I’m a bit later than last year, but I’ve finally completed my 2019 year-end music mix.

My preference for instrumental music remains pretty strong, largely for the same reasons I outlined last year. Given the state of public discourse, music that communicates in a register beyond the verbal draws my ear. That said, there are tunes with vocal tracks — even ones that showcase them — on this mix.

Finally, before we get to the mix: You will see a link to a public Spotify playlist following the track list. Do not follow me on Spotify. I do not regularly use the service. These likely will be the only playlists I share in the next eleven months.

2019

  1. Anja Lechner & Pablo Márquez – Die Nacht | Franz Schubert: Die Nacht
  2. Sokratis Sinopoulos Quartet – Red Thread | Metamodal
  3. William Tyler – Rebecca | Goes West
  4. Thompson Egbo-Egbo – Rise | The Offering
  5. The Comet is Coming – The Universe Wakes Up | Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
  6. Mary Lattimore & Mac McCaughan – II | New Rain Duets
  7. Daniel Szabo – Visionary | Visionary
  8. The Bad Plus – Hurricane Birds | Never Stop II
  9. Larry Grenadier – Oceanic | The Gleaners
  10. Angélique Kidjo – Sahara | Celia
  11. Mdou Moctar – Ibitilan | Mdou Moctar: Blue Stage Sessions
  12. Leyla McCalla – Money is King | The Capitalist Blues
  13. Newen Afrobeat (feat. Oghene Kologbo) – Open Your Eyes | Curiche
  14. J.S. Ondara – American Dream | Tales of America
  15. Radiohead – Ill Wind | Ill Wind
  16. The Polyversal Souls (feat. Alemayehu Eshete) – Feqer Feqer Nèw | Feqer Feqer Nèw
  17. Daniel Norgren – Let Love Run the Game | Whoo Dang
  18. Kel Assouf – Tenere | Black Tenere
  19. The Comet is Coming – The Softness of the Present | The Afterlife
  20. Hiromi – Spectrum | Spectrum
  21. Julian Lage – Crying | Love Hurts
  22. Brad Mehldau – The Garden | Finding Gabriel
  23. Eleni Karaindrou – Encounter | Tous des oiseaux
  24. Mats Eilertsen, Harmen Fraanje, & Thomas Strønen – Albatross | And Then Comes the Night
  25. Lucian Ban & Alex Simu – Quiet Storm (for Jimmy Giuffre) | Free Fall
  26. Mark de Clive-Lowe – The Offering | Heritage
  27. Soil & “Pimp” Sessions – Tracking | Outside OST for Anime series “Blue Eyed Monster”
  28. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell, & Carmen Castaldi – Seeds of Change | Trio Tapestry
  29. Miho Hazama – Today, Not Today | Dancer in Nowhere
  30. RGG – Tenderness | Memento (Polish Jazz Vol. 81)
  31. Till Felner – Liszt: Années de pèlerinage, PremIère Annèe - Suisse S. 160 - Les cloches de Genève | In Concert - Beethoven/ Liszt
  32. Tom Russell – Red Oak Texas | October in the Railroad Earth
  33. William Tyler – Our Lady of the Desert | Goes West
  34. Paolo Fresu & Daniele di Bonaventura – Ave, Regina gloriosa | Altissima Luce: Laudario Di Cortona

Listen on Spotify