Duane Williams, host of What's New, Sundays, 10p-MIDNIGHT

In no particular order, the highlights to 2022 have been:

Son House's Forever On My Mind recordings from 1964 finally being released was a welcome treat at the beginning of this year. Getting the chance to hear the title track finally being released after so many years was well worth the wait. The album was fantastic and it's always a pleasure when these treasures from the past resurface.

Nina Simone's Feeling Good: Her Greatest Hits and Remixes was such a fun blend of past and present. Untouched works by the queen herself lying down alongside tracks remixed as house music by modern DJ's. This album just showed how timeless some pieces are even with a touch of modern.

Keb Mo's Good To Be... Album was a great revisiting of some of the tracks he teased us with in 2021, but the timing couldn't have been better for his call to action for young people with his track Louder. It really captured a lot of the frustrations being voiced with the changing of laws and liberties which made it all the more timely.

It wasn't long after that we were treated to Gino Joubert's Time For A Change album which was also inspired by recent events.

Yuko Mabuchi's The Caribbean Canvass came out just in time to enjoy her blend of Japanese and Caribbean beats for the summer time.

With the pandemic, it took longer than usual to get some music in. One of those which absolutely amazed me with its beauty was This Pale. This was the latest collaboration between Shujaat Husain Khan and Katayoun Goudarzi and it was some of the most powerful classical Indian music I've heard. While this technically came out in 2021 it was nearly halfway through 2022 before I was able to get my hands on a copy and just the track Tender made it worthwhile. I'm using show host privileges to add it to this list.

Brian Eaton's All the Earth Will Mourn was a fun journey with his latest album. It was odd, at first, to hear his shift from rock to jazz/fusion, but it was worth the time to enjoy his shifting of gears.

Where Nothing Burns' self-titled album was a fun revisit to 90s music. The band openly acknowledges all of their influences from that decade and really took me back to several bands I would hear headlining or opening from the end of the 90s through the beginning of the aughts.

The Chunky Hustle Brass Band's CHuBB album was a very pleasant surprise. I think they were the last live interview I had the good fortune to conduct on air before quarantine began. Seeing them in the album artwork after working so hard on their music was just a heartwarming reminder of all of the work people continued doing through the pandemic. I was glad they are still doing well and enjoyed listening to this album as much as the one they brought by the studio almost three years ago.

Michael Longfield, host of the New Orleans Music Show, Saturdays, 10a-NOON

Some great music came out this year along with some surprises and some stand outs.

Dr. John released “Things Happen That Way” posthumously in 2022 and it was his foray into country music.

Amazingly Leo Nocentelli released “Another Side” which were a series of recordings from SeaSaint Studios believed lost in Katrina until they were found at a garage sale reunited, remixed and released by Mr. Nocentelli this year.

Guitarist John Savedra’s self-release of “Swingin’ With John Savedra” is just that; Swingin’!

Local favorite Alex McMurray released “Recent Future”, a mix of familiar and new.

Tap Dancing songbird Giselle Anguizola’s “Live Your Music” is another self-release that is worth looking up!

Preservation Hall resident Charlie Gabriel released his “89” named for his age at the time of release (he is now a youthful 90)!

Nationally prominent local funkmaster PJ Morton’s “Watch the Sun” has a real Innervisions vibe and it’s not just the cover.

He has played with nearly every local band from Fats Domino to The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Roger Lewis’ debut release of “Alright” is right on time!

Drummer and empresario Derrick Freeman & Smokers World put out “WhiteSplain” in 2022 and we should all take heart!

Flagboy Giz keeps the Wild Tchoupitoulas spirit alive with the release of “I Got Indians in My Family”, it has the funky and history of a very mature artist.

There are also monthly singles from a handful of bands including: Panorama Jazz Band and Flow Tribe which are also great!

You can find most of these artists on line and get their self-releases directly from their websites.

Logan Schutts of our World Journey show, Saturdays, 4-6p.

Leyla McCalla: Breaking the Thermometer
-The music on this album is the result of a very serious dive into the last several decades of Haitian history, and it's a truly compelling work. In the words of Leyla McCalla herself: "Memories of Haiti come to me in waves.As my work on the theater piece Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the Fever began to materialize, I began to also hear an album in the making. After years of digesting audio recordings from the Radio Haiti archive housed at Duke University, with guidance from director Kiyoko McCrae and archivist Laura Wagner, I started to imagine how my personal story, the story of Radio Haiti and the story of Haiti-US relations could be connected through song in one album. While many of the songs on the album are inspired by the listening that I have done in the archive, much of the album is deeply self-reflective - integrating experiences that I have had navigating life as a child both in the US and Haiti, my journey in claiming my Haitian-American identitiy and understanding the experiences, sacrifices and challenges overcome by my immigrant relatives. This story is mine in many ways and yet belongs to the greater movement for freedom of speech and human rights worldwide."

"Le Roi" Alekpehanhou: Hliho! Gueli Ma Bou Do Gbeme
-The King of Zinli revival in Benin makes a grand return with his 42nd album! The title of this album translates from Fongbe to "the elephant does not pass unnoticed." Alekpehanhou is a philosopher and singer from Abomey, the city that used to be the capitol of The Kingdom of Dahomey (present day southern Benin). He sings over a style of music called Zinli, traditionally a funeral music. The instrumentation involves two drums made with cement shells, a large cement pot (the Zin), a multitude of iron bells and shakers, as well as clapping and singing from a choir. No electronics, no synthesized sounds. It's deeply polyrhythmic, complex, and refined music.

Anna Laura Quinn: Open the Door
-Recorded here in New Orleans, mostly just before the covid pandemic, Anna Laura Quinn released this lovely album early this year. Anna chose a set of tunes for this recording that spans a wide range of feel, tempo, and subject matter, and she sings all of the songs beautifully. With compositions from Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Ellis Marsalis, and more, this album is a joy to listen to. And check her out live!

Shabaka: Afrikan Culture
-Shabaka Hutchings has released some pretty heavy records over the last decade with his groups Shabaka and the Ancestors and Sons of Kemet. This release is his debut solo album. It's meditative and beautiful. The instrument Shabaka plays most here is a Japanese bamboo flute called shakuhachi. There a few guest musicians on the record, but it remains minimal from start to finish. Very nice.

T. R. Johnson, host of the Tuesday edition of Jazz from the French Market, 4-7p

2022 gave us an astonishing run of brilliant recordings, so many that I can’t really offer a mere ‘top ten’ in rank order, so instead I’ve just listed -- alphabetically by album-title – the albums that captured and rewarded my attention the most. Please explore and enjoy:

12 Stars – Melissa Aldana
Amaryllis – Mary Halvorson
Atalaya – Dezron Douglass
Back Home in Kansas City – Bobby Watson
Bells on Sand – Gerald Clayton
Doubles – Basher
Extra Presence – Carlos Nino
Four – Bill Frisell
Ghost Song – Cecile McLorin Salvant
Ghosted – Oren Ambarchi
In the Spirit of Ntue – by Nduduzo Mhakathini
In These Times – Makaya McCraven
Jazz is Dead – Jean Carne w Adrian Young / Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Kofu II - Meitei
Linger Awhile – Samara Joy
Live in Loveland – Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
Long Gone – Josh Redman
Love Quantum – Theo Croker
Malabar – James Singleton
Oak Tree - Tom Harrell
Panama 77 – Daniel Villareal
Pink Dolphins - Anteloper
Prelude – Barbie Bertisch
Reboot – Ronnie Foster
Recordings from the Åland Islands – Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sophie Honer
Scorchers and Rockers – Horace Andy
Smoke Remixed – Nicholas Payton
Soundtrack – Jeremy Pelt
Spell 31 - Ibeyi
Step on Step – Charles Stepney
Sufficient Grace – Gregory Tardy
The 7th Hand – Immanuel Wilkins
The Chicago Experiment – Greg Spero
The Couch Sessions – Nicholas Payton
This is Brian Jackson – Brian Jackson
Trios Live 1-2-3 – Charles Lloyd
View with a Room – Julian Lage
Without Notice – Extended Trio

Jim Hobbs & Charles Laborde, hosts of our Cajun and Zydeco Show, Sundays NOON-2p.

Best Cajun, Creole and Zydeco recordings of 2022:

Michael Doucet and Tom Rigney. Roll On. Parhelion Records.

Joe Hall and the Cane Cutters. Melange. Frugé.

Kyle Huval & the Dixie Club Ramblers. Amédée's Waltz. Valcour.

Michot's Melody Makers featuring Leyla McCalla. Tiny Island. Nouveau Electric. 5-track EP of Cajun and original Haitian songs recorded on a tiny island on Louis Michot's home.

Kevin Naquin and Cajun Preservation. La Musique Traditionnelle Debranchee. Swallow. Traditional music unplugged.

Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas. Lucky Man. Cha Cha. Nominated for a Best Regional Roots Music Album Grammy Award.

Zachary Richard. Danser le Ciel. Martin LeClerc.

Riley Family Band. La Vie de Riley. Valcour. Product of the pandemic.

Sonnier, Joel. Survivants (Survivors). Self-released.

T-Marie and Bayou JuJu. Bayou Rearview. Self-released.

Left Field: Sabertooth Swing. Delta Bound. Slammin' Media. Mostly traditional jazz and spoken including performances by Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes, the Daiquiri Queens, Jeffrey Broussard, Zachary Richard, and Cedric Watson. “How does music carry memory? How does New Orleans music carry memory differently?”

Carrie Booher, Digital Content Editor and substitute show host

Charley Crockett — The Man From Waco

Charley Crockett — Lil G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley

Melody Makers featuring Leyla McCalla — Tiny Island

Dr. John — Things Happen That Way

Charlie Gabriel — 89

Tuba Skinny — Magnolia Stroll

Lake & the New Movement: Looking the World Over

Leyla McCalla — Breaking The Thermometer

Derrick Freeman — WhiteSplain

Tank & the Bangas — Red Balloon

Bobby Marchan — This is the Life: New Orleans Rock & Soul, 1954-1962

Hurray for the Riff Raff — Life on Earth

Boudin Man, co-host of Kitchen Sink with A.J. Rodrigue and A.A., Wednesdays, 10p-MIDNIGHT.

2022 Boudin Man's Favorites:
Tommy McLain - I Ran Down Every Dream
Tasche De La Rocha and the Psychedelic Roses - Tasche and the Psychedelic Roses
Silver Synthetic – Silver Synthetic
Malevitus - Malevitus (Vinyl Edition)
Michot’s Melody Makers Featuring Leyla McCalla - Tiny Island (Vinyl Edition)
Dr. John – Things Happen That Way
Meridian Brothers and El Grupo Renacimiento - Meridian Brothers and El Grupo Renacimiento
Egg Yolk Jubilee - Defining Gravity

Digital Releases:
Mark Bingham - Goo Seneck
Mark Bingham – Mushroom Crowd

Missy Bowen, host of the Wednesday edition of The New Orleans Music Show, 11am-2pm

Top music picks for 2022 from the Dominatrix of the Blues

I feel like we are ramping back up after the pandemic – back in the clubs, new music churning out. I resist downloaded music; if I had to download it, I may not remember it without the visual and tactile senses that help me create that personal relationship with the music. Because of that, I tend to miss some things, but I’m happy getting to know some of our great new music well rather than most of it superficially.

SOME 2022 RELEASES THAT WILL ENDURE IN MY ROTATION:

Rouxsta – Michael Juan Nunez
FINALLY a new rekkid from my favorite son of Erath, Louisiana! Crispy, crunchy, soulful blues, spiked with Acadiana moonshine by Roddie Romero and Eric Adcock, among others. MJN made his Jazzfest debut this year in the Blues Tent, and I hope we see him there every year from now on.

Roll On - Michael Doucet and Tom Rigney
A romp all around with two fine masters of the fiddle, Michael, the front man for the multiple Grammy-winning Beausoleil and the equally amazing Tom RIgney, who I’ve loved since the days of the Sundogs. Some of their licks make me laugh out loud, others echo the wind across the Cajun prairie with equal parts ache and joy. I can even figure out some of the French! Marcia Ball joins in on her tune, “That’s Enough of That Stuff,” and gets the room up dancing.

Lulu and the Broadsides – self-titled
Dayna Kurtz and an all-star band - including the late king of jalopy funk, Carlo Nuccio, Robert Mache, Glenn Hartmann, and bass-master James Singleton - makes us jump, holler, cry and laugh out loud because hey, not everything is bigger in Texas.

Take Me To The River New Orleans
Terrific collection of classic and more contemporary artists.

Emerald Blue – Andrew Duhon
Great songwriting and catchy melodies, including the winning single, “Castle on Irish Bayou.”

Things Happen That Way – Dr. John
One last contribution to the Mac Rebennack canon finds an ailing Mac mostly paired in duets, but still with spirit and verve. It’s sad that a) it was his last and b) there was so much BS around the production. The album art is truly uninspiring. BUT, it’s Dr. John.

Resonance – Andre Bohren
WWOZ doesn’t feature a lot of classical music, but when we do, we make sure it’s damn good. Andre Bohren is a drumming animal by night, classical pianist by day, dad to Luke and Ollie, and son of two of the world’s most beautiful people. He spends much time in the rock and roll world playing with Johnny Sketch, Rory Danger, and other bands, and as a producer, but he is an exquisite classical pianist who could easily be top world-class level (if he gave up everything else). He finally had a chance to put out a recording of some of his favorite pieces (Thanks to the Threadheads), giving us DJs a chance to juxtapose Chopin ala Bohren and ala James Booker.

Worth Noting:

• Lifted – Trombone Shorty
• The Recent Future – Alex McMurray
• 12th of June - Lyle Lovett – because pants ARE overrated.
• (EP) – Circus Mind – Mark Rechler’s brainchild draws on New Orleans funk and New York drive.
• 89 – Charlie Gabriel – has that same feel as Doc Cheatham’s last recording: wisdom and experience in every note.
• Run to Daylight from The Groove Krewe w/ Nick Daniels.

NEW TO ME in 2022:

Flesh and Bone - Steve Conn
Released in 2019. I first knew of Steve Conn when he and Sonny Landreth played in a Colorado band called Gris-Gris when I was managing KDNK up in the Roaring Fork Valley. There’s an annual Thanksgiving concert tradition down here with Sonny and Steve that started in Lafayette years ago and now takes place in Alexandria, near our son and daughter-in-law’s home. Steve is from Pineville and an LSU grad, and his songwriting is evocative, heartbreaking, and spot-on.

The Horses and the Hounds – James McMurtry
Larry may have been a great novelist, but his son gets it done in a lot fewer words and with better music. This album came out a few years ago, and I heard him interviewed on NPR and made a note to get the record, and finally got around to it this past year. “Jackie” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” are worth the price of admission alone (I keep losing my glasses!).

The Daiquiri Queens
Their self-titled album came out in 2020, and I had a blast dancing to them at the Blackpot Festival in Lafayette this last fall. A force du Cajun!

Stuart Hall, host of The 4th Dimension, Fridays, MIDNIGHT-3am.

Best of 2022

Pastor Champion: I just wanna be a good man

The Neutrals: Bus Stop Nights EP

Meschiya Lake & the New Movement: Looking the World Over (Sungroove Records)

Volta Jazz Reissue: Numero Group

Yard Act: The Overload

Alex McMurray: The Recent Future

Arthur Brown: the Crazy World of Arthur Brown Long Long Road Magnetic eye Records

Preservation Hall Presents Charlie Gabriel: Eighty Nine (Sup Pop)

Adrian Quesada: Boleros Psicodelicos. ATO Records

Abraxas: Monte Carlo Suicide Squeeze Records

Los Bitchos: Let The Festivities Begin! City Slang Records

Leyla McCalla, Breaking the Thermometer

The Liminanas: Electrified The best of 2009-2022. Berreto Music

David Bandrowski & the Rhumba Defense: French Onion Superman (Independent)

Mark Bingham: Goo Seneck (Nouveau Electric Records)

Tommy McClain: I Ran Down Every Dream (Yep Roc)

Charles Burchell, host of the Friday edition of Jazz from the French Market, 4-7pm

1. Samara Joy-"Linger Awhile" Verve

2. Wayne Maureau-"At the Water's Edge" Independent

3. Steve Turre-"Generations" Smoke Sessions

4. James Singleton-"Malabar" Sinking City

5. Duduka Da Fonseca-"Yes!!!" Sunnyside

6. Ron Carter-"Finding The Right Notes" In+Out

7. Amina Figarova-"Joy" amfi

8. Tony Monaco-"Four Brothers" Chicken Coop

9. Ronnie Foster-"Reboot" Blue Note

10. T.S. Monk-"Two Continents One Groove" Storyville

11. Cedric Hanriot-"Time Is Color" Independent

Allan "Alski" Laskey, host of The Rhythm Room, Fridays, 10p-MIDNIGHT.

Leigh Brennan and Asleep at the Wheel, Obsessed with the West. Modern western swing

Elizabeth King, I Got a Love. Gospel singer enjoying a career renaissance.

Ezra Collective, Where I'm Meant to Be. New release from one of the leading lights of the new British jazz scene.

Ghost Funk Orchestra, A New Kind Of Love. Mostly instrumental physc funk from this Brooklyn based band.

Guts, Estrellas. My favorite release of 2022. Double lp touching on the music of Cuba and the African Diaspora with a jazzy touch.

Jimetta Rose & the Voices of Creation, How Good It Is. Singer backed by a large gospel choir. Everything from traditional music to Funkadelic.

Johnny Ray Daniels, Whatever You Need. Soul gospel at its finest.

Adrian Sherwood, Adrian Sherwood Presents: Dub No Frontiers. Producer Sherwood gathered female artists from around the world to record these fresh reggae tracks.

Kibrom Birhane, Here And There. Ethiopian jazz.

Kokoroko, Could We Be More. Another band from the British jazz scene with a strong afrobeat influence.

Lass Bumayé, Following in the footsteps of Salif Kieta and other Malian artists. Great afro-pop.

Lee Fields, Sentimental Fool. Great set of soul tunes backed up by the Daptones.

Money Chicha, Chicha Summit. Modern take on surf guitar dance music from Peru.

& His Dorpa Band, Beja Power! Electric Soul & Brass from Sudan's Red Sea Coast. Title says it all.

Saltpond City Band, Boko A Ko. Music from Ghana formed by afrobeat pioneer Ebo Taylor.

Sona Jobarteh, Badinyaa Kumoo. Kora virtuoso with her latest release.

SunDub Spirits Eat Music. Soul reggae from this new Brooklyn based band.

Bamboos, Live at Hammer Hall. Legendary Australian funk and soul band with full orchestra.

The Filthy, Six Soho Filth ep. Classic soul-jazz.

The Mighty Mocambos, Scenarios. Live album from these London based funksters.

Ural Thomas & the Pain, Dancing Dimensions. U/nkown to most, soul veteran with a new release.

Wau Wau Collectif, Mariage. Avant garde pop music from Senegal.

Willie Nelson, A Beautiful Time. It seems like Willie is on this list every year. His songwriting skills are as strong as ever.

Old Man River, host of the Monday edition of The Morning Set, 6-9am

Dr John - Things Happen That Way
Leo Nocentelli - Another Side
Charlie Gabriel - 89
Willie Nelson - A Beautiful Time
James Singleton - Malabar
Alex McMurray - Recent Future
Roger Lewis - Alright
Derrick Freeman - Whitesplain
Michot’s Melody Makers & Leyla McCalla - Tiny Island
Charley Crockett - Jukebox Charlie
Tommy McClain - Run Down Every Dream
Dave Jordan - Burning Sage
Lulu and the Broadsides - Lulu and the Broadsides
Vince Herman - …. Enjoy The Ride
Crooked Tree - Molly Tuttle
Billy Strings & Terry Barber - Me / And / Dad
Del McCoury - Almost Proud
Sam Bush - Radio John:Songs of John Hartford
Peter Rowan - Calling You From My Mountain
Bill Frisell - Four
Jeff Coffin - Between Dreaming and Joy
Infamous Stringdusters - Toward The Fray
Lyle Lovett - 12th of June
Mavis Staples & Levon Helm - Carry Me Home
Miles Davis - The Bootleg Series Vol.7 That’s What Happened 1982-85
Willie Nelson - A Beautiful Time

Breaux Bridges, host of The Morning Set, Wednesdays, 6-9am.

Alternative Guitar Summit – Honoring Pat Martino, Vol. 1
Anat Cohen – Quartetinho
Bill Frisell– Four
Bill O’Connell – A Change Is Gonna Come
Billy Drummond & Freedom of Ideas – Valse Sinistre
Cecile McLorin Salvant – Ghost Song
Charles Lloyd – Trios: Chapel
Charles Lloyd – Trios: Ocean
Charles Lloyd – Trios: Sacred Thread
Daggerboard – Daggerboard and The Skipper
Extended – Without Notice
Gregory Tardy – Sufficient Grace
Immanuel Wilkins – The 7 th Hand
Jacob Bro & Joe Lovano – Once Around the Room: A Tribute to Paul Motian
James Singleton – Malabar
JD Allen – Americana Volume 2
Jeremy Pelt – Soundtrack
Joey Alexander – Origin
John Scofield – John Scofield
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride & Brian Blade – LongGone
Julian Lage – View with a Room
Keith Jarrett – Bordeaux Concert
Makaya McCraven – In These Times
Marquis Hill – New Gospel Revisited
Marta Sanchez – SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)
Melissa Aldana – 12 Stars
Miles Okazaki – Thisness
Orrin Evans & Kevin Eubanks – EEE (Eubanks-Evans-Experience)
Roger Lewis – Alright!
Rufus Reid – Celebration
Steve Turre – Generations
The Bad Plus – The Bad Plus
Tigran Hamasyan – StandArt
Tom Harrell – Oak Tree
Walter Smith & Matthew Stevens – In Common III
Henry Franklin, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad — Henry Franklin: Jazz Is Dead 14
Amina Figarova — Joy
Duduka Da Fonseca — YES!!!
Al Foster — Blues on the Corner
Ted Nash, Steve Cardenas & Ben Allison — Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley
Joel Ross — The Parable of the Poet

Murf Reeves, WWOZ Music Director and host of the Monday edition of The New Orleans Music Show, 11am-2pm

The amount of quality music that was released this year is staggering. I have compiled my list of the albums that moved me in some way this year.

Alex McMurray - The Recent Future
Johnny Sansone - Into Your Blues
Leo Nocentelli - Another Side
Tommy McLain - I Ran Down Every Dream
Trombone Shorty - Lifted
PJ Morton - Watch The Sun
Charlie Halloran - The Alcoa Sessions
Sabertooth Swing - Deltabound
Tuba Skinny - Magnolia Stroll
Meschiya Lake and The New Movement - Looking The World Over
Charlie Gabriel - 89
Leroy Jones - March of the Toddlers
Ann Elise and Her Ever Revolving Cast of Characters - Unmasking A Confidence Trickster
Maggie Belle - Starting Anew
Leyla McCalla - Breaking The Thermometer
Lulu and The Broadsides - Lulu and The Broadsides
Erika Lewis - A Walk Around The Sun
Flagboy Giz - I Got Indian In My Family
Vela Vada - Broken Ladders
Jon Batiste - We Are
Anna Laura Quinn - Open The Door
Quinn Sternberg - Cicada Songs
Extended - Without Notice
Weedie Braimah - The Hands of Time
James Singleton - Malabar
Roger Lewis - Alright
Take Me To The River Soundtrack
Charles Lloyd Trio - Sacred Thread
Catherine Russell - Send For Me
Young Fellaz Brass Band - Block Party
The Branchettes - Live At Longbranch
Pastor Champion - I Just Want To Be A Good Man

Re-issues
Karen Dalton - Shucking Sugar
Salome Bey - Salome Bey

Slangston Hughes, co-host of Draw Fo with Slangston Hughes & Thelonious Kryptonite, Thursdays, MIDNIGHT-2am.

In no particular order:

Butcher Brown, Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey

Tank and the Bangas, Red Balloon

Saba, Few Good Things

IDK, Simple

Pusha T It’s Almost Dry

JID, The Forever Story

Flagboy Giz, I Got Indian In My Family

Lekeli47 Shape Up

Danger Mouse & Black Thought. Cheat Codes

Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Freddie Gibbs, $oul $old $eparately

EARTHGANG, Ghetto Gods

Alex Isley, Marigold