February Album listenings



Focusing on 2025 albums to catch up, keep things fresh and new. Spotify said my listening age was 88 in my yearly wrap. 

I'm going to publish these when they're full, I just go ahead and put albums I listen to with the next open date.

The amount of amazing music to be had on the cheap is heartbreaking. 


2/1 Mary Halvorson, About Ghosts 2025 spotify

Mary Halvorson, guitar (1-8), synth (Pocket Piano) (1–3, 8)

Immanuel Wilkins, alto saxophone (1-2, 4-5)

Brian Settles, tenor saxophone (1-2, 5, 8)

Adam O’Farrill, trumpet (1-8)

Jacob Garchik, trombone (1-8)

Patricia Brennan, vibraphone (1-8)

Nick Dunston, bass (1-8)

Tomas Fujiwara, drums (1-8)


Feel like Mary Halvorson is the jazz musician of the year for 2025 as the only artist with two albums on the best albums lists. There are other artists who play on multiple albums, sure, but she headlines two albums that top many lists. 


2/2 Yazz Ahmed, A Paradise In The Hold 2025 spotify, YouTube

2/3 Emma Rawicz, Inkyra 2025 spotify

She grew up in Devon, has a Polish grandfather, in the London scene, likes Coltrane. Fun album. 


2/4 Georgia Mancio & Alan Broadbent, Quiet Is The Star 2025 spotify

She born in Croydon to Italian immigrants.


2/5 Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter, Eric Harland, Larry Grenadier, First Meeting Live At Dizzy’s Club 2025 spotify

2/6 Tyreek McDole, Open Up Your Senses 2025 spotify

2/7 Brigitte Beraha, Teasing Reflections 2025 spotify

2/8 Laura Jurd, Rites & Revelations 2025 spotify

2/9 Brad Mehldau, Ride Into The Sun 2025 spotify


2/10 Charles Lloyd, Figure In Blue 2025 spotify

with Jason Moran on piano, and Marvin Sewell on guitar


2/11 The Necks, Disquiet 2025 YouTube

The Necks are an Australian avant-garde jazz trio formed in 1987 by founding mainstays Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck on drums, percussion and electric guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and double bass. They play long improvisation pieces of up to over an hour in length that explore the development and demise of repeating musical figures characteristic of the New York school of long-form minimal music as practiced by La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Rhys Chatham; they also incorporate the free improvisation jazz music of Cecil Taylor.


2/12 Josephine Davies & The Ensō Ensemble, The Celtic Wheel Of The Year Suite 2025 spotify, YouTube

Josephine Davies – composer, conductor, tenor saxophone

Michael Chillingworth – alto & soprano saxophone

Rachael Cohen – alto saxophone

Helena Kay – tenor saxophone

Adam Bishop – tenor saxophone, clarinet, alto flute

Tamar Osborn – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet

Noel Langley – trumpet, flugelhorn

Reuben Fowler – trumpet, flugelhorn

Nick Smart – trumpet, flugelhorn

Robbie Robson – trumpet, flugelhorn

Anna Drysdale – French horn

Olli Martin – trombone

Maddie Dowdeswell – trombone

Eddie Curtis – bass trombone

Alcyona Mick – piano

Dave Whitford – double bass

Shaney Forbes – drums

Source

The composition doesn't especially make me think of the celtic seasons, and Holtz's music doesn't make me think of the various planets, but it's an ambitious project, so I like it. 


2/13 Joshua Redman, Worlds Fall Short 2025

2/14 Alex Hitchcock, Letters From Afar 2025

2/15 Amina Claudine Myers, Solace of the Mind 2025

2/16 Patricia Brennan, Of the Near and Far 2025

2/17 Rachel Eckroth & John Hadfield, Speaking In Tongues 2025

2/18 Damon Locks, List of Demands 2025

2/19 Theon Cross, Affirmations (Live At Blue Note New York) 2025

2/20 Raul Monsalve y Los Forajidos, SOL 2025


The above is all jazz, took a turn towards folk below

2/21 Poor Creature, All Smiles Tonight 2025 (Guardian Review)  spotify  (See photo below)



2/22 Hannah Frances, Nested in Tangles 2025 spotify

2/23 Big Thief, Double Infinity 2025 spotify

2/24 Annahstasia, Tether 2025 spotify

2/25 Heather Maloney Exploding Star 2025 spotify


Back to jazz

2/26/26 Jacob Bro, Wadada Lee Smith, Marcus Gilmore, Muraski 2025 spotify

2/27 Patrick Bartley Trio, First Song 2023 spotify

2/28 Wadada Lee Smith and Amina Claudine Myers 2024 album spotify



Bonus videos:

Cyrille Aimée & Wayne Tucker with Emmet Cohen: (YouTube).

With Joshua Redman a Christmas tune. YouTube.


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