Track of the year

There are a number of different ways of looking at what might be track of 2024. We’ll keep the track we have plumped for under our chapeau for now.

Perhaps recourse to the Spotify Wrapped feature is an idea – if you are a user of the streaming service you will know this is when the number crunchers at Spotify do the maths and come up with some magic numbers. Once you have got over shuddering at the thought – if you can ever climb off your high horse, Spotify Refuseniks – ours is above. Have a dekko.

No Drums Required

But of course an algorithm really is not the answer. Reason being: we listen to Van Morrison anyway most years, it’s a personal peccadillo although he reliably comes up with new albums every year – and next year’s a big year when The Man turns 80 in the summer.

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But none of his new music we think of as a contender for track of the year.

The closest Van came was a glorious duo he did with Kurt Elling – ‘Ain’t Gonna Moan No More’ from his big band flavoured New Arrangements and Duets release.

Also a Spotify much played fave, we liked very much Jo Harrop’s The Path of a Tear – one of the top UK albums of the year, the above version is a separate live in studio release which also resonates well – read a full list of top UK jazzers delivering the goods here.

But only ‘Goodbye’ – the County Durham singer’s version of a Steve Earle classic which is more alt. country flavoured anyway after much thought would be a strong contender.

That’s part of the rationale for thinking about top tracks – do you play it lots? You have to because you want to. You need to.

Morale Booster

Myles Sanko comes closer with quite a few numbers from his excellent Let It Unfold – probably ‘I Feel the Same’ comes nearest. And the singer scoops our gig of the year nod when he happened to sing the song.

But at the end of the day Sanko’s style tips more into soul territory than strictly jazz although it is a credible blend.

And yet fundamentally we were looking for something with a bit more complexity to it beyond a riff-groove alchemy and a catchy set of morale boosting lyrics.

The Agony of Choice

Tutu Puoane’s ‘Together’ worked well given how strong the Lebo Mashile poetry is.

By the way what we mean by track is fundamentally about ”song” in either a vocals OR instrumental sense.

So you can choose any version you wish if there is more than one.

And in this case the song works well whether live as above or on the outstanding album Wrapped in Rhythm Vol 1. It works because of the strength of the poetry. So the track we have chosen would work as on a recording or rendered differently live. Because of this reckoning composition is key and ranks greater for us than the lightning never strikes twice theory of some improvisers who think of the ”moment” as something mystical and never to be repeated.

To drill down more into what ”top track” means – it’s something that of course is memorable and I am deliberately when putting together this list relying on memory rather than replaying lots of favourites from the year.

And beyond being memorable it is also something emotional.

I know that ”emotion” is a controversial word for fans of purely abstract avant-garde music.

But you can feel emotion even when the music is highly abstract – figure that conundrum if you have half a day to spare.

So we get to the state of being that is being moved, which is different to being blown away which is more about impact often sheer power in performance – like something David Murray is capable of.

And the saxophonist with his storming quartet certainly did not disappoint especially with the title track of Francesca this year.

Life Jim…

… but not as we know it.

Close too star trekkin’ across the universe – given the fame wattage of the players involved – Carl Allen’s powerful version of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays’ 1980s classic ‘James’ featuring Chris Potter blew us away more or less on first listen.

Allen has come up with the drum sound of the year here. Cop a listen at your leisure.

The full album Tippin’ isn’t out yet.

Perhaps it lacks the nuances of the Offramp classic version. It is far less hazy to its credit. But fuhgettabout version comparisons for a minute. Because this roars out of the speakers like no one’s business and has amazing sound quality to boot.

A Single, You Say

And again because of streaming we are more in a ”track” frame of mind than in the 90s for instance when albums were all.

The idea of a ”single” in jazz I still find strange – I never got the mass hypnosis memo sent out that says you gotta call it a single – and actually prefer the term track.

Why it’s strange is that a single is really a pop thing, usually very brief and it nearly always is a vocal whereas a lot of great jazz – the majority – is instrumentally based.

However, 2024 has been a strong year for vocals. And your typical jazz snob’s hostility to vocals needs to be addressed more.

To us some of the greatest living jazz artists are singers – Kurt Elling, Ian Shaw, Carmen Lundy, Gregory Porter, Norma Winstone and new singers of great quality are coming along all the time notably Samara Joy and Nicole Zuraitis in recent years.

A Case of You

So to cut to the chase bearing in mind what moved us most – not necessarily what we played most (cheers anyway, Spotify) but what moved us, made us think that bit more deeply and so on.

We are not talking about innovation or anything like that – I don’t think there was any dramatic breakthrough innovation this year at all. That’s another subject.

Come on readers, fess up: do you love a record hand on heart most because it innovates? You hate the tune, it’s a racket, but hey it’s wonderful because it innovates. Yeah – we believe you.

Drawn From Trio

Pure Arthouse

Begorrah. So moving and quietly compelling ‘Le Calme au Château’ which was a track of the week in October and now track of the year proves in its own unforced way. The best 3 minutes and 44 seconds listening experience anywhere right now we think.

The Electronic Mists Do Not Descend

‘Le Calme au Château’ wasn’t recorded with everyone remote in different countries on their phones.

Duelling with latency issues, the vagueries of different time zones affecting players’ circadian rhythms or the high anxiety of not being able to look into one another’s eyes in the flesh don’t apply.

There is no fakery.

But by contrast yes to the provenance – a wood-panelled room located in the Bordeaux wine region of France.

Yes again the work of bass icon Lars Danielsson. It’s his tune.

Instead Light Streams In

Look at the light itself in the picture streaming into the room. English guitarist the Worcestershire born John Parricelli known for his work in Danielsson’s widely toured Liberetto joins the Swede. Trumpeter Verneri Pohjola of the Finnish innovators Ilmiliekki Quartet completes the multi national line-up. He plays the main melodic forays. We are not talking of the possible ennui or despairing isolation felt in something created in a windowless basement anywhere on the track. Surprises on the piece include in its coda a dancing gavotte-like passage when the melody is broken down into something that blossoms through its staccato flourish and flair into a trio involving sense of resolution.

‘Le Calme au Château’ is far more than the sum of its parts

No sheet music or screens were needed.

Danielsson didn’t wear headphones either. All this shows as the wistful piece unfolds. Danielsson’s solo when it comes is brief but so telling.

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