Unreleased Live Jazz Recording from 1961

Rhiannon Giddens
There is No Other
Roots/Folk/Gospel

Pasquale Grasso
Solo: Standards, Vol. 1
Virtuosic Solo Jazz Guitar

Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Ow! Live at The Penthouse
Previously Unreleased Live Recording of a Titantic Tenor Sax Battle from 1962

Iro Haarla
Around Again – The Music of Carla Bley
Jazz Trio Intrpretations of Compositions by Carla Bley

Hama
Houmeissa
Afrofuturist EDM Constructed from Saharan Folk Songs (Nomadic Herding Ballads, Caravan Songs, Wedding Chants, etc.)

Brian Harnetty
Shawnee, Ohio
Sonic Ethnography of a Small Town in Ohio Presented Via a Sound Collage of Archival Interviews and Chamber Music

John Hartford
Backroads, Rivers & Memories: The Rare & Unreleased John Hartford
Previously Unreleased 1960s Tracks from a Folk Music Legend

Claire Hastings
Those Who Roam
Scottish Singing Storyteller

Miho Hazama
Dancer in Nowhere
Contemporary Big Band Music

Fred Hersch (with the WDR Big Band)
Begin Again
Jazz

Laurence Hobgood
Tesseterra
Popular Songs Reimagined for Jazz Trio and String Quartet

John Dee Holeman
Last Pair of Shoes
90-Year-Old Piedmont Blues Guitarist Plays Juke Joint Music

Dave Holland/Zakir Hussain/Chris Potter
Good Hope
Jazz

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes
Cypress Grove
The Last of the Authentic Bentonia, Mississippi Blues Musicians

Bruce Hornsby
Absolute Zero
Rock (With a Dose of Jazz and Electronica)

Shahbaz Hussain and Helen Anahita Wilson
Diwan
Tabla/Keyboard Duets

Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram
Kingfish
Modern Mississippi Blues

Ahmad Jamal
Ballades
Solo Jazz Piano

Yves Jarvis
The Same but by Different Means
Folk Noir with Tender R&B Flourishes

Jatayu Chango
Tales
Carnatic Funk from Chennai

John Jeter/Fort Smith Symphony
Florence Beatrice Price: Symphonies 1 & 4
Premiere Recording of Symphony by a Pionnering African-American Female Composer

Hobo Johnson
The Fall of Hobo Johnson
Hip-Hop

Ahmed Ag Kaedy
Akaline Kidal
Tuareg Singer-Songwriter form Northern Mali Performs in Stripped-Down Solo Guitar Setting

Kayhan Kalhor
It's Still Autumn
Iranian Kamancheh Master Meets Jazz Trio

Eleni Karaindrou
Tous des Oiseaux
Cinematic Greek Music Blending Traditional and Orchestral Instruments

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Live at WOMAD 1985
First Release of Historic Live Concert by Sufi Vocal Master

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Fishing for Fishies
Art Pop with Unexpected Blues Twists

Sarathy Korwar
More Arriving
Indian Classical Music + Hip-Hop + Jazz

Kronos Quartet
Terry Riley: Sun Rings
Music for String Quartet, Chorus and Sounds from Outer Space

Julian Lage
Love Hurts
Genre-Crossing Guitar Music

Daniel Lanois (with Willie Nelson, D'Angelo, Rhiannon Giddens & others)
The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2
Cowboy Video Game Soundtrack

Sam Brady Long
Satie, Dilated
Celestial Reverberations from Reconfiguring Satie at 1/5th Normal Speed

Russ Lossing
Motian Music
Piano Trio Interpretations of Compositions by Paul Motian

Joe Lovano (with Marilyn Crispell)
Trio Tapestry
Impressionistic Trio Music for Saxophone, Piano and Percussion

Hugh Marsh
Violinvocations
Stream-of-Consciousness Music for Solo Violin and Pedals

Ben Monder
Day After Day
Guitar Jazz

MSYLMA
Dhil-un Taht Shajarat Al-Zaqum
Experimental Saudi Arabian Techno Influenced by Pre-Islamic and Quranic Poetry

Phillip Nangle
2 Karimba 3 Octave
Pulsating Percussion Music Played on a Three-Octave Hepatonic Karimba

Kinloch Nelson
Partly on Time: Recordings 1968-1970
Seminal Tapes by Fingerstyle Guitar Innovator Released After 50 Years

Nihiloxica
Biiri
Afrofuturist Music Perfromed on Traditional Percussion Instruments from Uganda

Carola Ortiz
Spirala
Indian-Catalan Canciones with Clarinets

Nao Otsuka
Tumblin
Layered Minimalist Drones with Japanese Soundscapes

Marianne Parker
Pages Intimes: Haitian Works for Solo Piano
Rediscovered Haitian Piano Music from Ludovic Lamothe ("The Black Chopin") and Others

Michel Petrucciani (with Roy Haynes and Gary Peacock)
One Night in Karlsruhe
Previously Unreleased Jazz Piano Trio Recording from 1988

The Raconteurs
Help Us Stranger
No Frills Rock

Joshua Redman & Brooklyn Rider
Sun on Sand
Genre-Crossing Chamber Music Suite Composed by Patrick Zimmerli

Michael Robinson
Spirit Lady
Modern Raga Performed by Vox Organ, Tamboura and Percussion (inspired by Lennie Tristano)

Rodrigo y Gabriela
Mettavolution
High Octane Mexican Guitar Duo

Adam Rudolph's Go Organic Orchestra with Brooklyn Raga Massive
Ragmala - A Garden of Ragas
21st Century Global Fusion Orchestra Meets 13th Century Raga

Toyohiko Satoh
Iki
Combination of Traditional Lute Music with Japanese Aesthetic of 'Iki' (Translates a 'Elegant Refinement')

Seba Kaapstad
Thina
South African Neo-Soul/Hip Hop

Smith N Weston
Get Down
Hot Blues-Rock Trio from Greece

D.J. Sparr
Electric Bands
Electronically-Enhanced Contemporary Chamber Music

Joanna Sternberg
Then I Try Some More
Emotionally Stark Singer-Songwriter

Tadzio
The Sick Room
Unorthodox Pop Dirges Influenced by Javanese Gamelan, Gregorian Chant and Arvo Pärt

Rafael Thomaz
Invenções para Violão e Percussão
Brazilian Music for Guitar and Percussion

Miguel Trapaga & Teresa Folgueira
Guitar Double Concertos
Contemporary Classical Music for Guitar (and Accordion, Vibraphone)

Mark Turner/Gary Foster
Mark Turner Meets Gary Foster
Jazz

Uncle Hassell
Delta Drone
Experimental Electronic Music

Various Artists
Ann Arbor Blues Festival 1969
Live Recording of Historic 1969 Blues Festival

Various Artists
Antologia de Música Atípica Portuguesa, Vol. 2
An Anthology of 'Atypical' Portuguese Music

Various Artists
Benefit Of Mr. Kitesurfer
13 Bands from 13 Countries Play Surf Rock Versions of Beatles Songs (from 13 Albums)

Various Artists
Kankyō Ongaku
First US Release of Pioneering Japanese Environmental Music from the 1980s

Denny Zeitlin
Remembering Miles
Solo Jazz Piano