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

Thought I'd send this episode a couple days early so you can enjoy it as you prepare for Christmas, celebrate Hannukkah, or enjoy the snow (if you're in one of those December snow-bound countries).

Because I don't resonate with the "all I want for Christmas is You" type of song, the celebration of shopping, Santa Claus, or any of those songs I keep hearing in shopping malls--- wanted to make sure that everything I play in this episode is interesting and of high quality. You can be the judge as to whether I succeeded.

All these tunes are from albums released (or sometimes re-released) in 2025. Except for the one from a live New York concert last December.

Hope you enjoy it.. And have a great holiday, whichever one(s) you celebrate. I'll be back next week starting with a month of The Best Jazz of 2025---According To The Experts. I'm not one of those experts, but I'll also be focusing on records that I've listened to and like.

-Larry

I put together an episode of some of the finest jazz Christmas and other winter holiday recordings from this year. But then before I could load it, my computer crashed, and I've lost all my files! Fortunately I had backups up to March, 2024. Hopefully I can find a way to get my files back so I can give you my new Christmas, Hannukah, and Winter music from this year.

In the meantime, here's an old one from the archives, from 2022.

You'll hear some great seasonal jazz. From the likes of vibraphonist Warren Wolff and Joey Alexander to the Jazzrausch Big Band. And great vocalists like Rebecca Kilgore, Laila Biali, and Jamie Cullum. And lots more! Even a couple recordings from Nordic artists.

Some very interesting music, ranging from Gabriela Martina to Christof Lauer & Jens Thomas. I also play recent tracks from albums by Canadian artists Rich Brown (solo bass), Kate Wyatt, Saku Mantere with Bohdanna Novak, Noah Lemish, Aretha Tillotson, and Joaquin Nunez with Habana Safari. You'll also hear something from an eclectic hip-hop oriented group called Up Bustle and Out. And you'll thrill to Rosanna Vitro's version of Freedom Jazz Dance.

I've also been exposed to Thelonious Monk's 1965 "Solo Monk" album, and I play a track from that which got my attention when I heard it played on the Yardbird Suite sound system.

Some tracks from cd's I've had in my collection plus ones I recently obtained. Includes

More unique jazz from Finland.

I will spell out all the recorded jazz I play this episode so you can see how these names are spelled (at least in English).

From Sibelius to Selma Savolainen. Finnish Jazz Part 1

I play music from the early days of Jazz in Finland up until today. And quote from Jukka Perko about what makes jazz Finnish.

Because a lot of Finnish names are long and their pronunciation is often quite different from what we English speakers might expect, I've no doubt butchered some of the names in trying to pronounce them (even though I truly did some research in trying to pronounce some of them). So to compensate, I'll write down the spelling (at least the English spelling) of most of the names of the musicians who play on this podcast. I'l also spell the names of the tunes.

Here goes: from the first selection to the last:

- Seppo Kantonen / keyboards

Get ready for Part 2 next week.

And if you like this podcast, please give me a review on whatever site you get your podcasts (Apple Music or Itunes works really well!). Thanks.