It probably had something to do with the kind of year we had, but the albums that seemed to stand out in 2020 were often ones that brought the most comfort: the balladry of Jeremy Pelt, the elegant and understated weave of strings used by Eric Alexander, the sunny...

Wow, it’s amazing. The review pile is actually getting pretty low. The only problem I’m having is with those CDs and LPs that might have gotten buried under something else or misplaced during the cross-country move this summer, and then they pop up out of nowhere. I...