The Top Albums of 2025

Since Debí Tirar Más Fotos was released on January 5, I’ve listened to the album by There Stands the Glass' 2020 Artist of the Year several times a week. Bad Bunny’s blend of vintage and futuristic sounds remained fresh, a trait that’s made Debí Tirar Más Fotos my favorite new album throughout the year. Selections two through ten in the following account battled for second place. Notable omissions including Cécile McLorin Salvant, SML and Morgan Wallen are represented in my ranking of the best songs of 2025. As always, there’s no overlap between the two listings.

1. Bad Bunny- Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Shake it like a Polaroid picture.

2. Rosalía- Lux
Her beautiful dark twisted fantasy.

3. Linda May Han Oh- Strange Heavens
My review.

4. Clipse- Let God Sort Em Out
So be it.

5. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Bone Bells
A perfect tandem.

6. Patricia Brennan- Of the Near and Far
Chamber jazz.

7. Billy Woods- Golliwog
Dank.

8. Gerald Clayton- Ones & Twos: Expanded Edition
My review.

9. John Glacier- Like a Ribbon
Icy.

10. Clarice Jensen- In holiday clothing, out of the great darkness
Bach-based drones.

11. Charles Lloyd- Figure in Blue
Hushed brilliance.

12. Armand Hammer- Mercy
Gold produced by the Alchemist.

13. Vox Clamantis- Pärt: And I heard a voice
My kind of praise and worship music.

14. Sylvie Courvoisier and Wadada Leo Smith- Angel Falls
Angels flying too close to the ground.

15. Karol G- Tropicoqueta
The rumors are true: I’m in the tank for the Columbian star.

16. Vijay Iyer and Leo Wadada Smith- Defiant Life
Resistance.

17. Mike- Showbiz!
No business.

18. Emily D’Angelo, Ben Bliss, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera- Tesori: Grounded
My review.

19. Military Gun- God Save the Gun
Bang! You’re dead.

20. Destroyer- Dan’s Boogie
Luxurious dissipation.

21. Tucker Wetmore- What Not To
My review.

22. Nick Shoulders- Refugia Blues
High and lonesome in the Ozarks.

23. Mister Water Wet- Things Gone and Things Still Here
The best album out of Kansas City in 2025.

24. Kelela- In The Blue Light
Live.

25. Carl Allen- Tippin’
My review.

26. Sō Percussion- 25x25
An eight-hour anniversary celebration.

27. Tyler, The Creator- Don’t Tap the Glass
Golf wang forever.

28. Nels Cline- Consentrik Quartet
My review.

29. Laura Jurd- Rites & Revelations
European folk-jazz fusion.

30. Anouar Brahem- After the Last Sky
ECM-core.

31. Camila Nebbia, Marilyn Crispell and Lesley Mok- A Reflection Distorts Over Water
Free trio.

32. Mike and Tony Selzer- Pinball II
Tilt.

33. Ches Smith- Clone Row
With Mary Halvorson, Liberty Ellman and Nick Dunston.

34. Sumac and Moor Mother- The Film
Horror show.

35. James McVinnie- Dreamcatcher
My review.

36. Olivia Dean- The Art of Loving
Pop life.

37. Salif Keita- So Kono
Transcendent.

38. Young Miko- Do Not Disturb
Ring the alarm.

39. Oren Ambarchi- Ghosted III
Haunting.

40. Juana Molina- DOGA
A lovely comeback.

41. Aruán Ortiz- Créole Renaissance
Solo piano.

42. claire rousay and Gretchen Korsmo- quilted lament
Meaningful ambience.

43. Cosmic Ear- Traces
My review.

44. Trio of Bloom- Trio of Bloom
Innovative power trio.

45. Grupo Firme- Evolución
Instant party.

46. Dijon- Baby
Princely.

47. Atmosphere- Jestures
My review.

48. Tim Berne- Yikes Too
My review.

49. Jeff Tweedy- Twilight Override
So many songs.

50. Al Foster- Live at Smoke
With Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau and Joe Martin.

June 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Polish National Opera’s production of The Secret Life of Paintings by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of June 2025
1. Ches Smith- Clone Row
The month’s best Mary Halvorson album.

2. Karol G- Tropicoqueta
Summertime, and the living is G-easy.

3. Little Simz- Lotus
Full bloom.

4. Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Mat Maneri- Armageddon Flower
Scratchy bouquet.

5. Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon- Come As You Are
California dreaming.

6. Comet Gain- Letters to Ordinary Outsiders
My review.

7. John Zorn- Fantasma
The month’s second-best Ches Smith album.

8. Tech N9ne- 5816 Forest
My review.

9. Mary Halvorson- About Ghosts
The month’s second-best Mary Halvorson album.

10. Alexandre Tharaud- Satie: Discoveries
Twenty-seven recently uncovered miniatures.

The Top Three Reissues, Repackagings and Reimaginings of June 2025
1. Bruce Springsteen- Tracks II: The Lost Albums
The promised land.

2. Ella Hanshaw- Ella Hanshaw's Black Book
Amazing grace.

3. Charles Mingus- Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts
Disheveled in 1977.

The Top Ten Songs of June 2025
1. Erykah Badu and the Alchemist- “Next to You”
Contact high.

2. Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold- “Shirley Chisholm”
Heroes.

3. Mocky- “Wiggle Room”
Free space.

4. Alfa Mist- “Avoid the Drones”
In the shadows.

5. Lyra Pramuk- "Babel"
Towering.

6. Nick León featuring Esty and Mediopicky- “Millenium Freak”
Characterized.

7. Seven Davis Jr.- “Don’t Crash Out Challenge”
Danger.

8. Lil Wayne- Lil Wayne- “Welcome to Tha Carter”
Tha Carter VI isn’t all bad.

9. Offset and JID- “Bodies”
Missing Migos.

10. Norah Jones and John Legend- “Summertime Blue”
Premium cheese.


The Top Ten Performances of June 2025
1. Wayne Hancock and IV at Live at the Divide (Bozeman)
My Instagram clips are here and here.

2. Swamp Dogg at the Lawrence Arts Center
My review.

3. Vanessa Thomas, Kara Smith, Michael Pagán and Steve Rigazzi at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

4. Dave Wickerham at the Kansas City Music Hall
My Instagram clip.

5. EMAS’ Extra Large Electro-Acoustic Big Band at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.

6. Beth Watts Nelson at Trailside Center
My Instagram clip.

7. Matt Otto, Aaron Sizemore, Forrest Stewart and Taylor Babb at the Music House
Instagram clip.

8. Overland Park Civic Band at Indian Creek Recreation Center
My Instagram clip.

9. Allied Saints at Meadowbrook Park
My Instagram clip.

10. Stan Kessler, Rod Fleeman and Joey Panella at Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Album Review: Sunny Five- Candid

Why do jazz musicians make pathetically anemic sounds when they turn their talents to popular music? Otherwise exemplary improvisational musicians are invariably inept in rock, pop, R&B and hip-hop contexts. Happily, there are exceptions to the rule. Candid is a recent instance. Five vaunted heroes of underground music- Tim Berne, David Torn, Marc Ducret, Devin Hoff and Ches Smith- successfully meld post-punk noise with free jazz on the 71-minute album. Mean and dirty, Candid is what might have resulted had Peter Brötzmann been a founding member of Sonic Youth or what might happen if Mats Gustafsson sat in with Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Affiliates of the jazz police and punk purists will be repelled, but tracks like "Craw" are as natural as they are necessary.

Album Review: Ava Mendoza- Echolocation

Conventional wisdom would have people believe that jazz and punk are diametrically opposed forms of music. The transgressive spirit of the two forms are actually the same. As a teenager swept up in the initial punk revolution, Television’s Marquee Moon and Miles Davis’ Dark Magus seemed like two sides of the same coin when the albums were released in 1977. Both recordings sound like precursors to Echolocation, the new album by guitarist Ava Mendoza, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, bassist Devin Hoff and drummer Ches Smith. The quartet fuses raw metallic power with free improvisation on the crunchy Echolocation.

May 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of soprano Sara Blanch in the trailer of the Donizetti Opera Festival’s staging of Gaetano Donzetti’s La fille du régiment by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (Released in May, excluding 5/27 titles)

1. Mary Halvorson- Belladonna

My review.

2. Ches Smith- Interpret It Well

My review.

3. Bad Bunny- Un Verano Sin Ti

Summer soundtrack sorted.

4. Leikeli47- Shape Up

Fit.

5. John Scofield- John Scofield

Sublime solo set.

6. Shabaka- Afrikan Culture

Hushed Hutchings.

7. Daniel Villarreal- Panamá 77

International Anthem indeed.

8. Mary Halvorson- Amaryllis

My review of the companion album.

9. Andris Nelsons- Strauss

My review.

10. Kendrick Lamar- Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

The transformation of King Kendrick into Captain Obvious is a hard pill to swallow.

Top Ten Songs (released in May)

1. Charles Stepney- “Daddy’s Diddies”

My favorite sound.

2. Tank and the Bangas with Lalah Hathaway and Jacob Collier- 

“Where Do We All Go”

Fulfillingness’ second finale.

3. Becky G- "Kill Bill"

Dead.

4. Dougie B- “I’m Back”

Bumpin’ me against the wall.

5. Flee Lord with Mephux- "Out the Mud"

True grit.

6. Hollie Cook- “Happy Hour”

Red Stripe special.

7. Ty Segall- “Saturday Pt. 2”

A stroll in Itchycoo Park.

8. Belle and Sebastian- "Do It for Your Country"

Ask not.

9. Flora- "Hey"

Ya.

10. Kevin Morby- “A Coat of Butterflies”

Hallelujah.

Top Ten Performances of May (and the last weekend of April)

1. Little Joe y La Familia at the Guadalupe Center

My review.

2. Samantha Ege at the Folly Theater

My review.

3. Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship

My review.

4. High Pulp at the recordBar

My review.

5. Isata and Sheku Kanneh-Mason at the Folly Theater

My Instagram snapshot.

6. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Tosca” at Muriel Kauffman Theatre

My review.

7. Kind Folk at the Black Box

My Instagram clip.

8. Drew Williams, Brandon Cooper and Seth Andrew Davis at Charlotte Street Foundation

My Instagram clip.

9. Brian Scarborough Quintet at Westport Coffee House

My Instagram clip.

10. Guitar Elation at Green Lady Lounge

The dueling guitars of Brian Baggett and Danny Embrey.

Last month’s survey is here.

Doomsday Jazz: The End Times Improvisations of Oren Ambarchi and Ches Smith

The majority of Earth-bound humans would opt for one of two obvious courses of action should they be given sufficient warning the end is nigh.  Some might choose bacchanalian indulgence and lawless decadence.  Ches Smith has them covered.

Interpret It Well, the unsettling new album by the innovative percussionist, conveys the sense of nausea induced by existential excess.  Three distinguished accomplices- violist Mat Maneri, guitarist Bill Frisell and pianist Craig Taborn- enable Smith’s queasy course.

Even idealistic listeners are likely to associate Ghosted with abhorrently riveting experiences such as driving past a ghastly car accident or spending Saturday night in the waiting room of an overtaxed emergency room.

Preparing for destruction will inspire others to summon a higher power.  The inventive guitarist Oren Ambarchi’s hypnotic new album with bassist Johan Berthling and percussionist Andreas Werliin might serve as a nonsectarian hymn.  

The successful melding of Malian folk music, the Islamic adhan, Indian classical music and Terry Riley-style minimalism suggests that Ghosted is the ultimate rarity: a good “world music” album.  In truth, the trio creates interstellar jazz.

Two extraordinary music videos interpret the differing apocalyptic perspectives.  Ambarchi’s "II" consists of everyday scenes of nature.  "Protect Your Home", a short film depicting literal doomsday scenarios, is set to the title track of Interpret It Well.