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The Overlooked Ten From 2019’s Jazz Bin
Choosing music outside of the constraints of marketing and modishness is a difficult practice that for some is an absolute chore. In this technocratic age of curated playlists, there is less exploration among individuals. While online encyclopedias continue to define and annotate the music of the past along with current releases, it is sometimes easier to plug into the mindless algorithmic bliss provided by streaming services. That is NOT wrong. Everybody wants some simplification in these complicated times.
Still it’s important to know that those streaming services do tend to skew to more middle-of-the-road sounds when it comes to promoting the jazz they contain within. That’s with good reason, too, because, generally speaking, people are no longer as familiar with the sound of America’s revolutionary musical artform as they once were. Fear not! I have assembled some experiential and off-the-beaten-path sounds for mind expansionism, along with some situational guidelines to enhance the experience.
Here, then, is a selection of releases that arrived in 2019 and that you may have missed. Play them in the cabin of your automobile, or on the smart speaker in your kitchen while you whisk your way through Oeufs en Meurette during the upcoming holiday seasonal madness. This list is a hodge-podge of styles and timelines. Some sides date back six decades. Others are freshly recorded this year. Some enigmatically defy classification while others are as unambiguous and iconic as a…
