From the end of next month, until February next year, when the very tardy compile theirs, brace yourself for album-of-the-year list making season. Everyone likes a list, but let's face it lists say more about the list maker, when the list was actually made, and the list's parameters, than its much anticipated and often juicy contents. Usually the main cries of pain to be had from perusing a top 10 are about who has been left out. One thing that often happens maddeningly is that albums issued in the early part of the year often get forgotten about. There's probably an app somewhere that works out the best time of the year to release an album if the sole purpose is for it to end up on an end-of-year list. After all it's why people make music in a post-selfie world.

What if there's an album that isn't massively exciting but there are a few really good songs on it? Some would say: tough. But there's a case that quality songs (typically an instrumental in jazz parlance) in small numbers might well be decided sufficiently powerful to make up for the dross otherwise served up. And to be honest I have sympathy for that point of view. If an album has to be of A Love Supreme or Kind of Blue quality then it's going to be a very long wait. But even if colloquially 'great' albums come along as frequently as a number 64 bus, and sometimes they do, the superlative superstore might well be quickly emptied of stock. Critics don't like writing the word 'excellent' too many times except in end-of-year lists when usual rules don't apply.

In January Eleni Karaindrou's Concert in Athens  came out on ECM New Series. A three-star album. Harsh, maybe. Not really although you wouldn't rush out to buy a three-star album, would you? This Athens concert hall performance of music by the distinguished veteran film, theatre and TV composer Karaindrou gave up its treasure carefully, as the strings drew out the tender theme and along with Jan Garbarek and other guests, celebrated viola player Kim Kashkashian and oboist Vangelis Christopoulos with Karaindrou on piano, this chamber music album, utilising a small band of musicians and the Camerata Friends of Music Orchestra conducted by Alexandros Myrat, delivered up the jaw-dropping ‘Requiem for Willie Loman’, named for the tragic hero of Arthur Miller’s great play Death of a Salesman. It's the sort of work that the composer must have had to keep up a brave face writing. You’d need to be made of flint not to be moved by this album highlight. Music is made of such memories: a song can change a career, an album can be seen in a different light if it only has one good song even if it comes out in January, and, yes, even if it doesn't appear on the end of year lists. Eleni Karaindrou pictured  Photo: Pepi Loulakaki / ECM