Assessing the best jazz albums of any current year could be a tricky affair. The tricky part lies in the term current, as during any given year there is a slew of reissued jazz albums that can deservedly draw attention from the releases that are completely new, and very often by artists that are still in the process of making a name for themselves as far as the wider audience is concerned.
At the same time, there is always the conscious or subconscious comparison with the re-released material, which often looms large, particularly for seasoned jazz fans. Yet, the times move on, current jazz artists with fresh ideas try to bring in new elements or take a different look at the jazz canon, often challenging not just themselves, but the audiences ready to take a listen.
And it seems that in 2025 there was not only an abundance of new jazz releases, but the quality bar was raised again, with the bellow 11 albums, listed in artists’ alphabetical order, are among those that stood out.
In 2025, these 11 jazz albums stood above the rest
Ambrose Akinmusire - Honey From a Winter Stone (Nonesuch Records)
Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire never shied away from incorporating other music forms and genres into his jazz base, whether it is hip hop, classical music or something else. On this album he takes a similar route, but it seems that he has decided to visit new places that could describe personal struggles the best combining a more or less modern instrumental jazz set with a string quartet.
Amina Claudine Myers - Solace of the Mind (Red Hook Records)
Pianist Amina Claudine Myers is another artists that has become established among devoted jazz fans, with her take on all forms of American music, whether it is jazz itself, spirituals, R&B or something else. She always puts her own, very individual stamp, whether it is in an ensemble or solo piano setting, as is the case with this album.
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra – Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley (Zoho)
Late pianist/composer Carla Bley still remains one of the most influential figures in modern jazz, and it is no wonder that pianist O’Farrill decided to pay her a tribute, as he started out in Bley’s big band configuration when he was only 19. Here, O’Farill is not simply covering Bley’s music but is giving it his own touches and musical views.
Brad Mehldau – Ride Into the Sun (Nonesuch)
Pianist Mehldau has done it all - from what is dubbed classical jazz to prog rock, at the same time making a name among the rock music fans with his jazz takes on the likes of Radiohead and Nick Drake. Here, Mehldau pays a sort of a tribute to Elliot Smith, by covering a number of singer-songwriter’s songs, but also including some appropriate covers, and his own compositions inspired by Smith’s music.
Brandee Younger - Gadabout Season (Bandcamp)
To causal jazz listeners harp might be an unusual instrument in a jazz music setting, but artists like Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby have given the instrument a deserving place in jazz. Brandee Younger is a new generation harpist who now continues that thread, not shying away to showcase the full range of this instrument.
James Brandon Lewis Quartet with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones, Chad Taylor - Abstraction Is Deliverance (Intakt Records)
Saxophonist James Brandon Lewis has already established himself as one of the leading reeds man, some critics already ranking him up there with the jazz legends. One of the reasons may lie in the fact that he doesn’t shy away from a slew of releases, not dropping a ball once.
With this release, he again tries to challenge himself and all the other artists playing with him, this time proving that it is not only the notes that count, but spaces between them do to.
Jon Irabagon – Server Farm (Irabbagast)
Saxophonist Irabagon started out with the unconventional jazz collective Mostly Other People Do The Killing, moving out on his own, but continuing to cultivate the free spirit of that group by going in all directions, without ever leaving his jazz roots. On this album, he and his collaborators cover the full scope of jazz music today as envisioned by Irabagon and his crew.
Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons - Live in Philadelphia (Otherly Love Records/Ars Nova)
Saxophonist Marshall Allen might be 101 years old, but he is not giving up, either as the leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra, keeping that flame alive and like here as a leader of his own loose group, showing how exciting live jazz can be, particularly when inspired improvisation takes over.
Mourning [A] BLKstar – Flowers for the Living (Don Giovanni)
Many label this Cleveland collective as Afrofuturist, as they cover almost every single element that constitutes modern jazz, including elements from soul, hip-hop and anything experimental. On this album, the collective is able to stray away from possible chaos and create music that is both intuitive and inventive.
Nels Cline – Consentrik Quartet (Blue Note)
To rock fans, Nels Cline is a well-known name as a guitar force in Wilco, but Cline came to Wilco from a jazz setting, never actually leaving it. While he might have brought his jazz chops to Tweedy and co, he seems to have taken his rock and other musical experiences to his jazz setting, as he and his collaborators here can move from noise to balladry in the blink of an eye.
Sylvie Courvoisier, Mary Halvorson - Bone Bells (Pyroclastic Records)
This is a third collaboration between pianist/composer Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson. Both artists are considered among the more inventive and daring on the current jazz scene on their own, and here they grab a chance to show what they are made of, not only on their own, but as a duo that has obviously developed a synergy and a sense of unity when playing together.