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John Sharpe's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025
by John Sharpe
From the 200 or so discs that I heard in 2025, here are the ten new issues, one archival reissue and one gem saved from obscurity, which gave me the most pleasure, in roughly the order that I came across them. As always these selections are entirely subjective, and take no account of the many other ...
Satoko Fujii: Message
by John Sharpe
Even within the remarkably consistent output of prolific Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii, certain ensembles command special attention. The This Is It! Trio --named for her conviction that the group represented an ideal working unit has become one such forum. Message, the trio's third release, reunites Fujii with her crew -husband and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura ...
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders: Ecliptic
by John Sharpe
Scrubbed piano strings, malleted drums and a tenor saxophone testing the air may not conjure the usual Sunday-afternoon reverie, yet that is how the trio Shifa ignited its early-2023 matinee at north London's Café Oto. Ecliptic, the group's third document following Live at Café Oto (577 Records, 2019) and Live in Oslo (577 Records, 2020), captures ...
Paul Dunmall: Here Today Gone Tomorrow
by John Sharpe
Much improvised music may be ephemeral, but Here Today Gone Tomorrow, captures British saxophonist Paul Dunmall's long-standing quartet at a peak of collective lucidity. Featuring pianist Liam Noble, bassist John Edwards and drummer Mark Sanders, the ensemble works through three slabs of unapologetic free jazz that display the rare assurance ...
Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far
by John Sharpe
Vibraphonist Patricia Brennan continues to redefine her creative horizons on Of The Near And Far, a fourth leadership date that expands her sonic blueprint without tempering the imagination that has marked her rise. Each of its predecessors has been completely different, from the horn-rich Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic, 2024), to the percussion-centered More Touch (Pyroclastic, 2022), to ...
Trance Map (Evan Parker & Matthew Wright): Horizons Held Close
by John Sharpe
Although there have been more populous versions of Trance Map on Crepuscule in Nickelsdorf (Intakt, 2019), and Marconi's Drift (False Walls, 2024), Horizons Held Close presents the outfit pared back to its original core: the soprano saxophone of Evan Parker and the electronics of Matt Wright. Parker's solo work often reaches beyond the possibilities open to ...
Olie Brice: All It Was
by John Sharpe
Bassist Olie Brice convenes an all-star quartet on All It Was, bringing together pianist Alexander Hawkins, saxophonist Rachel Musson, and drummer Will Glaser. The ensemble's chemistry yields music that is both architecturally sound and fiercely spontaneous, balancing Brice's penchant for crafted frameworks with his immersion in the free-improvised tradition. Brice has long navigated the ...
Dave Burrell / Sam Woodyard: The Lost Session, Paris 1979
by John Sharpe
A lot of hoohah gets thrown around about legendary lost dates, but few live up to the billing. But The Lost Session by pianist Dave Burrell and drummer Sam Woodyard assuredly does. During the summer of 1979, Burrell had a three-month stand at the Campagne Premiere Club in Paris, which allowed him to fully explore and ...
John Dikeman: Old Adam On Turtle Island
by John Sharpe
Committed improviser John Dikeman assembles a crack Amsterdam domiciled quartet to navigate Old Adam On Turtle Island, a song cycle that probes the intersections of colonization, religion, and their potential to inspire transcendence or tyranny. The framework is deliberately loose: a schematic more than a score, allowing the musicians to chart the course collectively. Themes emerge ...
Silke Eberhard Trio: Being-A-Ning
by John Sharpe
Adventurous German saxophonist Silke Eberhard has long favored the trio format as a proving ground, even as she splits her time with her larger Potsa Lotsa ensemble, and other projects. With bassist Jan Roder and drummer Kay Lübke, she has cultivated a rapport that feels both intuitive and restless. Being-A-Ning, the group's fifth release--each one bearing ...
