Yes, it's hard to select 10 best of the year. Downloads are not making it easier to organize -- I'm flooded! Great to have so much music at my fingertips, so that's not a complaint. And I may return to this list to add other notable releases, but I can recommend all of these albums -- and urge you to hear the title track of 92-year-old-though-you-wouldn't-know-it bluesman Jimmy Johnson's "Ever Day of Your Life."

Monk'estra plays John Beasley (Mack Avenue), John Beasley

Ism (International Anthem), Junius Paul*

Old New, (Cuneiform), Tomeka Reid Quartet*

Omega (Blue Note), Immanuel Wilkins

General Semantics (Delmark), Geof Bradfield-Ben Goldberg-Dana Hall Trio

Night Visitors (SE Records), by Dave Bryant with Charnette Moffett and Gregg Bendian

Every Day of Your Life (Delmark), Jimmy Johnson

Rainbow Sign (Blue Note), Ron Miles

Like the Sun (Dim Mak), Brian Charrett

Cosmicomics (Queen Bee Records), Lisa Mezzacappa

* released in 2019

Also -- Human Rights Trio, Jason Kao Hwang

          Swallow Tales (ECM), John Scofield