Jazz Journal has compiled a selection of new jazz albums offered for review in November and December 2025, spanning artists from A to B. Highlights include debut efforts, tributes, and personal reflections across various styles. Aleph Aguiar's Sugar On My Blackbeans stands out as the editor's pick.
The latest roundup from Jazz Journal covers fresh jazz recordings arriving between December 2025 and January 2026. These albums, submitted for review, showcase a diverse array of talents and styles, from emerging leaders to established figures revisiting classics.
Dave Adewumi's debut as a leader, The Flame Beneath The Silence, features the trumpeter alongside vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Recorded live at Brooklyn's Ornithology venue, it highlights Adewumi's compositional and collaborative strengths, earning praise from Jason Moran for its "fearless charm and reckless rigor."
Editor's choice Aleph Aguiar's third album, Sugar On My Blackbeans, draws from the Venezuelan-born guitarist's heritage, blending 1960s Latin jazz grooves with trumpet, Hammond organ, and guitar. Performed live to tape by Quentin Collins, Liam Dunachie, Will Fry, and Shane Forbes, the nine originals evoke astronomy and dance in an energetic, feel-good manner.
Susanne Alt's seventh studio effort, Dark Horse, builds on her 2024 album Royalty For Real with groove-driven tracks from New York sessions, backed by top American musicians. Meanwhile, a reissue of Louis Armstrong's 1955 tribute Satch Plays Fats revives the trumpeter's homage to Fats Waller, capturing their brief collaborations in the 1920s.
Other notable entries include Søren Bebe's trio reflection Gratitude, Johan Tobias Bergstrom's folk-infused Stella, Judith Berkson's TheeTheyThy with Trevor Dunn and Gerald Cleaver, and Steve Berndt's Heart Of Hearts, set for January 16, 2026, featuring Ottawa jazz players and a film theme "Blue Skies On Mars."
Further releases encompass Pat Bianchi's high-energy trio Confluence, Blazin’Quartet's mythic Cosmogonie, Isabelle Bodenseh's dignity-themed Dignity, Stefano Boggiani's debut Andvake, Håkan Broström's introspective Better Days, Sheree Brown's uplifting Messages From The Soul with Patrice Rushen contributions, and Ted Brown's 2013 live captures Just You Just Me.
This collection reflects jazz's ongoing vitality, blending tradition with innovation amid global influences.
