Favorite Albums for 2025
Not even the advanced physics of the Grand Unified Theory can completely unpack the organic mess that makes up our universe. Forces converge in ways that the principles of supersymmetry has yet to fully explain. A similar fate awaits any curator or critic attempting to summarize the vast annual offering of music into the numerous capricious lists attempting to showcase the best work in Jazz.
And yet these lists prevail, reflecting their diverse range of personal biases, cultural expectations, political objectives and musical tastes that can range from celebrating the tedium of conventional accomplishments to the boisterous promotion of unusual music that very few might ever notice or actually experience. All of which of course applies to my own annual synopses as well.
Central to what guides my list of favorites is the evolving philosophy of the term “Jazz.” My programming routinely includes a steady diet of music influenced from ambient, country, classical, rock, pop, chamber music and fusion, to Caribbean, Latin, Indigenous, African, Asian and European folk music.
“Jazz” somehow connects them all with its insatiable appetite for invention advanced by the galvanic alchemy of African Diasporic musical traditions that elevates everything it interacts with. The vivacious nature of this continual evolution, and its habitual drive to fuse improvisation within such a broad range of musical experimentation, speaks to the essence of how I interpret Jazz and the inspiration for my programming.
Again this year I gravitated towards artists pushing a variety of envelopes. Amending rules without recklessly abandoning traditions, pursuing musical narratives that harnessed elite orchestration, composing and arranging skills, these musical changlings employed an assortment of wildly authentic creative visions. Moving beyond conventional expectations, many of these projects also featured captivating musical story-telling that spoke to the structural complexities of our times.
Frequently this level of ambition leans into artistic paradigms that showcase entirely new ways of understanding and interpreting music. All of these albums invited audiences to embrace deep listening while taking in a thrilling compendium of bold musical directives that waltzed with familiar traditions while also continuing to chart a new course for Jazz.
MVP’s don’t exist in Jazz. While applying celebratory hierarchies might help our industry promote records, magazines and engagement strategies, I’ve rarely heard musicians describe any of these rankings as true barometers of talent or excellence - especially given the wide radius of variables currently defining this especially enigmatic musical idiom.
And so beyond all the tallies, favorites and best of lists, remains the enduring, prodigious consistency of an art form invigorated by inspirational musicians who tirelessly produce wave after wave of stunning musical achievements that I’m honored to share with you.
Petit, Bernado & Mienniel
Brunö Lapin
Clément Petit, Sophie Bernado and Jocelyn Mienniel are all formidable European instrumentalists well known for their contributions within classical and experimental music. Together they blossom into a tantalizing trio, blending their elite skills with a telepathic improvisational chemistry. Cello, bassoon and voice, and flute become the holy trinity for compositions that seamlessly overlay spacious compositional strategies with stunningly evocative musicianship. Brunö Lapin levitates with an astonishing array of colors, contours and improvisational genius. Halting melodies, fascinating approaches to rhythm and the cunning vitality of their skill, all make for a meticulously constructed nest for the album’s profound musical ingenuity.
Carrington & Dashiell
We Insist 2025!
Timing is everything, and for We Insist 2025!, the brilliant collaboration between drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and vocalist Christie Dashiell, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Candid’s historic original release was right on time. Circling back to the powerful narratives explored by drummer Max Roach and vocalist Abbey Lincoln in 1960, We Insist 2025! artfully resurrects songs from the initial release while adding original compositions that update We Insist’s potent political voice. With the kind of attention to detail that Terri Lyne Carrington brings to all her work, Christie Dashiell shines in her role as mellifluous narrator for our turbulent times.
Sarah Elizabeth Charles
Dawn
Tracing the remarkably personal arc of the pregnancy and birth of her second child, Sarah Elizabeth Charles doubles down on her unique ability to render everything she sings in the most intimate manner possible. Stitching together artfully orchestrated music, incorporating superb instrumentation, ethereal vocal overlays and the potent metaphoric abstractions of exceptional sound design, Dawn explores the complicated circumference of experiences and feelings of motherhood. Grounded by her crystallic voice and elite story-telling skills, Charles unabashedly guides us through Dawn’s narrative timeline while showcasing the remarkable spectrum of creative strategies that makes her music so consistently profound.
Claire Cope
Every Journey
Esoteric, inquisitive and remarkably capable of nimbly arranging her Ensemble C through any musical obstacle course she imagines, Claire Cope has arrived at a level of mastery that make extravagant albums like Every Journey possible. Combining her love for symphonic, classical and experimental music, Every Journey’s brand of Jazz utilizes every once of musicality from the variety of UK artists Cope gathered for the project. Inspired by a variety of female explorers, Cope stays true to the curious meandering creativity of her imagination. With its lush sonic landscapes and fluid, cinematic nature, Every Journey is Cope’s best work to date.
Noah Garabedian
Quartets and Solos
Thankfully bassists hear the world differently than we do. For Noah Garabedian that means balancing the delicate polarities of field recordings, wistful solos and sophisticated contemporary Jazz. Immersive, temperamental, sounding like a collection of musical journal entrees, Quartets and Solos carries an angular, voyeuristic feel. Garabedian’s compositions often splinter before finding a form that is consistently enchanting, hypnotic, and oddly personal. Blurring the distinction between songs and interludes, Quartets and Solos’ use of form, space and improvisation all shape the album’s insights. As much sonic graphic novel as Jazz album, Quartets and Solos reflects the delightfully unpredictable nature of Garabedian’s creative ambitions.
Danny Grissett
Traveloque
Not all trio albums are created equal. Too many regurgitate traditional conventions instead of reinvigorating them. Buoyed by bassist Vincent Archer and drummer Bill Stewart, pianist Danny Grissett combines florid melodies, superb technique and the kind of creative investigation that make trio albums like Travelogue uniquely special. Living up to its title, Travelogue features a series of charismatic compositions that vibrantly journey forward demanding your attention at every turn. These intimate settings are exquisitely balanced by the artistic chemistry created by veteran musicians who pursue each song with an integrity and agility not often heard in trio settings these days.
Erik Jekabson
Breakthrough
It’s easy to become complacent given how well Jazz incorporates classical music of late. Brilliant interpretations are the norm now. Maybe that’s why trumpeter Erik Jekabson went out of his way to record Breakthrough, an album that stretches an already prolific envelop with music that highlights not just where these genres seamlessly overlap, but how they also can radially transform each other. Songs like Sun On The Keys and Jekabson’s Jane Wants To Tell You Something and Into the Jungle series use complex arranging and multi-layered orchestration to move beyond the neat lines that segregate classical and chamber music from Jazz.
Morales & Hersch
Between Dreams and Twilight
Leaning into the classic pairing of Jazz group with classical string quartet, bassist Mauricio Morales and pianist Adam Hersh’s Between Dreams and Twilight packs a tremendous amount of creative energy and musical story-telling into a single recording. Vibraphonist Warren Wolf and guitarist Mike Moreno consistently shine, bringing just the right flare, dexterity and emotionality to compositions that aren’t content with simply being good Jazz accompanied by strings. Morales and Hersh dig deep, fleshing out melodies and harmonic pairing on songs like Cosmic River and Where Olive Trees Wither that are exceptionally moving, creating music that will stay with you for days.
John Sturino
Blow Globe
Riding the wave of their 2024 Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant, John Sturino’s album Blow Globe proved to be more dynamic and compelling than anything recorded by more well-known large ensembles this year. Nothing feels off limits on Blow Globe as Sturino’s drumming, composing and elite arranging all guide the group through one amazingly ambitious composition after another. As soloists continually soar and horn harmonies punctuate the latest melodic magic on the record, you might find yourself swearing out loud in affirmation of the transcendent music your ear buds have imprinted in your mind. Yeah, it’s that exceptional.
Brandee Younger
Godabout Season
Godabout Season is Brandee Younger’s masterpiece. Bejeweled, spiritual, framed around the full range of what this harpist brings to Jazz, the album fills the void of where many Jazz albums don’t dare to go. Ambient, soulful, edgy, poignant and often smart enough to get out of its own way, Godabout Season is a radiant example of the salient ways that Jazz can crossover into any musical genre it cares to. Best of all, we get to hear Younger completely lay out on her instrument, creating sounds that mimic synthesizers, electric guitar and the immaculate resourcefulness of her own artistic voice.