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
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-
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
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
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.