My Top 100 Jazz Albums of 2025

Once again, I could just stop at ten

Top 100 Picks for 2025:

1. Mark Turner, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Giant Step Arts)

2. Fred Hersch, The Surrounding Green (ECM)

3. Nels Cline, Concentric Quartet (Blue Note)

4. Joshua Redman, Words Fall Short (Blue Note)

5. Dave Douglas, Alloy (Greenleaf Music)

6. John Scofield/Dave Holland, Memories of Home (ECM)

7. Branford Marsalis, Belonging (Blue Note)

8. Carl Allen, Tippin’ (Cellar Music)

9. Shakti, Mind Explosion (Abstract Logix)

10. Linda May Han Oh, Strange Heavens (Biophilia)

11. Jerome Sabbath, Stand Up! (Analog Tone Factory)

12. Chris Cheek, Keepers of the East Door (Analog Tone Factory)

13. Kenny Barron, Songbook (Artwork Records)

14. Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quintet, Sound Remains (Whirlwind Recordings)

15. Miguel Zenon, Vanugardia Subterranean (Miel Music)

16. George Coleman, With Strings (Highnote)

17. Gilad Hekselman, Downhil From Here (La Reserve Records)

18. Gonzalo Rubalcaba/Chris Potter/Larry Grenadier/Eric Harland, First Meeting: Live at Dizzy’s Club (5Passion Records)

19. Chick Corea/Brian Blade/Christian McBride, Trilogy 3 (Candid)

20. Anthony Wilson Nonet, House of the Singing Blossoms (Sam First Records)

21. Joe Lovano, Homage (ECM)

22. Mike Clark, Itai Doshin (Wide Hive)

23. Jaleel Shaw, Painter of the Invisible (Changu)

24. Aaron Parks, By All Means (Blue Note)

25. Charles Lloyd, Figure in Blue (Blue Note)

26. David Murray, Birdly Serenade (Impulse!)

27. Mary Halvorson, About Ghosts (Nonesuch)

28. John McLaughlin, Music for Abandoned Heights (IMPEX Records)

29. Bela Fleck/Edmar Castaneda/Antonio Sanchez, BEATrio (Thirty Tigers)

30. Anat Fort, The Dreamworld of Paul Motian (Sunnyside)

31. Michael Dease, City Life: Music of Gregg Hill (Origin)

32. Out Of/Into, Motion II (Blue Note)

33. Nicole Zuraitis & Friends, Live at Vic’s Las Vegas (La Reserve)

34. John O’Gallagher, Ancestral (Whirlwind Recordings)

35. Amina Claudine Myers, Solace of the Wind (Red Hook)

36. David Kikoski Trio, Weekend at Smalls (Cellar Music)

37. Mike LeDonne’s Groover Quartet, Turn It Up! Live at the Side Door (Cellar Music)

38. Artemis, Arboresque (Blue Note)

39. Al Foster, Live at Smoke (Smoke Sessions)

40. Billy Hart, Multidirectional (Smoke Sessions)

41. Bill Ware and the Club Bird All-Stars, Martian Sunset (Sunnyside)

42. Juan Chiavassa, Fourth Generation (Whirlwind Recordings)

43. Nicole Glover, Memories, Dreams, Reflections (Savant)

44. Sharel Cassity, Gratitude (Sunnyside)

45. Josh Lawrence, Still We Dream (PosiTone)

46. Danny Gatton, Live at the Holiday Inn, 1987 (Gress Records)

47. Joel Harrison, Guitar Talk, Vol. 2 (AGS Recordings)

48. Pasquale Grasso, Solo Be-Bop! (Sony Masterworks)

49. Tony Davis, Jessamine (La Reserve Records)

50. Robin Nolan, For the Love of George (Dark Horse Records)

51. Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson, Bone Bells (Pyroclastic)

52. Jakob Dreyer, Roots and Things (Fresh Sound New Talent)

53. George Colligan, Live at the Jazz Standard (Whirlwind Recordings)

54. Eric Reed, Out Late (Smoke Sessions)

55. Jon Irabagon, Server Farm (Irrabagast)

56. Xhosa Cole, On a Modern Genius, Vol. 1 (Stoney Lane Records)

57. David Helbock & Julia Hofer, Faces of Night (ACT)

58. Kaisa’s Machine, Moving Parts (Greenleaf Music)

59. Gerald Clayton, Ones & Twos (Blue Note)

60. Eric McPherson, Double Bass Quartet (Giant Step Arts)

61. Marcus Gilmore, Journey to the New: Live at the Village Vanguard (Drummerslams)

62. Jackson Potter, Small Things (Shifting Paradigm Records)

63. John Hart, Love Is (SteepleChase)

64. Randal Despommier, South (Sunnyside)

65. Altin Sencalar, Unleashed (PosiTone)

66. Eric Siereveld’s Organic Quintet, Sweet William (Shifting Paradigm Records)

67. David Becker/Paul Wertico, Tuxedo Man (GAD Records)

68. Tessa Souter, Shadows and Silence: The Erik Satie Project (Noanara Music)

69. Tierney Sutton, Talking to the Sun (Gemini Records)

70. Cécile McLorin Salvant, Oh Snap (Nonesuch)

71. Tyreek McDole, Open Up Your Senses (Artworks Records)

72. Kurt Elling, Guilty Pleasures, Vol. 2 (Big Shoulders Records)

73. Kurt Elling/Christian Sands, Wildflowers Vol. 3 (Big Shoulders Records)

74. Johnathan Blake, My Life Matters (Blue Note)

75. Nicholas Payton, Triune (Smoke Sessions)

76. Paul Cornish, You’re Exaggerating! (Blue Note)

77. Brandon Sanders, Lasting Impression (Savant)

78. Olli Soikkeli, New York Trio (ollisoikkeli.com)

79. Jason Charos, Opening Statement (Holistic Musicworks)

80. Anthony Ferrara, Factory Fresh (SteepleChase)

81. Jimmy Farace, Hours Fly, Flowers Die (Shifting Paradigm Records)

82. Nanami Haruta, The Vibe (Origin Records)

83. Michael Dease, Flow (PosiTone)

84. Alex Cole & Carl Michel Sextet, Situation (Play On Records)

85. Lafayette Harris, All in Good Time (Savant)

86. Patrician Brennan, Of the Near and Far (Pyroclastic)

87. Theon Cross, Affirmations: Live at the Blue Note New York (New Soil)

88. Sullivan Fortner, Southern Nights (Artwork Records)

89. Dino Saluzzi, El Viejo Caminante (ECM)

90. Gaia Wilmer & Ra Kalam Bob Moses, Dancing with Elephants (Sunnyside)

91. Ben Thomas Tango Project, The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle (Origin Records)

92. Leon Anderson, Live at Snug Harbor (Outside in Music)

93. Russ Spiegel, Nitty Gritty (Ruzz Tone Music)

94. Johannes Wallman, Not Tired (Shifting Paradigm Records)

95. The Flying Horse Big Band Meets George Garzone, Unbridled (Flying Home Records)

96. Bob Schlesinger, Falling From Earth (BobSchlesingerJazz.com)

97. Brandon Ross/Stomu Takeishi, Natural Name (Sunnyside)

98. Karl Ratzer Trio, Vienna Red (In+Out Records)

99. Kristen R. Bromley Quartet, Wes 101 (KRBM)

100. Zoo Too Trio, Poetry Legroom (Shifting Paradigm Records)