2022 Faves part 2: "Old" music and some additional new albums
As a follow up to my Favorite New Albums of 2022 list posted last week, I offer a handful of favorite reissues and “vault” releases that came my way in 2022. Among these, one of Cecil Taylor’s greatest bands presented in an expanded, and retitled, version of the classic "Spring of Two Blue-J’s, a merger and refurbishment of two of the last known live recordings of Albert Ayler that shows the trailblazing saxophonist in jubilant form mere months before his untimely death, and a marvelous Brötzmann, Parker and Graves date that makes you wish there are more recordings of these heavyweights together.
Additionally, an addendum to the original 35 new albums list (see link above). Although I did write that, as with any year, there were more albums I enjoyed over the past 12 months than those I ended up including in the list, I had not intended to add to it. Partly because keeping that list fairly short arguably lends more weight to those included. Still, I discovered that in my haste in getting that list posted, I had omitted a firm fave from my mid-year round-up, an album that had also been on my short-list for the (yet to be published) 2022 Jazz Critics Poll, Break a Vase by Alexander Hawkins Mirror Canon. I could not let that slip by, and using that as an excuse, I have added a further 15 2022 releases, making it a nice total of 50 albums. An added bonus is that this also allowed me to include a few more albums outside of the jazz-realm that I felt worthy of recogition. That still leaves out a lot of great music that deserves attention, among these releases by Hegge, Tarbaby with Oliver Lake, Avram Fefer and many others, but I feel that I can stand firmly behind these 50 as my picks of the cream of the 2022 crop.
Reissues and music from the vaults:
Cecil Taylor: The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert (Oblivion Records) [Reviewed for Musikkmagasinet in Klassekampen, February 28., 2022].
Albert Ayler: Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings (Elemental Music) [Reviewed for Musikkmagasinet in Klassekampen, May 2., 2022].
Peter Brötzmann, Milford Graves, William Parker: Historic Music Past Tense Future (Black Editions) [Reviewed for Musikkmagasinet in Klassekampen, February 28., 2022].
Masahiko Togashi with Don Cherry & Charlie Haden: Song of Soil (WeWantSounds)
Trond Botnen, Svein Finnerud Trio, Calle Neumann: Multimal (Norske Albumklassikere)
Sirone: Artistry (Moved By Sound)
Pere Ubu: The Lost Band (Ubu Projex)
William Parker: Universal Tonality (Centering/AUM Fidelity) [Reviewed for Jazznytt #265, Winter 2022].
Per Husby Septett: Peacemaker (BBE)
Sam Rivers: Archive Series Volume 6 - Caldera (NoBusiness Records)
New albums:
Alexander Hawkins Mirror Canon: Break a Vase (Intakt Records) — From bits and pieces, as the cover says, the immensely talented pianist and composer Alexander Hawkins and a terrific cast of musicians probe, turn, twist, stretch the compositional framework, at times seemingly breaking it into tiny fragments, only to put it back together in a fascinating, and surprising, ways [Reviewed for Jazznytt #262, Spring 2022].
Samo Salamon + Arild Andersen + Ra Kalam Bob Moses: Pure and Simple (Samo Records) [Reviewed for Musikkmagasinet in Klassekampen, July 4., 2022].
Emperor X: The Lakes of Zones B and C (Dreams of Field Recordings)
Spoon: Lucifer On the Sofa (Matador)
Agnas Flaten Ståhl Texas: All Slow Dream Gone (Moserobie Music Production)
Little Simz: No Thank You (Forever Living Originals)
Kham Meslien: Fantômes... Futurs (Heavenly Sweetness)
James Brandon Lewis Quartet: MSM Molecular Systematic Music - Live (Intakt Records)
Sélébéyone: Xaybu: The Unseen (Pi Recordings) [Reviewed for Musikkmagasinet in Klassekampen, Aug. 29., 2022].
Weserbergland: Sacrae Symphoniae nr. 1 (Apollon Records Prog)
Brandon Seabrook Trio: In the Swarm (Astral Spirits)
Max Johnson Trio w/Anna Webber and Michael Sarin: Orbit Of Sound (Unbroken Sounds)
Nakama: New World (Nakama Records) [Reviewed for Musikkmagasinet in Klassekampen, Aug. 15., 2022].
Horse Lords: Comradely Objects (RVNG Intl.)
André B. Silva: Mt. Meru (Clean Feed)