Year-End Roundup: 2024

My 50 favorite albums from July-December

The Burning Ambulance chair at Solar Myth in Philadelphia

Before we begin: At the beginning of the year, I donated to Ars Nova Workshop’s fundraiser and endowed a seat at their live music venue, Solar Myth in Philadelphia. Last week, they sent me a picture of the chair with its engraved plate (above). So if you go there for a show, feel free to sit in it!

The year’s almost over, and critics like me are required to provide lists as justification for our continued existence. I chose the Best Jazz Albums of 2024 for Stereogum (kinda, as you’ll see here), and did the same for The Wire, but I gave each of them a different list. I also voted in the Francis Davis critics’ poll, which will be published in January sometime.

Around here, we take stock of things a little more loosely. As I mentioned when I did this last year and the year before that, I keep an Excel spreadsheet that I call “INCOMING MUSIC.” I organize it all by Artist, Album Title, Release Date, Genre, and whether it’s a Promo, a Purchase, or just something I Download from somewhere. I also make notes on Coverage: whether I include it in my Stereogum jazz column, review it for The Wire, DownBeat, the New York City Jazz Record or We Jazz, or write about it for Burning Ambulance.

I didn’t get as much music sent to me this year as in previous years, or at least I didn’t download as many of the promos as I was sent, so my spreadsheet only lists about 400 albums (box sets count as a single entry) from 2024. Of those, the 50 that have given me the most pleasure since I published the first half of this list in July are listed below, unranked, in alphabetical order. A lot of them are also part of my Bandcamp collection, so feel free to check that out, too.

One other note: I hope you’ll become a paid subscriber before this newsletter returns in February 2025. When we come back, there will be a lot more exclusive content offered to paid subscribers. Every Friday, I will offer a post full of links to interesting things I’ve read in the past week or so. And in April, July and September, when there are five Tuesdays in the month, that fifth Tuesday will bring a paid-subscribers-only post. There will also be music: As a gift for signing up, you can have a free download of one title of your choice from the existing Burning Ambulance Music catalog, and every time we release an album in 2025 (we’ve already got two planned), paid subscribers will be entitled to a free download of it, too. So consider a paid subscription — it’s $5 a month, or $50 a year, and it will help keep this whole operation running.

OK, here we go!

Jessica Ackerley, All Of The Colours Are Singing (AKP Recordings): A wildly varied album of guitar/violin/bass/drums pieces; Ackerley can do Frisell, Halvorson, noise-rock or desert blues, but it all coheres. I reviewed this for The Wire.

Aluk Todolo, Lux (The Ajna Offensive): An unexpected but very welcome comeback by a French “occult rock” trio; I wrote about it here, saying, “If you love the cosmic stoner rock of Slift and the brain-scraping psychedelic improvisations of Fushitsusha, you’re ready for the next stage, which is Aluk Todolo.”

JD Allen, The Dark, The Light, The Grey And The Colorful (Savant): Tenor saxophonist Allen’s new album is a moody collection of ambient free blues tunes recorded with two bassists (one electric, one acoustic) and drums. I wrote about it for Stereogum.

Yuko Araki, Zenjitsutan (Room40): A crunching, grinding, low-end-droning collection of electronic noise pieces that will make you feel like your mind is dissolving…then make you excited about the prospect.

Arashi With Takeo Moriyama, Tokuzo (Trost): Arashi is Japanese saxophonist Akira Sakata’s trio with bassist Johan Berthling and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, and here they’re joined by drummer Takeo Moriyama, with whom Sakata played in pianist Yosuke Yamashita’s trio in the ’70s. This is truly ferocious free jazz; I reviewed it for Stereogum, and The Wire.

Bedsore, Dreaming The Strife For Love (20 Buck Spin): These Italians describe their sound as “1970s death metal,” and they’re not lying. They combine death metal song structures (and harsh vocals) with the vintage organs and instrumental flourishes of dark prog rock. Like Opeth crossed with Van der Graaf Generator. Genuinely head-spinning, and a very welcome surprise — I had every intention of ignoring this album because Bedsore is such a terrible band name, but raves from friends piqued my curiosity and holy shit, this album rules.

Lakecia Benjamin, Phoenix Reimagined: Live (Ropeadope): Extremely high-energy jazz by a saxophonist who goes for excitement over virtuosity, though she can play the fuck out of the horn and her band is red-hot. I interviewed Benjamin for Stereogum.

Black Artists Group, For Peace & Liberty — In Paris December 1972 (Wewantsounds): An archival recording by Oliver Lake, Baikida Carroll, Floyd LeFlore, Joseph Bowie, and Charles “Bobo” Shaw — dramatic, incantatory free jazz as ritual. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Blood Incantation, Absolute Elsewhere (Century Media): Progressive death metal that honors both of those styles equally, juxtaposing cosmic synth journeys (with guest keyboards by Thorsten Quaeschning of Tangerine Dream!) with roars and blast beats. I reviewed it for The Wire.

The Bug, Machine (Relapse): Deep, crushingly heavy electronic rhythm assaults by Kevin Martin; part dub, part hip-hop, part the sound of your skull caving in under the pressure. I reviewed it for The Wire.

Buñuel, Mansuetude (Skin Graft): Noise-rock that rocks, with highly theatrical vocals from my friend Eugene Robinson. I wrote about it here, saying, “The drums are huge, with an almost physical whomp; Franz Valente’s snare is like someone slapping you on the back of your brain, and the cymbals are mercifully low in the mix. The guitars, meanwhile, are some kind of miracle. The sheer variety of tones and frequencies Xabier Iriondo gets are on a par with a sonic wizard like Tom Morello, but all his ideas are mean-spirited ones; he wants to find ‘more tools to rape and castrate the audience,’ as Joe Perry once put it (Carducci, Rock and the Pop Narcotic, page 26).”

The Crown, Crown Of Thorns (Metal Blade): This Swedish death/thrash band were actually called Crown Of Thorns on their first two albums, but an American band raised a stink, so they changed it. Anyway, using their original name as the album title, and wrapping it in a stark black-and-white sleeve, ought to give a hint about what you’re in for: face-ripping thrash riffs, squealing guitar solos, blasting drums, and absolutely no surprises. Those who like this kind of thing will find this to be the kind of thing they like.

Daniel Casimir, Balance (Jazz Re:freshed): In which the bassist from saxophonist Nubya Garcia’s band (and other groups) reveals himself to be a stunningly accomplished composer by releasing an orchestral big band album. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few, The World Is On Fire (Division 81): Furious, gospelized free jazz that interpolates news reports about police murder of Black citizens and other signs of social collapse into the music. This is the final Chosen Few album, and/but whatever Collier does next, I’ll be listening. I wrote about it for Stereogum.

Miles Davis, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Miles In France 1963/1964 (Sony): Three concerts from 1963 with George Coleman on sax, and two from 1964 with Wayne Shorter. The ones with Coleman are the ones to hear. I wrote about it for Stereogum.

Defeated Sanity, Chronicles Of Lunacy (Season of Mist): Highly complex progressive slam metal (I know that sounds like a contradiction, but trust me) with jazzy bass, ringing snares, guttural vocal gurgles, and chainsaw guitars.

Demiser, Slave To The Scythe (Metal Blade): I wrote about it here, saying, “Demiser make music for doing donuts in high school parking lots at two AM, screaming ‘Hail Satan’ out the window.”

Wayne Escoffery, Alone (Smoke Sessions): The jazz equivalent of what in country or R&B would be a divorce album — a bunch of morose but beautiful ballads by an expert quartet including saxophonist Escoffery, pianist Gerald Clayton and bassist Ron Carter.

Asher Gamedze & The Black Lungs, Constitution (International Anthem): A large ensemble including poet Fred Moten and multiple horns delivers an 80-minute manifesto composed by the drummer and leader, including a 40-minute title piece. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Ganavya, Daughter Of A Temple (LEITER): This singer released two albums this year; the centerpiece of this one is a hypnotic version of Alice Coltrane’s “Om Supreme” with Vijay Iyer on piano and Immanuel Wilkins on alto sax. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Nubya Garcia, Odyssey (Concord Jazz): Garcia’s core band is augmented by guest vocalists and a lush string section, playing orchestrations she wrote herself, on an expansive album that has a Kamasi Washington-esque feel. I interviewed Garcia for Stereogum.

Ghost Dubs, Damaged (Pressure): A veteran German producer adopts a new name for this insanely pressurized album of dub techno on Kevin Martin’s Pressure label. Makes you feel like you’re descending to the ocean floor.

Grand Magus, Sunraven (Nuclear Blast): Fist-in-the-air metal anthems from one of my favorite Swedish bands, who’ve been doing the whole Viking-biker thing for over 20 years and are in top form.

Muriel Grossmann, The Light Of The Mind (RR Gems): The latest dispatch from the Ibiza-based spiritual jazz saxophonist is relatively short by her standards at just 46 minutes, but its six compositions will put you in a very pleasant trance indeed.

High Rise, Disturbance Trip (Black Editions): An archival live album by a legendary crew of Japanese garage-rock blasters. RIYL riffs, RIYRRRL (recommended if you really, really, really like) feedback and distortion. I wrote about it here, calling it “64 minutes of previously unreleased live action from 1992…that’ll tear your face off and throw it in your lap.”

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Intermission! Here’s some more incredible footage — a full half hour this time — of Albert Ayler’s quintet with Donald Ayler (trumpet), Michel Samson (violin), Bill Folwell (bass) and Beaver Harris (drums), live in Berlin in 1966:

This is just a quick reminder that we run a record label, Burning Ambulance Music, which has 10 excellent albums of music unlike anything else out there. Check us out on Bandcamp, and consider buying our physical CDs, which come in heavy-duty gatefold mini-LP style sleeves printed on textured paper, with highly original cover art by I.A. Freeman, who is available to design album covers for you, too!

We are also helping to reissue the catalog of legendary UK avant-garde label Leo Records on Bandcamp, and have already put up dozens of titles by Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Amina Claudine Myers, Marilyn Crispell, Cecil Taylor, and many others, including two Taylor albums, Live in Bologna and Live in Vienna, that have never before been available digitally at full length! Visit the Leo Records Bandcamp page to see what’s up, and trust that there will be many, many more titles coming in 2025.

Now back to the list!

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Marquis Hill, Composers Collective: Beyond The Jukebox (Black Unlimited Music Group): Chicago-based trumpeter Hill asked friends and peers for compositions for this new album, which blends jazz, funk, and R&B and adds contributions from a slew of big-name guests. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Ingurgitating Oblivion, Ontology Of Nought (Willowtip): I wrote about it here, calling it, “technical death metal that nods to Pink Floyd and Opeth, and feels symphonic but dissonant at the same time, like if Dimmu Borgir decided to become Ulcerate.”

Darius Jones, Legend Of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) (AUM Fidelity): A heartfelt exploration of mental health and a collection of brawny, powerhouse tunes performed by alto saxophonist Jones, bassist Chris Lightcap, and drummer Gerald Cleaver. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey, Brink (Intakt): A set of subtle, communicative duos from a husband-and-wife sax-drums team; it sounds like it was recorded in their apartment, with the biggest challenge being to get through the session without a neighbor pounding on the wall for quiet. I reviewed it for the NYC Jazz Record.

LL Cool J, The FORCE (Def Jam): Another huge surprise. I wrote about it here, calling it “an album that could only have been made by two mature artists who genuinely love what they do, and are not dependent on or worried about hits or album sales… a work of pure sonic imagination.” The best hip-hop album I’ve heard in years (I admit I don’t listen to nearly as much hip-hop as I used to, but I’d compare this to Billy Woods’ Aethiopes.)

Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra, Live At The Adler Planetarium (International Anthem): Mazurek’s long-running improv ensemble has aspects of Miles Davis’s 1970s septet/octet, the late Greg Tate’s Burnt Sugar, and the Sun Ra Arkestra, and this concert will make you lightheaded, in the best way. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Ava Mendoza, The Circular Train (Palilalia): A solo guitar album showcasing Mendoza’s unique blend of country, blues, and blast-the-walls-down noise-rock. I reviewed it for The Wire. And here’s where I tell you that Ava, violinist Gabby Fluke-Mogul, and drummer Carolina Pérez of Hypoxia have made an album for Burning Ambulance Music that’s gonna crush skulls next year.

Takeo Moriyama & Masahiko Sato feat. Leon Brichard & Idris Rahman, Live At Café Oto (BBE): Moriyama and Sato are legends of the 1960s/70s Japanese free jazz scene; here, they team up with two members of the UK dubby-jazz-funk crew Ill Considered for a killer live album. I wrote about it for Stereogum.

Opeth, The Last Will And Testament (Reigning Phoenix Music): Those who miss the Opeth of Blackwater Park, Deliverance and to a slightly lesser degree Ghost Reveries will be very, very pleased by this album, which is both their heaviest work in years and their proggiest (Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson is all over it). Despite being a concept album, it has some of their tightest, hookiest songs in forever.

Jeff Parker, The Way Out Of Easy (International Anthem): Four side-long jams recorded live in L.A. at a club where Parker, saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Jay Bellerose had a weekly gig for six years. During that time, they developed a language that registers as a halfway point between In A Silent Way and Outside The Dream Syndicate. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Aaron Parks, Little Big III (Blue Note): Pianist Parks’ band makes music that’s jazz, but with a rock band’s sense of dynamics, and this third studio album, which introduces new drummer Jongkuk Kim, is maybe their hookiest and most potent. I wrote about it for Stereogum.

Phenocryst, Cremation Pyre (Blood Harvest): The full-length debut by a Portuguese death metal band whose main theme is volcanoes (phenocryst is a type of crystal found in volcanoes) and whose music sounds like Bolt Thrower or Hail Of Bullets, so if you wanna get your face punched in by riffs, this is your album.

Kurt Rosenwinkel, The Next Step Band Live At Smalls 1996 (Heartcore): I’m not the world’s biggest Rosenwinkel fan, but in the late ’90s and early ’00s, he had a quartet with saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Jeff Ballard that was extremely influential on a whole generation of players. On one track from this smoking live gig, they’re joined by pianist Brad Mehldau. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Brandon Sanders, The Tables Will Turn (HighNote): The second album by drummer Sanders with saxophonist Keith Brown, pianist Chris Lewis, and vibraphonist Warren Wolf, who dominates the session to a very welcome degree.

Wayne Shorter, Celebration Vol. 1 (Blue Note): A valedictory live recording from 2014 with Shorter’s longtime quartet, released in the wake of his’s 2023 passing. Apparently there are more recordings coming. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Linda Sikhakhane, Iladi (Blue Note): Sikhakhane is an excellent saxophonist from South Africa; Nduduzo Makhathini is on piano on this introspective, spiritual but grounded quartet release. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Nala Sinephro, Endlessness (Warp): Synths, harp, saxophone, drums, all adding up to a genuinely blissful ambient/spiritual-jazz-adjacent album that could soundtrack your next acupuncture session without disrupting the vibe. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Walter Smith III, three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not (Blue Note): The three in question are saxophonist Smith, pianist Jason Moran, and drummer Eric Harland; bassist Reuben Rogers is the odd man out. Smart but grounded modern jazz, with high-level performances by all involved. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Tyshawn Sorey, The Susceptible Now (Pi Recordings): This album is very deceptive; it seems like “just” extended trio interpretations of four compositions Sorey likes, performed with pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan, but it’s much, much more than that. I wrote about it at length for Stereogum.

Theurgy, Emanations Of Unconscious Luminescence (New Standard Elite): A bunch of brutal death metal dudes (including the wizard behind Anal Stabwound) paying tribute to Cynic, Decrepit Birth and that whole school of cosmic/psychedelic death metal, while still keeping it broooootal. Plus, amid all the squiggly prog-fusion guitar solos and insane riff-storms, they throw in a cover of Devourment’s “Molesting the Decapitated” just for laughs. This album about took my head off when I first heard it.

Charles Tolliver/Music Inc., Live At The Captain’s Cabin (Cellar Music): Trumpeter Tolliver should be a legend just for co-founding the Strata-East label with the late pianist Stanley Cowell, but his music really deserves a wider audience. This live recording from 1973 features John Hicks on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Cliff Barbaro on drums, and it comes out of the speakers like a meteor. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson, Forces Of Nature: Live At Slugs’ (Blue Note): An absolute air strike of a live gig with Henry Grimes on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The sound quality is astonishing, and the music will blow your hair back till you’re bald. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Warren Wolf, History Of The Vibraphone (Cellar Music): A collection of compositions by master mallet players (including Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson, Gary Burton, Roy Ayers, and more) performed by a modern master who also plays piano and drums. I reviewed it for Stereogum.

Wolfbrigade, Life Knife Death (Metal Blade): Blazing d-beat hardcore crossed with metal and noise-rock; I wrote about it here, saying, “if you’re a fan of Entombed, latter-day Motörhead, or even Unsane, you’ll find yourself headbanging and fist-pumping with a grin.”

Wormed, Omegon (Season of Mist): Some of the most technically challenging death metal I’ve ever heard. I wrote about it here, saying, “These songs are always stopping and starting, suddenly lurching sideways, and it’s hard to know why; the drummer has a light, almost jazzy touch and an improvisatory flair; and the juxtaposition of their abstruse astrophysics-derived song titles and the barbaric vocals make me picture a panicked caveman running around an abandoned spaceship.”

Well, that’s it for 2024. This newsletter will be on hiatus until Tuesday, February 4. But as I mentioned above, I recommend becoming a paying subscriber in the meantime, because we’ll be doing a lot of amazing stuff in 2025. Paid subscriptions are $5 a month, or $50 for the year. Give it some thought; I promise it’ll be worth it.

See you next year!