The Best Reissues And Box Sets Of 2020
You can find all of NPR Music's favorites from 2020 here.
Brief summary of the year in reissues and vault rediscoveries: There was an avalanche of them, across all genres and all eras. Each promises edification, offering dives into the rich contexts of historically significant records while also being flat-out thrilling listening.
Thanks to the work of sound-obsessed archivists and audio detectives this year, it's now possible to trace John Coltrane's Giant Steps session in microscopic detail for its 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition; or revisit some of the unheralded album tracks from John Prine's output in the 1970s (Crooked Piece of Time); to hear legendary guitarist Duane Allman's last performance before his death (The Final Note) and every idea Tom Petty considered for Wildflowers (Wildflowers And All the Rest); dip into a blistering set from tenor saxophonist George Coleman at an ordinary 1971 gig (In Baltimore); or go to school on the early '90s development of jungle and related dance styles (Soul Jazz Records' compilation Black Riot: Early Jungle, Rave and Hardcore).
Now, without further ado...
BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND
Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn Copeland
Fragile and graceful and understated, the music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland calls from a world far removed from our own. Make that : The singer, keyboardist and composer began making meditative jazz-folk in the 1970s, then spent many years creating music for and working in children's television ( and the Canadian show ). Along the way, Glenn-Copeland developed a uniquely uncluttered approach to electronic music, creating austere soundscapes designed to accentuate the quiet resolve of his voice. This career survey, sequenced for musical impact instead of chronologically, gathers highlights from each of these periods, and includes the pop-leaning "La Vita" and a sparkling recent live version of "Color of Anyhow" from his 1970 debut. (To hear why Glenn-Copeland's 1986 cassette release, , is regarded as a masterpiece of electronic music, check the
