Since I spent so much time on the best of 2025, I thought it would be worthwhile to put some focus on this year. So I've made a list of all the albums I could find that have been released or are about to be released in 2026. And in this episode I'm playing tracks from some of the ones that I am most looking forward to hearing.

What a delightful array of music to celebrate Black History Month.

Here's the song list:

Hymn to Freedom (Oscar Peterson) as performed by Louise Rose from Victoria, B.C.

This episode heralds the resilience of jazz musicians who fought---and continue to fight--for civil rights and social justice. It celebrates great and positive accomplishments. I play music by artists who have contributed to that resilience.

The African-American contribution to popular music and jazz is profound! And we celebrate the influence they've had on worldwifde culture. In terms of music, black musicians have influenced gospel, blues, jazz, rock'nroll, rhythm & blues, soul, funk, disco, hip hop, and house.

I play music by James Brown, Rich Brown, Max Roach with Olatunji and Abbey Lincoln, Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell, Joe Bowden, Louis Armstrong, and Johnathan Blake, You'll also hear two tracks by the amazingly resilient Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Although blind from an early age, he was a 'visionary'. A debilitating stroke didn't stop him! I play something from the album he put together just prior to that stroke, and the one he recorded after that stroke, when only one of his arms was functional.

I had a fun time using a table of random numbers to select 10 albums from those that were on the 'best of 2025' lists of 109 jazz reviewers.

This episode almost feels like 'live radio' because I had no idea what I was going to play. And at this point you probably don't either.

-Larry

So many old recordings came to light over the past year. And many of them were put on the Best of 2025 lists of various reviewers and jazz aficianados. Here I play a track from 10 of those albums.

You'll hear Kenny Dorham, Bill Evans Trio, Ryan Truesdell and Gil Evans arrangements, Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley, Jelly Roll Morton with clarinetist Omer Simeon, Dave Robbins Big Band, Horace Silver, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Sam Rivers, and The Dave Robbins Big Band (with Chris Gage).

From going through (mostly) albums that at least one reviewer has put on their own best of 2025 lists---I select nine that stand out for me. Quite a range of jazz styles here.

This week I counted up the albums that were most often listen on the posted Best of 2025 lists. I'm playing the top 10 on this episode.

But I'm posting every album that ended up on 10 or more of those 'best of' charts. Here they are--with the number of lists they were on beside them. I ended up finding 108 lists that were all accessible to the public (with no paywalls or required subscriptions). The top album ended up on 32 of them....which is a little less than 1/3.

If you want me to send you a list of every album and the number of votes it received, just email me at [email protected], and I'll attach my list of albums to my reply. And please....I'd appreciate a review and rating on whatever site you get your podcasts. Thanks.

Tally of Top Critic's Choices. (10 and over responses) As of January 17, 2025

Mary Halvorson: About Ghosts (32)

Ambrose Akinmusire: Honey From a Winter Stone (22)

Branford Marsalis: Belonging (21)

Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far (21)

Linda May Han Oh, Ambrose Akinmusire, Tyshawn Sorey:  Stranger Heavens (20)

James Brandon Lewis Quartet: Abstraction is Deliverance (18)

Yazz Ahmed: A Paradise in the Hold (16)

Fieldwork: Thereupon (#1 in PopMatters) (15)

MAPL Webber/Morris Bigband: Unseparate (15)

Brandee Younger: Gadabout Season (14)

Charles Lloyd: Figure in Blue (13)

Brad Mehldau: Ride Into the Sun (13)

Joshua Redman: Words Fall Short (13)

Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner: The Music of Anthony Braxton (13)

Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet (13)

Sylvie Courvoisier, Mary Halvorson: Bone Bells (12) (#1 on Jazzwise)

Amina Claudine Myers: Solace of the Mind (11)

Sullivan Fortner: Southern Nights (11)

Kenny Dorham Quartet: Blue Bossa in the Bronx, Live From the Blue Morocco (11)

Cecile McLorin Salvant: Oh Snap! (11)

Kassa Overall Quartet: Cream (10)

Anouar Brahem: After the Last Sky (10)

I listened to this podcast right after I put it together, and really dug it. But of course, I'm biased. But it is my favourite episode of 2026 (last week's was my 2nd favourite).

These are tracks from some of the albums that critics (could be one critic, could be 30) have put on their 'best of' lists for 2025. And all of them I play this week are from albums that I listened to and decided were worth hearing again.

My favourite? Well it keeps changing. But right at the moment I'm thinking John Zorn's Bagatelles as played by the Mary Halvoson Quartet with Miles Ozaki joining Halvorson on guitar.

But the more I listen to the title track from Miguel Zenon's Vanguard Subterranea, the more I like it. I'll have to listen to the rest of the album again.

And Kenny Barron has put out his first 'vocal' album, even though he's not doing the singing. But lots of other different people are. Some of the best singers in today's jazz.

There are a couple classically inspired albums in this episode. You've probably never heard of Tryptique. They are a Canadian 'jass infused chamber music' group out of Toronto. Scott Yanow put in on one his best of 2025 lists which you can find on the JazzWorld site on facebook. The other classically inspired piece is by Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, with Scott Colley and Brian Blade.

Then there's a very famous (although I wasn't familiar with her) soul singer named Ledisi who is doing a tribute to Dinah Washington. On this album she's doing some of my favourite songs that Dinah Washington made famous. Don't tell any Dinah fans, but I think she does them better than Dinah. The one I include in this epsode is a duet she did with Brook Benton....but here Ledisi duets with none other than Gregory Porter.

A new talent you've probably never heard of (unless you go to The Yardbird Suite in Edmonton) is bassist Aretha Tillotson. Here she teams up with the famous Jensen sister (Christine and Ingrid) with an album influenced by Sonny Rollins "Way Out West". She calls hers "Kinda Out West".

Then there's Brad Mehldau sounding like he's never sounded before, and a tribute to the late singer-songwriter, Elliot Smith.

Last but not least are the two Emma's: Emma Smith and Emma Jean Thackray. And that doesn't even include the 3rd Emma who I'm sure to play on one of my soon to come future episodes---Emma Rawlicz.

Part 2 of The Best of 2025 According To Jazz Reviewers and other jazz lovers. I select a few albums (often randomly) that have been rated by one or more reviewers as one of the year's best. Then, of the ones I seem to like at first listen, I play a track for you.

And usually try to throw a short tidbit of information about it

This episode includes a track from the following albums:

ARTEMIS: Arboresque

This is the start of a multi-part series where I listen to albums from 2025 that jazz reviewers and other aficianados say are some of the best of the year. I'm still compiling the lists and at some point I'll let you know which ones received that most votes. But for now I'm selecting a few at random, listening to them, and---if I like them---I play a track from it.

This week I play something by Mary Halvorson, Mulatu Astatke, Tyreek McDole, a couple tracks from the new Cecile McLorin Salvant album, and introduce you to Ryan Truesdell playing those amazing Gil Evans arrangements. As well you'll hear Holly Cole doing a jazz-swing version of a lesser known Elvis Presley recording. Also some Sullivan Fortner, Nick Hemptom and Cory Weeds, Amina Claudine Myers;, and another new discovery for me---a pianist named Dave Bass.

Looking forward to the next four episodes as well where I make more discoveries.

-Larry