Kyle Simpler's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025

As I was preparing my selections, the line, "He's making a list and checking it twice," from "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" kept running through my head. It turned out to be a pretty accurate description of my process. Well, other than the fact that I have no interest in finding out who was naughty or nice. Instead, I was trying to figure out which 2025 albums resonated most with me.

That may sound like an easy task, but it's more complicated than it appears. To make things simpler, I reminded myself that these are not the albums I necessarily consider the best jazz releases of the year. Rather, they are albums I genuinely connected with and returned to often.

Most of these are records I reviewed, and one of the unexpected pleasures of that process was getting to communicate directly with many of the artists behind them. Beyond the music itself, it was rewarding to encounter so many thoughtful, generous people creating this work.

2025 has been a challenging year for me in a number of ways, but revisiting these albums is a reminder that there were also several bright moments, many of which are reflected in the music.

Freddie Hubbard
On Fire: Live from the Blue Morocco
Resonance Records






Anat Fort
The Dreamworld of Paul Motian
Sunnyside Records






Mitch Towne
Refuge
Cross Towne Records






Andrea Zacchia
Anemoia
Filibusta Records






Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen Trio
Bees In The Bonnet
Rune Grammofon






Joe Baione
Vibe Check
Joe Baione Music






Ben Basile
Benergy
Sleep Walk Sounds






Steve Bryant
New Town
red123music






Brandon Wozniak
Live at Berlin
Shifting Paradigm Records






Glenn Crytzer
The Songbook Sessions (Volume 1, 1920)
Blue Rhythm Records