20 Essential Jazz Albums 2025
- Stack Records
- Jan 3
- 12 min read
Updated: Jan 12
20 essential Jazz {including fusion) albums from 2025.
Our picks celebrate deep grooves, beautiful improvisation, and fresh ideas. Moving from classic foundations to new explorations, these albums are perfect for listening closely, drifting off, or getting a little lost in the music. If you enjoy any track on this playlist, chances are you’ll love the album. Happy exploring.
mood: winding down
label: isc hi-fi selects, temporal drift
genre: jazz
style: soul-jazz, contemporary jazz, fusion
listen on tidal | apple music
For years, Takuro Okada has carried a quiet question: how can a Japanese musician honor the music of African Americans without simply borrowing it? That search shapes his new album Konoma, a work guided by the idea of “Afro Mingei.” The Tokyo guitarist, producer, and bandleader has lived inside this tension since childhood, drawn to blues, jazz, and funk records that nourished him, yet hesitant in the face of the histories they hold. The concept of Afro Mingei, which Okada first encountered in an exhibition by artist Theaster Gates, gave him a way forward. Gates connected Black aesthetics with Japanese folk craft, both rooted in resistance — “Black is Beautiful” defying racism, the Mingei movement preserving everyday beauty against industrial erasure. That kinship became the compass for Konoma, a record attuned to echoes across cultures and time.
mood: winding down
label: gondwana records
genre: jazz
style: spiritual jazz, modal, contemporary jazz, free improvisation
listen on tidal | apple music
“Phi-Psonics is a spiritual exploration of being together and connecting,” says acoustic bassist Seth Ford-Young of the immersive project he initiated in East Los Angeles in 2016. For his third long-player under the Phi-Psonics banner, Ford-Young marshalled a series of live recordings at Healing Force Of The Universe records in Pasadena, sculpting fourteen tracks, largely composed in the moment with a fluctuating cast of players, which wonderfully transmit his ideals of community and inner peace.
Ford-Young says of Expanding to One..."We live in increasingly dark times and while I intend our music to be a balm to those who connect with it, I also want the context of our musical conversations to include the outer as much as our inner worlds. The music we make doesn’t exist in a vacuum and the backdrop of injustice and tragedy in our world has to be part of our music.”
mood: winding down
label: soundway records
genre: jazz
style: spiritual jazz
listen on tidal | apple music
Orbits, the sophomore LP from The Circling Sun, channels the cosmic energy of '70s spiritual jazz, filtered through synths, layered percussion, and ethereal choirs. The Aotearoa collective expand their sonic universe with nods to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Azymuth, and ambient jazz — offering deep listening for jazz heads and newcomers alike.
mood: winding down
label: blue crystal records
genre: jazz
style: soul-jazz, contemporary jazz, jazz-funk
listen on tidal | apple music
Greg Foat, Moses Boyd and Jihad Darwish in a classic piano trio setting. Three Superb musicians skillfully performing Foat's distinctive and endearing compositions.
mood: day thinking
label: concord jazz records
genre: jazz, funk-soul
style: jazz-funk
listen on tidal | apple music
Butcher Brown’s limitless musical range shows no boundaries by genre and time. The band’s newest release, Letters From The Atlantic, displays a seamless blend of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, soul, bossa nova and more. Following Solar Music (2023), Butcher Brown’s new project moves toward an indie groove, featuring female guest artists Yaya Bey, Melanie Charles, Leanor Wolf, Mia Gladstone, Victoria Victoria, along with Nicholas Payton & Neal Francis. Available as Sea Blue Vinyl, CD and digitally.
mood: winding down
label: leiter
genre: jazz
style: jazz-funk, fusion
listen on tidal | apple music
Following 2023’s ‘Ocean‘ mini-album, Berlin’s Moses Yoofee Trio share their debut full-length, MYT, via LEITER on February 7, 2025. The German group – who, since forming in 2020, have cultivated an extraordinary reputation and won the 2024 German Jazz Prize’s prestigious Live Act of The Year award – recorded much of the album over ten days in April 2024 at Glaswald Studios, in the countryside outside Stuttgart, before returning to Berlin to polish the results and record two further tracks at LEITER’s Funkhaus studio.
Turning as much to RnB, hip hop and soul as more traditional jazz sources, the new album’s tracks display a remarkable determination to distil the trio's work to its essence, allowing their prodigious talents and graceful versatility to flourish in uncluttered surroundings. Their goals, they state concisely, are “emotions, moments and bangers”, and careful attention was paid to arrangements to ensure nothing superfluous made the cut.
mood: winding down
label: colemine records
genre: jazz
style: contemporary jazz, modal
listen on tidal | apple music
After nearly two years, Okonski returns with Entrance Music — an album that finds the trio at the height of their improvisational prowess and celebrating the spontaneous and meditative. On the heels of 2023’s debut Magnolia, pianist and leader Steve Okonski has reconvened long-time musical collaborators (Durand Jones and the Indications bandmate Aaron Frazer on drums and bassist Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery) for another session in the spirit of artists like the Bad Plus, Gerald Clayton, and The Breathing Effect. Ultimately Entrance Music serves as an invitation to early hours, where songs linger in the doorway, announcing their presence before returning to the air, in a meticulous drift into the next.
Recorded over a five day session, Entrance Music was one of the first albums committed to tape at Portage Lounge, Terry Cole’s studio in Loveland, OH. “It was a new setup, but with Terry behind the dials it was very familiar,” says Okonski. “I can’t emphasize enough how much Terry feels like a fourth member [of the band] because of the space he’s curating, the energy he is bringing, and the production ideas.” The energy and sound created with the Colemine labelhead at the helm makes for a listening experience equally at home with ECM or Stones Throw catalogs.
mood: winding down
label: impulse records!
genre: jazz
style: spiritual jazz, contemporary jazz
listen on tidal | apple music
Her third album with Impulse!, Gadabout Season is Brandee Younger’s most personal and exploratory album to date – a reflective, imaginative body of work on which she has written or co-written nearly every composition. “The album reflects the journey — the search for meaning and beauty amid life’s most complex moments, ultimately emerging with a deeper sense of self,” says Younger.
mood: winding down
label: gondwana records
genre: jazz
style: spiritual jazz, soul-jazz, fusion, contemporary jazz
listen on tidal | apple music
Saxophonist, flautist and composer Chip Wickham casts a formidable shadow across the UK jazz landscape. Originally from Brighton, Chip Wickham first came to prominence in the UK breakbeat scene playing with the likes of Nightmares On Wax and Graham Massey. But at heart Chip has always been a jazz musician (he played on Matthew Halsall’s debut album 'Sending My Love' in 2008 beginning a relationship with Gondwana Records that now spans 17 years) and now dividing his time between the UK, Spain and the Middle-East, he has made a name for himself with a series of beautifully crafted solo albums that draw equally on hard swinging spiritual jazz, the classic sounds of 60s British jazz and the more contemporary sounds of artists such as Jazzanova, The Cinematic Orchestra, and Nicola Conte.
'The Eternal Now’ is Chip’s most progressive recording to date and represents a heartfelt ode to submitting oneself to the practice of creating art, and the freedom that’s derived from letting go.
Co-produced by Matthew Halsall, 'The Eternal Now' features two mainstays of the Manchester scene, legendary drummer Luke Flowers of The Cinematic Orchestra and well-loved bass-player Sneaky who played on Mr Scruff’s classic Keep it Unreal. Largely flute-led it’s his most rhythm heavy offering to date taking the listener on an expansive journey that touches on the influences of Lonnie Liston Smith, Sven Wunder, David Axelrod and even library music as Chip pushes his sound into exciting new spaces without ever losing the soulful groove and heartfelt melodies that make his music so loved.
mood: day thinking
label: xxim records
genre: jazz, electronic
style: breakbeat
listen on tidal | apple music
Manchester’s genre-defying trio GoGo Penguin return with Necessary Fictions, their seventh studio album and a bold new chapter in the band’s evolution — out now. The record represents a deep dive into identity, authenticity, and transformation.
With Necessary Fictions, GoGo Penguin — Chris Illingworth (piano, synths), Nick Blacka (bass, synths), and Jon Scott (drums) — have embraced new textures and ideas more fully than ever before. The album sees them expanding their signature sound, drawing deeper into modular synths, and, for the first time, welcoming other voices into their sonic world.
“This is what we want to make right now, and it feels authentic,” says Blacka. Necessary Fictions is the sound of a band unafraid to reflect who they are — not just in sound, but in spirit and surroundings.
mood: day thinking
label: piano piano records
genre: jazz, funk-soul
style: jazz-funk
listen on tidal | apple music
At daybreak, as sunlight travels through the atmosphere and begins to reach Earth’s surface, daylight gradually emerges. This marks the transition from night to the beginning of a brand-new day. As the temperature rises—especially after clear, calm nights—relative humidity decreases, and mist, formed of tiny suspended droplets, begins to evaporate. Warm air rises and cool air sinks, creating an interplay of temperature, humidity and sunlight that gives way to a soft, diffuse glow. The sea breeze slowly clears the morning mist, setting life in motion once again as the world wakes up.
‘Daybreak’ is Sven Wunder’s fifth full-length album, seamlessly continuing the progression of his musical oeuvre. It takes the listener on a vivid maritime expedition, beginning the moment the first rays of light break the darkness of the night and embarking on a lush journey through the early hours of the day and far beyond, until the light slowly fades and night falls once again. True to Wunder’s now-distinctive artistry, ‘Daybreak’ is marked by elaborately crafted compositions and elegant pop-jazz arrangements for flute, percussion, brass and strings—supported by a decisive rhythm section, all of which add depth and build on his body of work, continuing to unfold his creative path.
mood: day thinking
label: otherland records
genre: jazz
style: soul-jazz, contemporary jazz, fusion
listen on tidal | apple music
Award-winning composer and producer Sarathy Korwar to release new album celebrating the melodic power of the drum ensemble Sarathy Korwar, genre-breaking drummer, producer and composer, announces the release of his seventh album, There Is Beauty, There Already, out on Otherland on 7th November 2025. Celebrating the melodic power of the drum ensemble, the album follows his 2022 Indofuturist manifesto KALAK with a deeply immersive longform suite of percussion-led compositions. Playing as a 40-minute suite of hypnotic and transcendent drum improvisations, the album beats through a repetitive, circular structure that brings to mind Indian folk music, jazz drum ensembles like Max Roach’s M’Boom and the contemporary classical minimalism of Terry Riley and Steve Reich. From the undulating bass tones of the tabla to the tonal varieties of South Indian clay pot ghatam, the snare drum snap of the drum kit, and shades of electronic texture through the Buchla Easel, Korwar’s ensemble bubbles and flows through a stream of steady rhythm, forever in motion like the ceaseless energy of a river.
mood: winding down
label: delicieuse records
genre: jazz, electronic
style: contemporary jazz, ambient, spiritual jazz
listen on tidal | apple music
Flirty Ghost is an evocative LP by Rachel Kitchlew, a jazz and contemporary harpist known for pushing the boundaries of her instrument. A blend of jazz, ambient, and experimental sounds, the album was crafted in a spontaneous, deeply personal atmosphere, recorded late at night in the cozy, smoky setting of SFJ headquarters. Inspired by everything from Henry Mancini to Dorothy Ashby, this LP captures an eerie, playful essence, like a ‘flirty ghost’, while celebrating exploration and self-expression. The album holds emotional depth, particularly in tracks like ‘Truncate’ and ‘Cyclical’, which were recorded shortly after the passing of Rachel's grandmother, Sheila Horton, whose work is featured on the back cover. With the collaboration of close friends and talented musicians, ‘Flirty Ghost’ represents a new chapter for Rachel, marking a joyful departure from her solo harp work into a collective, experimental musical journey.
mood: winding down
label: cashmere thoughts
genre: jazz, hip-hop, funk-soul
style: contemporary jazz, jazzy hip-hop, soul
listen on tidal | apple music
It’s a beautiful rarity when an artist sees themselves as a vessel of the music, and though MALIK is a manifestation of his experiences and how he sees the world and years of craft, Venna wants MALIK to be an invitation. An invitation to let go, be present and submit to sensory experiences.
“Every experience, every memory, every conversation, anything new, any encounter has influenced how this album sounds. I might like a particular guitar tone from it, and then I bring it into my world. Everything has come and conjured into one place, and it's beautiful to also hear and see,” Venna says.
mood: day thinking
label: squama recordings
genre: jazz, folk, world & country
style: contemporary jazz, folk
Sonor is a record full of life and optimism, from an artist finding the beauty of existing between two worlds, much as a sunset does. Between the cultures of Mongolia and Germany, tradition and innovation, nostalgia and excitement for the future. Sonor is a musical journey marked by personal growth, introspection and acknowledgment of the bittersweet feeling of change.
Enji's life has been a tapestry woven with threads from diverse cultures. Born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, she was immersed in the rich traditions of Mongolian folk music from a young age. Her early exposure to urtiin duu, or "long song", a traditional Mongolian singing style characterized by extended syllables and free-form melodies, instilled in her a deep appreciation for her cultural roots.
In 2014, Enji's musical journey took a transformative turn when she participated in a program at the Goethe-Institut in Ulaanbaatar. Here, under the guidance of German bassist Martin Zenker, she was introduced to the world of jazz. The improvisational nature and emotional depth of jazz resonated with her, leading her to pursue a master's degree in jazz singing at the University of Music and Theatre in Munich. This move marked the beginning of her life between cultures, as she navigated the landscapes of both her native Mongolia and her new home in Germany.
Sonor is a reflection of Enji's personal evolution and the complex emotions that accompany living between two worlds. The album's themes revolve around the unplaceable feeling of being between cultures, not as a source of conflict, but as a space for growth and self-discovery. Enji explores how distance from her traditional Mongolian roots has shaped her identity, and how returning home brings a heightened awareness of these changes.
mood: cutting shapes
label: brownswood recordings
genre: jazz
style: afrobeat
listen on tidal | apple music
Initially drawing inspiration from a viral social media meme, co-bandleader Onome Edgeworth said of the title’s origins and meaning: “It’s true! Although we’re reflecting on joy and celebration, you realize that a lot of that beauty comes out of challenges and difficulties. It felt like a natural truth that we discovered whilst writing”.
The accompanying artwork was painted by Luci Pina, the acclaimed illustrator whose work has been sought and commissioned by the likes of The Cut, Soho House, DICE, Apple Music and It’s Nice That. Embedded within the image is Kokoroko’s ode to London in the summer. Speaking on its design, co-bandleader Sheila Maurice-Grey said: “The remit was summer in London, family and sense of everyone being in a congregation-like audience, and us being the musicians”.
mood: winding down
label: deepmatter records
genre: jazz, funk-soul
style: funk, soul, jazz-funk, soul-jazz
listen on tidal | apple music
'The Sirens' is SHOLTO’s most emotionally ambitious record yet—a rich, dreamlike dive into desire, doubt, and duality. Drawing on ancient myths and personal turbulence, the album drifts between beauty and danger, temptation and restraint. It’s a record full of shimmering textures, haunted spaces, and tender confrontations with the self.
Where SHOLTO’s earlier work often floated in the ambient and ethereal, 'The Sirens' feels more grounded, still beautiful, but shadowed, with more weight and tension. Each track moves like a tide, pushing and pulling between clarity and confusion, control and surrender. Strings, harp, jazz drums, and soft electronics melt together in songs that feel more like short films than traditional compositions.
mood: day thinking
label: tru thoughts
genre: jazz, electronic
style: breakbeat, dub, house, jazz-funk
listen on tidal | apple music
Layers’ is the sophomore album by Brussels-based producer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ Kuna Maze, aka Edouard Gilbert. The live-driven, 11-track LP features the singles “Stab” “Bristol Changes” and "Blast". The band are celebrating the album at their release party on Friday 7th March, at AB Concerts in Brussels.
Following the success of Kuna Maze's debut album ‘Night Shift’—a concept record exploring the journey into the night, ‘Layers’ offers a dynamic fusion of textures and tones, creating a listening experience that reveals new depths with each spin.
‘Layers’ is a project deeply influenced by Kuna Maze's experience of touring with his live band. “My aim was to capture the energy and improvisational spirit of live performances, while diving deeper into the jazz influences of my music, all while maintaining the electronic vibe that has always defined my sound”. Kuna Maze worked directly with the band in the studio to record his compositions, channelling the energy, emotion and spontaneity that are present in his live shows.
This album can be seen as a jazz record that invites deep listening at home and offers a glimpse into Kuna Maze's vibrant live energy. Drawing from the dynamic UK jazz scene, Kuna Maze’s music takes jazz as a foundation and expands into various genres—from house to dub—pushing boundaries without sacrificing coherence or his own unique sound signature.
mood: winding down
label: salin
genre: jazz fusion
style: afrobeat
listen on tidal | apple music
"Rammana" is a groundbreaking album that merges afro-jazz, funk and indigenous Thai instruments - in which we coined this genre, "Afro Isaan Soul." This unique blend highlights shared global music traditions and is a reminder that music is a universal language, transcending borders and uniting us all in a shared experience of joy and creativity. As the only female drummer, producer, and composer promoting this genre, Salin stands out as an innovative voice, and a pioneer of this genre in the world and jazz music scenes.
mood: winding down
label: 5dB records
genre: jazz
style: spiritual jazz
listen on tidal | apple music
Levitation Orchestra’s Sanctuary weaves harp, horns, piano, and rhythm into a cinematic jazz experience that moves gracefully between introspective calm and dynamic energy.
music for your mood — www.stackrecords.co.nz. If any titles go out of stock, flick us a message and we’ll see if we can hunt down more copies.
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