The San Diego Union-Tribune has highlighted a vibrant year for jazz in 2025, with albums from both emerging talents and seasoned musicians pushing the genre forward. Standouts include a debut from 101-year-old saxophonist Marshall Allen and works by rising stars like 25-year-old Samara Joy. These releases showcase diverse influences, from Afrofuturism to East-West fusions.
Jazz in 2025 reached exciting new heights, driven by contributions from both newcomers and long-established figures, according to a year-end review in the San Diego Union-Tribune. The publication notes that rising artists alongside revered veterans expanded the genre's boundaries throughout the year.
A particularly remarkable release was saxophonist Marshall Allen's debut solo album, "New Dawn," issued in March when he was 100 years old. Now 101, Allen holds a Guinness World Record as the oldest person to release a debut solo album (male). He continues to lead the Sun Ra Arkestra, which he joined in 1958 and has directed since Sun Ra's death in 1993.
At the younger end, artists like Baltimore trumpeter Brandon Woody, British saxophonist Xhosa Cole, Spanish trumpeter Milena Casado, and Philadelphia singer Samara Joy, aged 25 with five Grammy Awards, brought fresh energy. Joy performed at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay in San Diego this year.
Among the standout albums, Malaysian-born bassist Linda May Han Oh's "Strange Heavens" features collaborations with drummer Tyshawn Sorey and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, blending combustible and contemplative elements. Guitarist Mary Halvorson's work with saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins and Brian Settles, plus vibraphonist Patricia Brennan in her Amaryllis band, explores textures and dynamics.
Brennan's "Of The Near and Far," performed by a 10-piece ensemble, draws on progressive rock influences like Gentle Giant and Tangerine Dream while allowing improvisational space. Xhosa Cole, 28, reinterprets classics by Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington on his album, aided by tap dancer Liberty Styles. English-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed's fourth release fuses Arabian melodies with jazz improvisation.
Ambrose Akinmusire's "Honey From a Winter Stone" integrates jazz, chamber music, electronica, Afro-Latin, and hip-hop. Pianist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith reunited for the poignant "Defiant Life," their first joint album in nine years, addressing global challenges through redemptive music. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis paid homage to Keith Jarrett's 1974 "Belonging" with a celebratory take. San Diego native Joshua White, now in Long Beach, delivered the solo piano collection "Flora and Fauna: 9 Preludes for Solo Piano," demonstrating his versatile command of the instrument.
These selections reflect a dozen or more favorites from the year, underscoring jazz's ongoing evolution.