The Best of 2024 According to The Hosts at WICN
Written by Emily Morrow on December 19, 2024
WICN Hosts: 2024 Best-Of Lists
Tom Nutile’s Top 12:
As a lifelong reader of jazz magazines, who notes with interest their top ten lists, their five-star reviews, and who pays attention to the JazzWeek charts when planning my weekly Standard Time show on WICN, I have come to realize that all these lists mean… very little. They’re guides, at best.
Instead of adhering to someone else’s idea of what is best, I’ve focused on which recordings I take to instantly, which cuts I go back to for repeat performances on my show because YOU like them, which cuts I play over and over because they intrigue me, or warm my heart, excite me or, after a particularly difficult day, will soothe me when I collapse on the couch in front of the fireplace. In the long run, that’s far more important than someone else’s list of top recordings of the past year.
So, ironically, here I am in the position of giving you my list. Don’t take this list as gospel truth. Instead, check out some of my selections, and those of my worthy colleagues who have joined me in this endeavor. Then add in some recordings you personally like that may not be on these lists. Feel free to share your list, or any part of it that you particularly like, with me. I’m always on the lookout for great music. You can reach me at tomn@wicn.org
In no particular order:
Bria Skonberg – What It Means – Cellar Music Group
Joshua Redman with Gabrielle Cavassa – where are we – Blue Note
Charles Lloyd – The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow – Blue Note
Eric Alexander – A New Beginning: Alto Saxophone with Strings — HighNote Records
Catherine Russell and Sean Mason – My Ideal – Dot Time
The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation — Jamalot – Steele Management
Bill Evans – Tales – Elemental Music
Dave Brubeck Quartet – Live From the Northwest 1959 – Brubeck Editions
University of Nevada Las Vegas Jazz Ensemble – Let the Good Times Roll – UNLV Records
Zacchai Curtis — Cubop Lives! – TR Collective
Somethin’ Else! featuring Vincent Herring – Soul Jazz – Smoke Sessions
Karrin Allyson – A Kiss for Brazil – Origin Records
Gary Bohan, WICN Fill-in Host:
Below are ten of my favorite 2024 jazz recordings (in no particular order). I’ll play cuts from these when I fill in for Steve in December and will highlight them as being among my 2024 faves. –Gary
Zara McFarlane, Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
Brian Lynch, 7x7by7
Charles McPherson, Reverence
Jane Monheit, Jane Monheit
Emmet Cohen, Vibe Provider
Charles Lloyd, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
Elaine Elias, Time and Again
Vincent Herring, Soul Jazz
Zaccai Curtis, Cubop Lives!
Samara Joy, Portrait
Nick DiBiasio, WICN Fill-in Host:
- T Bone Burnett – The Other Side
- Nick Lowe with Los Straitjackets – Indoor Safari
- Bonny Light Horseman – Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free
- the Secret Sisters – Mind, Man, Medicine
- Sierra Ferrell – Trail Of Flowers
- Charley Crockett – $10 Cowboy
- Kim Richey – Every New Beginning
- Old 97’s – American Primitive
- John Levanthal – Rumble Strip
- Hayes & The Heathens (Hayes Carll & the Band of Heathens)
- Melissa Carper – Borned In Ya
- Willie Nelson – Last Leaf On The Tree
- Hurray for The Riff Raff – The Past is Still Alive
- Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson) – Passage Du Desir
- Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland
Steve Miller, Host, The Blend
Top 5 2024 albums:
Miki Yamanaka, “Chance”
Melissa Aldana, “Echoes of the Inner Prophet”
Jenny Scheinman, “All Species Parade”
Grace Kelly with Strings, “At the Movies”
Lakecia Benjamin, “Phoenix Reimagined”
Top 5 older albums I played during 2024:
“Gerry Gibbs and the Electric Thrasher Orchestra Play the Music of Miles Davis”
Duke Ellington, “Live at the Whitney”
Keith Jarrett,”Bordeaux Concert”
Gil Evans, “Gil Evans Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix”
Terence Blanchard, “Jazz in Film”
Music-related books I enjoyed in 2024:
Patti Smith, “Just Kids”
Claire Dederer “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma”
Malcolm Gladwell, “Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon” (available only as an audio book)
Al Dean, Host, Wednesday Standard Time
Favorite Albums of 2024
Ken Peplowsky “Live at the Mazzrow”
Amber Weeks “A Lady with a song “ celebration of Nancy Wilson
Gary Urwin “Flying Colors”
Bill Evans “”In Norway”
Rebecca Kilgore “A Little Taste” Tribute to David Frishberg
Oscar Peterson “City Lights”
Rose Mallett “Dreams Realized”
Rick McCarthy, Host of The Blend, M-Wed 12p-3p
Best Of 2024:
Sextet
Michael O’Neil Sextet – Synergy
Heavy Hitters – That’s What’s Up!
Huntertones – Motionation
Saxophone
Gregory Groover, Jr. – Lovabye
Tim Lin – Birdwatching
Organ
Brian Charette – You Don’t Know Jack!
Tony Monaco – Over and Over
New Orleans
Nation Beat – Archaic Humans
Trombone
Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra – Crescent City Jewels
Trumpet
Constantine Alexander – Firetet
Jumaane Smith – Come On Home
Drums
Jacob Wendt – A New Groove
Vibes
Behn Gillece – Stick Together
Bass
Mark Egan – Cross Currents
Vocal
Lizz Wright – Shadow
Kristin Korb – Sweet Dreams
Madeleine Peyroux – Let’s Walk
Piano
Marius Van Den Brink – New York Knock
Zachary Bartholomew – Balancing Act
Guitar
Julian Lage – Speak to Me
Thom Rotella – Side Hustle
Latin
Ron Rieder – Latin Jazz Sessions
Big Band
Danny Jonokuchi Big Band – A Decade
Courtesy of WICN Monday Standard Time host Tom Lucci, here’s a “best of” upcoming concerts in the area for 2025!
As we always encourage WICN listeners to get out and hear live the music we play, here are some gigs that I’m excited about and can recommend as gift ideas to family and friends – or to yourself! Hope to see you at some of these…
Celebrity Series of Boston (celebrityseries.org):
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Weds. Jan. 22, Symphony Hall, Boston
Wynton’s group, the undisputed champion of big bands, returns for its annual Symphony Hall show. Always exciting and enlightening, it often sells out!
Dafnis Prieto Si-O-Si Quartet, Friday Jan. 24, Berklee Performance Center. Cuban-born Prieto, a MacArthur Genius Fellow, is an absolute dynamo on drums. He writes music with dazzling rhythmic and melodic sophistication that flows and grooves like nothing you’ve heard before. P.S: His 2024 album Three Sides of the Coin is a standout – but IMHO music like this is best heard live.
Celebrity Series Jazz Festival, Thursday March 13 thru Friday March 16, Arrow Street Arts, Cambridge (intimate performance space in the Harvard Square area). Four very interesting and diverse artists will appear; two I’m particularly excited about:
Linda May Han Oh Friday March 14 (2 shows) A powerhouse bassist, Ms. Oh blew folks away a few years ago at the Geller Jazz Concert at Clark. She records and tours with the likes of Pat Metheny and Vijay Iyer; her own music is especially compelling in person.
Brandee Younger, Sunday March 16 (2 shows) A breakthrough artist on the jazz harp, Brandee Younger’s music is both challenging and enjoyable.
Samara Joy, Saturday May 3, Berklee Performance Center. Samara made her area debut at age 22 in March 2022 right here at Geller Jazz. Her career of course has skyrocketed since then. Her artistry is on brilliant display on her new, #1 Portrait album. But let me tell you: live, she and her 7-piece band are on another level. General public tickets go on sale January 14. What can I say: GO!!!
Groton Hill Music (grotonhill.org) – the “died and gone to Heaven” concert venue just up 495 in Groton, MA.
Miguel Zenon and Luis Perdomo, Saturday January 11. “L’arte del Bolero” – unspeakably beautiful music from Latin America, passionately performed by the duo of master musicians Zenon (alto saxophone) and Perdomo (piano).
John Pizzarelli Swing Seven: Dear. Mr. Sinatra, Friday February 21. Mr. Pizzarelli needs no introduction to our WICN audience! With an expanded band, this evening of Sinatra tunes promises to be an exceptional treat.
Meshell Ndgeocello, Saturday March 22. Fresh off her main-stage set at Newport Jazz last summer, we eagerly await “what’s next” from this eclectic, electric, passionate, musical crusader.
Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Marcus Gilmore Friday April 18. A superstar trio comes to our area, sure to be worth the trip.
Shows at Scullers Jazz Club (scullersjazz.com), Boston
Tierney Sutton, Friday January 11
Tim Ray February 1
Jeremy Pelt February 15
Regattabar (regattabarjazz.com), Cambridge
Bill Charlap Trio, January 24-25
Sachal Vasandani (very original vocalist) February 21
Ron Carter Trio. March 7-8
Yoko Miwa April 11. (Yoko also continues her residency at The Mad Monkfish in Central Square Cambridge all other Fridays)
Of course, you can stay right in the Woo and support your favorite station by attending the Spring season of Club 321 at Mechanics Hall on February 20, March 20, April 3, and May 8 and the WICN Brian Barlow Concert Series Presented by Westboro Toyota, next happening on April 4 (details to come). Follow wicn.org/events
And don’t forget The Granddaddy of Them All: Newport Jazz Festival (newportjazz.org) Friday August 1 thru Sunday August 3! All three days of the Festival sold out well in advance last year (Saturday tickets by two months), so make plans early! Stay tuned to WICN; we expect to have another bus trip down there.
