Ian Patterson's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025

The number of albums released year upon year seems to grow exponentially, with self-released albums increasingly the norm. Much of the most interesting and courageous modern jazz is released on small, independent labels where artistic value and not commercial potential is the principal driving force. The challenge for these free spirits is to get their music heard—not always an easy task in a flooded market and a competitive world. Still quality music will always find an appreciative audience. This list represents the jazz albums that most resonated with me in 2025.

Stephen Davis
The Gleaming World
577 Records

"Ripples from the stones cast on jazz's waters by Sun Ra, Charles Mingus and John Coltrane occasionally make themselves felt in music that is in turn stormy, lyrical and gently keening. The abiding impression, however, is of personally wrought contemporary music for the 21st century."



Simin Tander
The Wind
Jazzland Recordings

"Tander's music oscillates between caressing balm, sudden gusts of guttural release, and enveloping intensity. The Wind stands as another haunting work of dark lyricism and sweet melancholy from an exceptional artist."



Michael Buckley
Ebb And Flow
Livia Records

"Buckley's highly melodious rhythmically charged improvisations, which sound like nobody but himself, thrill and delight. Music that speaks primarily to the emotions—directly, boldy and handsomely."



Ronan Guilfoyle
At Swing, Two Birds
Livia Records

" Picaresque rhythmic play and ear-catching harmonic structures... a fine album that proves jazz tradition is as restless—and as thrillingly alive—as ever."




Home
Hayeli
Self Produced

"From Socrates onwards, the idea of home has ignited philosophical reflection—family, house, environment, country, freedom to or from. But perhaps, for Khalifé and Savzyan, home is in the act of making music. A highly personal and stimulating collaboration, Home sings to individuality, unity and freedom."


Izumi Kimura
Butterfly Effect
Codama Records

"The juxtapositions of damped and open strings, pulsing rhythmic motifs and slower, curling melodies, low-end rumble and high-register chime make for hypnotic music of trance-like quality... an enchanting, mazy work that should appeal to dreamers and experimenters everywhere."


Shakti
Mind Explosion
Abstract Logix

" Intricate unison lines hurtling towards soaring release and dashing call-and-response exchanges that truly take the breath away."



Paolo Angeli
Lema
AnMa Productions

"The magic resides in the blending of uncommon technical innovation with Angeli's broad-reaching and affecting musical palette: Sardinian folk, African and Arabic flavors, flamenco and post-rock combine enticingly—the confluence of centuries of Mediterranean exchange. Technically impressive, undoubtedly, but it is the raw emotional currency in Angeli's playing and singing that leaves the deepest mark."


Orlando Molina
Autorretrato en Tres Colores
Self Produced

"Beyond the story of one musician's migration lies a broader reflection on jazz itself: its endless movement, its capacity to absorb and transform. A poised and deeply lyrical debut from a guitarist of rare sensitivity."




Through The Storm
Carole Nelson
Livia Records

"The playing is first rate, but it is the music's emotional arc—oscillating between hope and the despair of loss—that makes this arguably the most satisfying of the Carol Nelson Trio's releases to date."