2020 Year-End Music Round-Up Wrap-Up Extravaganza

No one could have predicted a year like 2020. The live music industry is on life support. Bandcamp came through just about better than anyone else to support music. And there was a ton of great music released this year.

Per the norm, I do not rank albums. Music is not a competition and my taste is not your taste. So, after lots of thought and list-shuffling and winnowing, these are the 75 albums that really stood out for me. My original list was quite a bit longer (and you can always keep up in real-time by following the Yearly Bookkeeping page), so I can tell you that this list provides a great overview of my music listening for this crazy year.

Here are my favorite 75 albums of 2020.

The Visual List:

The Alphabet List:

1. Live at Tubby's by 75 Dollar Bill Little Big Band

2. Shaman! by Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids

3. Time is A Gift Which We Share All The Time by Afriquoi

4. Rejoice by Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela

5. Live by Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood

6. Fu Chronicles by Antibalas 

7. Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple

8. Roy Ayers JID002 by Roy Ayers, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad

9. Ex-Voto by Jamie Barnes

10. Please Advise by Beauty Pill

11. Crash Test Kid by Sammy Brue

12. Long In The Tooth by the Budos Band

13. Regresa by Buscabulla

14. Shadow Talk by Café Racer

15. Echo Mine by Califone

16. Gold Record by Bill Callahan

17. Have We Met by Destroyer

18. I Just Wasn't Made For These Set Times by Dire Wolves (Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band)

19. Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan

20. Afternoon Tea at Six by Eishan Ensemble

21. Acoustic Storm Sessions by Elkhorn

22.  Kahil El’Zabar’s Spirit Groove by Kahil El'Zabar & David Murray

23. Wake Up! by Hazel English

24. Shore by Fleet Foxes

25. A Hero’s Death by Fontaines D.C.

26. Peoples Motel Band by Chris Forsyth and Garcia Peoples

27. SOURCE by Nubya Garcia

28. Nightcap at Wits' End by Garcia Peoples

29. Big Dark Bright Futures by Growing Concerns Poetry Collective

30. Women In Music Pt. III by Haim

31. Infinity Of Now by the Heliocentrics

32. National Freedom by Lonnie Holley

33. Muerto, Carcel o Rocanroll by Huntingtons

34. Beginners by Christian Lee Hutson

35. Reuinions by Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

36. Babani Koné by Babani Koné

37. Mutation by Les Freres Smith

38. 2020 by Magik Markers

39. Eno Axis by H.C. McEntire

40. Joshua Massad & Dylan Aycock by Joshua Massad & Dylan Aycock

41. Microphones in 2020 by the Microphones

42. Circles by Mac Miller

43. Dimensional Stardust by Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra

44. Annual by Modern Nature

45. Getting Into Knives by the Mountain Goats

46. Staunch Honey by David Nance

47. Three by the Necks

48. Rob Noyes & Sam Moss by Rob Noyes & Sam Moss

49. We No Be Machine by Onipa

50. Jams From The Sun by Oregon Space Trail of Jazz

51. High Upon The Mountain by Pacific Range

52. Suite For Max Brown by Jeff Parker

53. Summerlong by Rose City Band

54. RTJ4 by Run The Jewels

55. Landwerk demos by Nathan Salsburg

56. Acoustic by Oumou Sangaré

57. Untitled (Black Is) by Sault

58. We Are Sent Here By History by Shabaka and the Ancestors

59. The Don of Diamond Dreams by Shabazz Palaces

60. Ocean Bridges by Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk

61. Companion Rises by Six Organs of Admittance

62. Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? by The Soft Pink Truth

63. Optimisme by Songhoy Blues

64. Swirling by Sun Ra Arkestra

65. Oh Yeah? by Sunwatchers

66. Wooden Flower by Tambourinen

67. Folklore by Taylor Swift

68. Nomad by Tengger

69. Sun Racket by Throwing Muses

70. Siftorde by Tidiane Thiam

71. New Vanitas by William Tyler

72. The Great Mountain by Waterless Hills

73. Eau’d To A Fake Bookie Volume 3 by Wet Tuna

74. Strange to Explain by Woods

75. Homegrown by Neil Young

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• Browse Volume 01 of my 2020 favorites playlist

• Browse Volume 02 of my 2020 favorites playlist

• Browse Volume 03 of my 2020 favorites playlist

• Browse Volume 04 of my 2020 favorites playlist

• Browse Volume 05 of my 2020 favorites playlist

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Holiday At The Sea's Favorite 2020 Music Mix (Volume 05)

Volume 05 of some of Holiday at the Sea’s favorite 2020 music. I chose 75 albums this year and the playlists total 74 songs since “Microphones in 2020 by the Microphones” is 45 minutes long and I didn’t want to include the whole album as part of a mix.

Anyways, enjoy!

Tracklisting:

1. “Sam Sam” by Afriquoi

2. “Fight Am Finish” by Antibalas

3. “Tulips” by Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk

4. “Sixth Hammer” by the Budos Band

5. “Signs” by Eishan Ensemble

6. “Acoustic Storm Part One” by Elkhorn

7. “Further” by the Necks

8. “Wooden Flower” by Tambourinen

9. “Walkin’ In Rhythm” by Wet Tuna

10. “Snake Mouth” by Rob Noyes & Sam Moss

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Eishan Ensemble Live For Phoenix Central Park

Eishan Ensemble’s Afternoon Tea At Six has been one of my favorite albums 0f 2020. In fact, I recently featured the track “Signs” on my Apothecary of Wonders playlist.

The group’s official website says:

“Led by acclaimed Persian-Australian tar player and composer, Hamed Sadeghi, the quintet Eishan Ensemble draws on contemporary and classical music traditions of both East and West. Eishan’s repertoire consists predominantly of Sadeghi’s original compositions with diverse improvisatory idioms featured powerfully. Variously described as “Persian chamber jazz” and “Middle-Eastern jazz fusion”, Eishan defies neat labels.”

Here is a three-song live set they did earlier this year for Phoenix Central Park.

The deets:

Eishan Ensemble:

• Hamed Sadeghi | Tar

• Pedram Layegh | Acoustic guitar

• Michael Avgenicos | Saxophone

• Elsen Price | Double bass

• Adem Yilmaz | Percussion

Songs:

• Black and White

• Signs

• Street

  • Composed by Hamed Sadeghi

• Visit Eishan Ensemble’s official website

• Follow Eishan Ensemble at Facebook

• Support Eishan Ensemble at Bandcamp

• Purchase Eishan Ensemble’s music at Amazon

• Listen to “Signs” by Eishan Ensemble at the Holiday at the Sea playlist “Apothecary of Wonders”

Playlist: Apothecary of Wonders

Here is a fun mix I’ve been listening to in the office lately. I thought you might like it.

Sort of works with a musical mood, sort of doesn’t. Just the way I like it.

An international flavor travelogue.

An auditory exploration.

Tracklist:

1. “Wandering Melodic Road “ by The Tune

2. “Nobody Knew The Time” by Beasts of Paradise

3. “Reflection” by Faran Ensemble

4. “Chyraa Khoor” Huun-Huur-Tu

5. “Signs” by Eishan Ensemble

6. “The Imam” by Sun City Girls

7. “Junkanoo” by Exuma

8. “Bismillah” by Sarathy Korwar

9. “Biba Sada Dil Mor De” by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

10. “Shudh Sarang” by Pramod Kumar

11. “Farah 'Alaiyna (Joy Upon Us)” by Ahmed Abdul-Malik

12. “Mustt Mustt (Extended)” by Kiran Ahluwalia

• Browse other Holiday at the Sea playlists.

• Visit the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow page where you can find:

  • “Wandering Melodic Road “ by The Tune on Episode 10.

  • "Nobody Knew The Time" by Beasts of Paradise on Episode 13.

  • "Reflection" by Faran Ensemble on Episode 03.

  • “Chyraa Khoor” by Huun-Huur-Tu on Episode 19.

  • "”Esoterica Of Abyssynia” by Sun City Girls on Episode 26.

    • Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Sun City Girls

  • "Junkanoo" by Exuma on Episode 10.

  • "Bismillah" by Sarathy Korwar on Episode 08.

    • Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Sarathy Korwar

  • "Shudh Sarang" by Pramod Kumar on Episode 03.

  • “Farah 'Alaiyna (Joy Upon Us)” by Ahmed Abdul-Malik on Episode 28.

  • "Mustt Mustt (Extended)" by Kiran Ahluwalia on Episode 02.

    • Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Kiran Ahluwalia.

• Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

• Download a PDF of the Jewel Case art if you’re in to that sort of thing.