Compiled by Arts Fuse Editor

The magazine’s jazz critics look back over the past year and highlight their favorite albums.

Jon Garelick

NEW JAZZ ALBUMS

The Lina Allemano Four — the group hits the sweet spot between form and freedom.

Lina Allemano Four, The Diptychs (Lumo)

Canadian trumpeter and composer Allemano has led her Four for 20 years (with alto saxophonist Brodie West, bassist Andrew Downing, and drummer Nick Fraser). Her spare and intricate designs give this group leeway to hit the sweet spot between form and freedom. Splitting her time between Toronto and Berlin, Allemano says she hasn’t played the U.S. in “ages.” She adds (via email): “I do miss it a lot… it’s just so hard and incredibly expensive to get work visas, and we can go to Europe with zero paperwork or extra effort/fees, so … that’s just how it goes. It’s sad that we can’t just come down to play a gig, truly sad. Maybe it will change one day…. fingers crossed.” Her words speak to an upturned world order that includes jazz but is a whole lot bigger: Yes, sad, and, yes, fingers crossed.

Patricia Brennan, Of the Near and Far (Pyroclastic)

Last year’s top vote-getter in the Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll Brennan (for Breaking Stretch) came back with this work for the combined forces of string quartet and jazz rhythm section, inspired by her love of stargazing. The composer/vibraphonist says in her liner notes that most of Of the Near and Far was created by superimposing her drawings of specific constellations on the circle of fifths. Hey, it worked.

Mary Halvorson, About Ghosts (Nonesuch)

This recording with her Amaryllis sextet is probably as close as guitar savant Halvorson will ever come to hard bop — her usual broad palette of wayward harmonies and rhythmic derring-do somehow coming together with focused grooves and crackling solos all around. Guest saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins and Brian Settles join Halvorson and the rest of the sextet: trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, trombonist Jacob Garchik, bassist Nick Dunston, drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and the aforementioned Patricia Brennan on vibraphone.

Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith, Defiant Life (ECM)

It might seem improbable to call 54 minutes of serene duo interplay an act of defiance, but Iyer and Smith do just that with this meditation on their “ongoing sorrow and outrage of the past year,” as Iyer writes, but with “faith in human possibility.” The intertwining lyrical exchanges of keyboards, trumpet, and subtle electronics equate defiance with affirmation — and possibilities.

 Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner, The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi)

An avant-garde jazz power trio — in this case, the long-running ensemble of alto saxophonist Lehman with bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Damion Ried — was joined by the tenor sax Mark Turner, digging into the music of Lehman’s mentor plus an original and Monk’s “Trinkle, Tinkle.” A breathtaking performance at the Regattabar sealed the deal of my feelings for this band and this recording.

Adam O’Farrill, For These Streets (Out of Your Head)

It’s not surprising to see that the exquisite rendering of mood and atmosphere in the detailed writing by trumpeter/composer O’Farrill (see: Halvorson) here are inspired by the “music, literature, and film of the 1930s” (touchstones were Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer and Chaplin’s City Lights). The band includes guitarist Mary Halvorson, reed players David Leon (doubling on flute) and Kevin Sun, trombonist/euphonium player Kalun Leung, bassist Tyrone Allen III, drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and the ubiquitous vibist Patricia Brennan, with Eli Greenhoe conducting (also helping out with Brennan’s Of the Near and Far).

Linda May Han Oh, Stranger Heavens (Biophilia)

Another power trio: bassist-composer Oh with regular collaborators Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet) and Tyshawn Sorey (drums). The spare format allows for maximum interplay and also brings Oh out front, where she doesn’t have to worry about stepping on anyone’s toes chord-wise.

Cécile McLorin Salvant, Oh Snap (Nonesuch)

There’s no better singer or all-around conceptualist in jazz than McLorin Salvant, and here she went all-in for electronics and other doodads (Auto-Tune!). The singer indulged her taste for Kate Bush (no complaints here) and club beats, but also left room for jazz-trio swing and one beauty of a ballad. Regulars Sullivan Fortner (keyboards) and Kyle Poole (drums and programming) helped out.

Mark Turner, Reflections on: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Giant Step Arts)

It’s the rare jazz album that can survive stretches of spoken text, but Turner’s 10-movement piece for quintet not only survives, it thrives. His warm speaking voice — in readings from the James Weldon Johnson classic — matches the warmth of the music, as radical as it is soft-spoken. The tenor saxophonist is joined by his regular wingman, trumpeter Jason Palmer, plus keyboardist David Virelles, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Nasheet Waits.

Webber/Morris Big Band, Unseparate (Out of Your Head)

Composer/saxophonist/flutists Anna Webber and Angela Morris, in this second release from their 10-year-old big band, continue to explore and stretch the possibilities of large ensembles, joining the ranks of composers like Darcy James Argue, John Hollenbeck (an important mentor for Webber), Maria Schneider, and Michael Formanek. Big, beautiful sounds like you’ve never heard before.

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

Charles Mingus, Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts 1977 (Resonance)

Recordings of the late-period Mingus band that included Ricky Ford, Jack Walrath, Robert Neloms, and, of course, Dannie Richmond — are not plentiful. Reason enough to check this out.

Classic Vanguard Jazz Piano Sessions 1953-58 (Mosaic) These days I’m preferring Mosaic’s grab-bag of label collections and hard-to-find material, such as their V-Disc and Black & White sets, to their single-artist surveys. This one collects John Hammond-produced sessions for Vanguard: Ray Bryant (with the Jo Jones Trio), Sir Charles Thompson, Mel Powell, Bobby Henderson, and the complete Ruby Braff/ Ellis Larkins duos.

VOCAL ALBUMS

Cecile McLorin Salvant, Oh Snap (Nonesuch)

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Charlap, Elemental (Mack Avenue)

An important, and satisfying, document of the barnstorming tour the singer and pianist have been on for the past couple of years. Catch them live if you can.

Kris Adams, Peter Perfido, Away (JazzBird)

From my Arts Fuse review: “With two nominal ‘leaders’ and no clear unifying theme, this album nonetheless comes off as satisfying and nourishing as a carefully planned, beautifully executed concert program. Drummer Perfido put this band together as a tribute to his late friend and colleague, guitarist Michael O’Neil, who died in 2016, recruiting singer Adams, pianist Bob Degen, and bassist André Buser.”

DEBUT ALBUM

History Dog, Root Systems (Otherly Love)

I tagged this for my Mid-Year list in part because of the sexy, subversive, profane spoken-word delivery by Shara Lunon, which was of a piece with the live playing (trumpet, bass, drums, percussion) and electronics. The audacity and humor of this Brooklyn quartet (rounded out by trumpeter Chris Williams, drummer Lesley Mok, and bass guitarist Luke Stewart) made me laugh with delight, and the continually surprising sound narrative kept me engaged throughout the 36-minute running time.

Tom Hull

NEW JAZZ ALBUMS:

L-R: Matt Brewer, Steve Lehman, Damion Reid, and Mark Turner. Photo credit: Evan Shay

1. Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner: The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi)
2. Miguel Zenón Quartet: Vanguardia Subterranea: Live at the Village Vanguard (Miel Music)
3. Archer: Sudden Dusk (Aerophonic)
4. Fieldwork: Thereupon (Pi)
5. Sheila Jordan With Roni Ben-Hur & Harvie S: Portrait Now (Dot Time)
6. Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp String Trio: Armageddon Flower (TAO Forms)
7. Rodrigo Amado: The Bridge: Further Beyond (Trost)
8. Isaiah Collier/William Hooker/William Parker: The Ancients (Eremite)
9. أحمد [Ahmed]: سماع [Sama’a] (Audition) (Otoroku)
10. Motian & More: Gratitude (Phonogram Unit)

REISSUES/ARCHIVAL JAZZ ALBUMS:

Saxophonist James Moody. Photo: JamesMoody.com

1. James Moody: 80 Years Young: Live at the Blue Note March 26, 2005 (Origin)
2. Jimmy Lyons: Live From Studio Rivbea: 1974 & 1976 (NoBusiness)
3. Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (Burning Ambulance)
4. Charles Mingus: Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts (1977, Resonance)
5. Griot Galaxy: Live on WUOM 1979 (Two Rooms)

Also note that the only reason I omitted Maria Muldaur, One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (Nola Blue) is that no one recognizes her as a jazz singer, but she’s the most consistently outstanding standards singer of this young century, and she’s increasingly tapping real New Orleans jazz bands for backup. A close runner up in this regard is Colin Hancock’s Jazz Hounds Featuring Catherine Russell, Cat & the Hounds (Turtle Bay), which just barely fell off my top ten (possibly for game theory reasons, as I could still vote for it under Debut [Hancock] and Vocal [Russell]).

My list of top-rated jazz albums extends much farther, as you can see in my The Best Jazz Albums of 2025, which also, in the interest of transparency, lists everything else I listened to during the year (which should add up to something in excess of 760 albums, most quite good and deserving of far more attention than I could muster).

Allen Michie

NEW ALBUMS

1. Omar Thomas Large Ensemble, Griot Songs (Omar Thomas Music)
2. Kenny Wheeler Legacy, Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores (Greenleaf Music)
3. Jake Hertzog, Ozark Concerto (Zoho)
4. Marius Neset, Cabaret (ACT Music)
5. Jeremy Pelt, Woven (HighNote)
6. Mark Masters Ensemble, Sam Rivers 100 (Capri)
7. John Patitucci, Spirit Fall (Edition)
8. Sharel Cassity, Gratitude (Sunnyside)
9. Gerald Clayton, Ones & Twos (Blue Note)
10. Yazz Ahmed, A Paradise in the Hold (Night Time Stories)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

1. Michel Petrucciani Trio, Jazz Club Montmartre (1988, Storyville ’24)
2. Pharoah Sanders, Love Is Here: The Complete Paris 1975 ORTF Recordings (Transcendence Sounds)
3. Music Inc. [Charles Tolliver – Stanley Cowell – Cecil McBee – Jimmy Hopps], Live at Slugs’ Volume I & II (1970, Strata-East/Mack Avenue)
4. Chick Corea – Christian McBride – Brian Blade, Trilogy 3 (2020, Candid)
5. Keith Jarrett, New Vienna (2016, ECM)

VOCAL

• Holly Cole, Dark Moon (Rumpus Room/Universal)
• Cécile McLorin Salvant, Oh Snap (Nonesuch)
• Tyreek McDole, Open Up Your Senses (Artworks)

LATIM

• The Pedrito Martinez Group, Ilusión Óptica (GroundUP Music)
• Javier Girotto & Fabrizio Bosso, Desde Cuando (Parco Della Musica)
• Júlio Resende, Piano Português Namora Guitarra Portuguesa Feat. Bruno Chaveiro (self-released)

DEBUT

• Rin Seo Collective, City Suite (Cellar Music)

Steve Feeney

NEW JAZZ ALBUMS

Ivo Perelman (far left) with the Matthew Shipp String Trio (Shipp, William Parker, Mat Maneri). Photo credit: Anna Yatskevich

1. Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner, The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi)
2. Mary Halvorson, About Ghosts (Nonesuch)
3. Linda May Han Oh, Strange Heavens (Biophilia)
4. Fieldwork, Thereupon (Pi)
5. Jason Kao Hwang, Myths of Origin (True Sound)
6. Isaiah Collier – William Hooker – William Parker, The Ancients (Eremite)
7. Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson, Bone Bells (Pyroclastic)
8. Myra Melford, Splash (Intakt)
9. Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp String Trio, Armageddon Flower (TAO Forms)
10. Billy Mohler, The Eternal (Contagious Music)

RARA AVIS (REISSUES/ARCHIVAL)

1. Ryan Truesdell Presents Gil Evans Project, Shades of Sound: Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 2 (2014, Outside In Music)
2. Oliver Lake, Live From Studio Rivbea 1975 & 1976 (NoBusiness)

VOCAL

• Kenny Barron, Songbook (Artwork)
• Sheila Jordan With Roni Ben-Hur & Harvie S, Portrait Now (Dot Time)
• Ingrid Laubrock, Purposing the Air (Pyroclastic)

LATIN

• Miguel Zenón Quartet, Vanguardia Subterranea: Live at the Village Vanguard (Miel Music)
• Aruán Ortiz, Créole Renaissance (Intakt)
• Poncho Sanchez & His Latin Jazz Band, Live at the Belly Up Tavern (Regime Music Group)

DEBUT

• Milena Casado, Reflection of Another Self (Candid)

Michael Ullman

Ten Best Jazz Records of 2025

(l) Chris Potter, (c) Carl Allen, and (r) Christian McBride. Photo: Cellar Live on Bandcamp

Carl Allen, Tippin’ (Cellar)

Kris Davis and the Lutoslawski Quartet, The Solastalgia Suite (Pyroclastic)

Sylvie Courvoisier/ Wadada Leo Smith. Angel Falls  (Intakt)

Sullivan Fortner, Southern Nights (Artwork)

Fred Hersch, The Surrounding Green (ECM)

Nicholas Payton’s Triune (Smoke Sessions)

Joshua Redman, Words Fall Short (Blue Note)

Sun Ra, Strange Strings

Webber/ Morris Big Band, Unseparate (Out of Your Head)

Immanuel Wilkins, Blues Blood (Blue Note)

Latin:

Artuan Ortiz, Creole Renaissance (Intakt)

Marta Sanchez, Perpetual Void (Intakt)

Vocal:

Kenny Barron, Songbook (Artwork Records)

Gretchen Parlato/ Lionel Loueke, Lean In