Visions: Best of 2025

On this episode of Visions, I share my best releases of 2025, featuring new music from Blue Note’s Artemis, Brandon Woody and and Out Of/Into; Nonesuch Records’ Cecile McLorin Salvant and Mary Halvorson; and International Anthem’s Makaya McCraven and SML. I also play music from here in Detroit by Louis Jones III and Russ Macklem.

I play a couple older tracks that were released in 2025. I was really excited to see Strata-East team up with Mack Avenue to digitally release the Strata-East catalog this year. From their vast catalog, I played Charles Tolliver.

I was also super excited when I saw news of a never-before released live recording from bassist Charlie Haden coming out in the fall of this year.

I’ve got a lot more music in this playlist, too! I had a ton of fun putting this playlist together, so I hope you have as much—if not more—fun listening to it.

Check out the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Visions Playlist for Dec. 22, 2025

• “FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE” – Kassa Overall
• “I Will Persevere” – Russ Macklem*
• “Imafan” – Makaya McCraven
• “Unconditional Love” – Milena Casado
• “BBL” – Brandee Younger
• “No. 2” – Nicole Glover
• “Spanning (Live)” – Charles Tolliver
• “Ornithology (Live)” – Charlie Haden
• “Go For Broke (feat. Joel Ross, Paul Cornish, Harish Raghavan & Kendrick Scott)” – Gregory Groover Jr.
• “Guéreh” – Noura Mint Seymali
• “Taking out the Trash” – SML
• “Motions” – Louis Jones III*
• “Eureka” – Cecile McLorin Salvant
• “Carved From” – Mary Halvorson
• “Footprints” – Artemis
• “Wisdom; Terrace on St. Paul St.” – Brandon Woody
• “Feed the Fire (feat. esperanza spalding & Karriem Riggins*) [Bonus Track]” – Nicholas Payton
• “Familiar Route (feat. Gerald Clayton, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Kendrick Scott & Matt Brewer)” – Out Of/Into

*indicates Detroit artists