All Life Long: The Top Albums, EPs and Reissues of 2024

I listened to nothing but tinny opera recordings from the 1950s during several glorious days in the past twelve months. Inspired by a few of the reissues listed below, I also went on extended vintage gypsy jazz jags, took deep dives into 1960s free jazz and wallowed in 1970s funk. While I prize each of the 2024 releases ranked here, little of the new music affected me as much as the sounds of the distant past I hadn’t previously encountered. What now? My interests continue to change with such rapidity that I can’t foresee what will capture my attention in 2025.

The Top Fifty New Albums of 2024

1. Kali Malone- All Life Long

2. Jlin- Akoma

3. JPEGMAFIA- I Lay Down My Life for You

4. Pygmalion- Mozart: Requiem

5. Zach Bryan- The Great American Bar Scene

6. Sunny Five- Candid

7. Future and Metro Boomin- We Don’t Trust You and 

We Still Don’t Trust You

8. Grupo Frontera- Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada

9. Caroline Shaw- Leonardo da Vinci: Original Score

10. Bilal- Live at Glasshaus and Adjust Brightness

11. Nduduzo Makhathini- uNomkhubulwane

12. Willie Nelson- Last Leaf on the Tree and The Border

13. Sarah Davachi- The Head as Form’d in the Crier’s Choir

14. Sault- Acts of Faith

15. Philip Glass- Solo

16. Anja Lechner- Bach Abel Hume

17. Brad Mehldau- After Bach II and Après Fauré

18. Fred Hersch- Silent, Listening

19. Oren Ambarchi- Ghosted II

20. Denzel Curry- King of the Mischievous South, Vol. 2

21. Vince Staples- Dark Times

22. Kaitlin Butts- Roadrunner!

23. Borderlands Trio- Rewilder

24. Jack White- No Name

25. Willi Carlisle- Critterland

26. Linda Thompson- Proxy Music

27. Tord Gustavsen Trio- Seeing

28. Moor Mother- The Great Bailout

29. Tomeka Reid, Isidora Edwards and Elisabeth Coudoux- 

Reid/Edwards/Coudoux

30. Blackstarkids- Saturn Dayz and Heaven On Urf

31. Rogê- Curyman II

32. Nala Sinephro- Endlessness

33. Samara Joy- Portrait

34. John Adams- Girls of the Golden West

35. Common and Pete Rock- The Auditorium Vol. 1

36. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin’

37. The Smile- Wall of Eyes and Cutouts

38. Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou- Messiaen

39. Véronique Gens- Paysage

40. Ahmed- Wood Blues

41. Jessica Pratt- Here in the Pitch

42. SML- Small Medium Large

43. Kevin Puts- The Hours

44. Tarbaby- You Think This America

45. SleazyWorld Go- More Than a Shooter

46. Andrew Cyrille, Kit Downes and Bill Frisell- Breaking the Shell

47. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Wild God

48. Ryuichi Sakamoto- Opus

49. Kendrick Lamar- GNX

50. The Wiener Philharmoniker with Lise Davidsen- Sommernachtskonzert at the Schönbrunn Palace

The Top 25 EPs of 2024

1. Drug Church- Prude

2. Mike and Tony Seltzer- Pinball

3. Laura Cannell- Firelore

4. Little Simz- Drop

5. Shabaka- Possession

6. Peter Schlamb- Pliable Consciousness

7. Regional Justice Center- Freedom Sweet Freedom

8. Shredders- Serious Dudes

9. Benoît Delbecq- Triple Fever

10. Krystle Warren & The Academy- Extended Play

11. Wilco- Hot Sun Cool Shroud

12. Khatia Buniatishvili- Labyrinth: Ephemera

13. Knocked Loose- You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To

14. Anysia Kym- Truest

15. Leonhard Baumgartner, Svenja Dose, Margarita Pochebut, Oscar Jockel- Mozart: Serenade in C Major, K. 648 “A Very Little Night Music”

16. Thirdface- Ministerial Cafeteria

17. Melt-Banana- 3+5

18. Badbadnotgood- Mid Spiral: Chaos

19. Joan Shelley- Mood Ring

20. Doris- The Saver

21. Carminho- At Electrical Audio

22. Herbert Blomstedt and Gewandhausorchester- Mozart: Serenade in C Major, K. 648 “A Very Little Night Music”

23. Ramona and the Holy Smokes- Til It’s Over

24. Meth Math- Chupetones

25. Snorri Hallgrimsson- Longer Shadows, Softer Stones

The Top 25 Reissues and Reimaginings of 2024

1. Alice Coltrane- The Carnegie Hall Concert

2. funk.BR: São Paulo

3. Paul McCartney- One Hand Clapping

4. Miles Davis- Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8

5. Charles Gayle, William Parker and Milford Graves- WEBO

6. Emahoy Tsegué Maryam Guèbrou- Souvenirs

7. Robyn Hitchcock- 1967: Vacations in the Past

8. McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Henry Grimes and Jack DeJohnette- Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs

9. Rail Band- Rail Band

10. Sonic Youth- Walls Have Ears

11. Flatland Cavalry- Flatland Forever

12. Jakob Bro- Taking Turns

13. Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy- The Mighty Warriors Live in Antwerp

14. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan- Chain of Light

15. Alejandro Escovedo- Echo Dancing

16. The Ohio Players- Observations In Time: The Johnny Brantley/Vidalia Productions

17. Ron Miles- Old Main Chapel

18. Jack Bruce- Smiles & Grins, Broadcast Sessions 1970-2001

19. William Baskinski- September 23rd

20. Gastr Del Sol- We Have Dozens of Titles

21. Art Tatum- Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings

22. DJ-Kicks: Honey Dijon

23. Bryan Ferry- Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023

24. Dolly Parton and Family- Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables

25. Charlie Parker- Bird in Kansas City

My fifty favorite performances of 2024 are ranked here. My fifty favorite songs of 2024 are listed here. And my top albums and songs of 2023 are here.

The Top Fifty Performances of 2024

(Original image of Vasily Petrenko and Isata Kanneh-Mason at Helzberg Hall by There Stands the Glass.)

Just because I’m no longer paid to review concerts doesn’t mean I stopped going out. The 157 music performances I’ve attended so far in 2024 represent an unprecedented financial outlay. The out-of-pocket figure would have been even more breathtaking had I been able to bring myself to acquire exorbitantly priced tickets to sold-out appearances in the Kansas City area by Bad Bunny, J. Cole and Grupo Frontera. Visiting the bucket list venues Wigmore Hall, Wiener Hofmusikkapelle and Wiener Staatsoper and catching the Jesus and Mary Chain, Makaya McCraven, Negativland and Jah Wobble for the first time was worth the expense. Unless I live longer than anticipated, the investment will have been worth it.

1. Militarie Gun, Pool Kids, Spiritual Cramp and Spacing at recordBar
My review.

2. Peter Schlamb, Matt Otto, Matt Villinger, Sebastian Arias and Zach Morrow at the Ship
My review.

3. Véronique Gens and Susan Manoff at Wigmore Hall (London)
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Jeffrey Osborne at Ameristar Casino
My Instagram clip.

5. Nick Shoulders at Third Place Lounge
My review.

6. Mike, 454, Niontay and El Cousteau at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

7. Wiener Staatsoper’s “Carmen” (Vienna)
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Flatland Cavalry at Grinders KC
My Instagram clip.

9. Makaya McCraven at Liberty Hall
My review.

10. Peter Schipka, Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle, Wiener Sängerknaben and Wiener Staatsoper at Wiener Hofmusikkapelle (Vienna)
My Instagram clip.

11. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
My review.

12. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Bridge at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram clip.

13. Ema Nikolovska at the Folly Theater 
My review.

14. Childish Gambino and Willow at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

15. Lawrence Brownlee at the Lied Center
My review.

16. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi at Wigmore Hall (London)
My review.

17. Sandbox Percussion, Soowin Kim and Gloria Chen at Lincoln Performance Hall (Portland)
My review.

18. Isata Kanneh-Mason with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Helzberg Hall
My review.

19. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

20. UMKC Opera’s “Marriage of Figaro” at White Theater
My review.

21. Yo-Yo Ma and the Harmony Project at Parade Park
My Instagram clip.

22. David Lord, V. Vecker and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Farewell
My review.

23. Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart at Mississippi Studios
My review.

24. Nick Shoulders and Chris Acker at Knuckleheads
My Instagram clip.

25. Lionel Richie and Earth Wind & Fire at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

26. Khatia Buniatishvili at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

27. Willi Carlisle at the Folk Alliance Conference
My Instagram clip.

28. UMKC Opera’s Puccini’ Suor Angelica at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center
My Instagram snapshot.

29. Negativland at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

30. Isidore String Quartet at Zhou B Art Center
My Instagram snapshot.

31. Joyce DiDonato with the Kansas City Symphony at Helzberg Hall
My review.

32. Adam Larson Quartet at the Blue Room
My review.

33. Kansas City Symphony’s “Matthias Pintscher conducts Symphony Dances: West Side Story and Rachmaninoff” at Helzberg Hall
My review.

34. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore at the Aladdin Theater (Portland)
My Instagram clip.

35. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Roméo et Juliette” at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

36. Rick Bartlett at Ricky B’s (Louisville)
My Instagram clip.

37. Drug Church at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

38. Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram clip.

39. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
My review.

40. Alber’s “By the Sea” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram snaphot.

41. Jackie Myers, Matt Otto and Bob Bowman at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

42. Dunedin Consort’s “St. John Passion” at Atonement Lutheran Church
My Instagram snapshot.

43. Jeremy Denk at the Folly Theater
My review.

44. Bachathon XLV at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
My Instagram snapshot.

45. The Psychedelic Furs, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Frankie Rose at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

46. Beppe Gambetta at the 1900 Building
My Instagram snapshot.

47. Seth A Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
My Instagram clip.

48. Danielle Nicole at Records with Merritt
My Instagram snapshot.

49. Ernest Melton, Parker Woolworth, Jordan Faught and Jalen Ward at In the Lowest Ferns
My review.

50. Sleater-Kinney and Palehound at the Truman
My Instagram clip.

Last year’s concert ranking is here.

I'll Remember April

Screenshot of KCUR feature by There Stands the Glass.

Just three of the 17 performances I enjoyed in March were among my concert recommendations for KCUR last month. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend more than $150 for concerts by Bad Bunny and Drake. Yet I’ve invested that much for an impossibly refined event in another continent in three weeks. That’s why I’ll be in attendance at just a few of my April concert recommendations.

March 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Original image of Kevin Miller and Lawrence Brownlee by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of March

1. Jlin- Akoma
Fancy footwork.

2. Tierra Whack- World Wide Whack
(Frank) Oceans of fun.

3. Véronique Gens- Paysage
French soiree.

3. Moor Mother- The Great Bailout
Overdue.

5. Norah Jones- Visions
A beautiful mirage.

6. Amirtha Kidambi- New Monuments
Prog-jazz.

7. Ethnic Heritage Ensemble- Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
Astral planes.

8. Charles Lloyd- The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
With Jason Moran, Larry Grenadier and Brian Blade.

9. Future and Metro Boomin- We Don’t Trust You
En garde!

10. That Mexican OT- Texas Technician
My review.

The Top Ten Songs of March

1. Bill MacKay- “Glow Drift”
Unhalfbricking.

2. Adrienne Lenker- “Free Treasure”
Gifts abound.

3. Charlie Parr- "Pale Fire"
Luminous.

4. Waxahatchee- “Burns Out at Midnight”
Return of the grievous angel.

5. DannyLux- "Maldito Alcohol"
Cautionary tale.

6. Mike featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Tony Shhnow- "On God"
Dead friends.

7. Anysia Kim featuring Mike- “In Doubt?”
Uncertain.

8. Matt Champion featuring Dora Jar- "Steel"
Boy band breakout.

9. Chief Keef and Mike Will Made-It featuring 2 Chainz- "Pull Up Ghost Clan"
Chiraq.

10. Lekin- “714”
Both sides now.

The Top Ten Performances of March

1. Lawrence Brownlee at the Lied Center
My review.

2. David Lord at Farewell
My review.

3. Ema Nikolovska at the Folly Theater
My review.

4. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Roméo et Juliette” at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

5. Sleater-Kinney at the Truman
My Instagram clip.

6. The Kansas City Symphony’s Matthias Pintscher Conducts Symphony Dances: ‘West Side Story’ and Rachmaninoff with Philippe Quint at Helzberg Hall
My review.

7. Danielle Nicole, Brandon Miller and Go-Go Ray at Records with Merritt
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Seth A Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
My Instagram clip.

9. Bryan Hicks, Rod Fleeman and Rich Hill at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Nya at the Blue Room
My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.