KCCK’s music producers have chosen their 10 favorite jazz and blues releases for 2025.
- Bob Stewart
- Hollis Monroe
- Ron Adkins
- Bob DeForest
- Amira Kellison
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Bob Stewart: Monday-Friday 6 a.m. – 10 a.m.
1) Wild Iris Brass Band “Way Up” (Ear Up)
The sheer exuberance of the debut release from this Nashville-based New Orleans-informed brass band co-founded by saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trombonist Ray Mason makes it a toe-tapping, foot-stomping joy?
2) Rin Seo Collective “City Suite” (Cellar)
3) Joel Frahm “Lumination” (Anzic)
4) Russ Anixter’s Hippie Big Band “What Is?” (Russ Anixter)
5) Christian McBride Big Band “Without Further Ado Volume 1” (Mack Avenue)
6) Poncho Sanchez “Live at the Belly Up Tavern” (Regime)
7) Mike Conrad Trio “Pretzel Letters” (SkyDeck)
8) Kate Wyatt Trio “Murmuration” (Cupfa)
9) Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet “El Muki” (Saponegro)
10) Chicago Jazz Orchestra featuring Bobby Broom “More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery” (CJO)
Hollis Monroe: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
1) Javon Jackson “Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies” (Solid Jackson)
Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies is a delight! It’s a charming and soulful collaboration that bringing together the poetic eloquence of Nikki Giovanni and the masterful tenor saxophone stylings of Javon Jackson. The album is a delightful romp through some of the standards of the Great American Songbook, featuring songs famously associated with classic Hollywood movies. It also features three Jackson originals and one from the pen of Sonny Rollins. Jackson is accompanied by a stellar group of long- time associates, including pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams and drummer McClenty Hunter. The group is also joined by Grammy-winning vocalist Nicole Zuraitis, who adds depth with her interpretations on three tracks.
2) DredScott “Cali Mambo” (Rope-a-Dope)
3) Trilogy “The Slow Road” (Cellar)
4) Joe Alterman/Houston Person “Brisket for Breakfast” (Joe Alterman)
5) Mike Conrad “Pretzel Letters” (SkyDeck)
6) Nnenna Freelon “Beneath the Sky” (Origin)
7) Ali Bello/The Charanga Syndicate “Ali Bello & the Charanga Syndicate” (Circle 9)
8) Ryan Middah “Tenor Madness (Ear UP)
9) Smulyan/Basile Quintet “Boss Baritones” (Steeplechase)
10) Rachael & Vilray “West of Broadway” (Concord)
Ron Adkins:: Monday-Friday 2-6 p.m.
1) Russ Anixter’s Hippie Big Band “What Is?” (Russ Anixter)
This album immediately became my favorite of the year. It’s tricky business to arrange a recognizable pop or rock tune for the jazz canon. How does one take a song people know by heart and rework it into another genre (and still stay true to the spirit of the original)? Some succeed, many fail. Russ Anixter, however, succeeds brilliantly. He’s curated a set list that runs from sing along-able to deep cuts (my favorites are “Uncle John’s Band,” “Into the Mystic,” and “Heaven On Their Minds”). Anixter really knows how to unpack a song, turn it into a completely new piece of art, and a fresh listening experience.
2) 3 Cohens & the WDR Big Band “Interaction” (Anzic)
3) Sharell Cassity “Gratitude” (Sunnyside)
4) Rachel & Vilray “West of Broadway” (Concord)
5) Mike Conrad “Pretzel Letters” (SkyDeck)
6) Greyboy Allstars “Grab Bag: 2007-2023” (Greyboy)
7) Michel Petrucciani “Jazz Club Montmartre-CPH 1988” (Storyville)
8) Michael Dease “Found in Space” (Origin)
9) Nanami Haruta “The Vibe” (Origin)
10) Daggerboard & the Eric Jekabson Orchestra “The Axes Volume II” (Wide Hive)
Bob DeForest:: Da Blues Saturday 6-10 p.m.
1) Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Bobby Rush “Young Fashioned Ways” (Thirty Tigers)
2) Buddy Guy “Ain’t Done with the Blues” (Silver Tone)
3) Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia “Help Yourself” (Gulf Coast Blues)
4) Mud Morganfield “Deep Mud” (Nola Blue)
5) Papa Chubby & Friends “I Love Freddie King” (Gulf Coast Blues)
6) Candace Ivory “New Southern Vintage” (Nola Blue)
7) John Primer “Grown in Mississippi” (Blues House)
8) Jimmy Vivino “Gonna Be 2 of Those Days” (SoNo Records)
9) Jon Cleary “The Bywater Sessions” (FHQ)
10) Curtis Salgado “Fine by Me” (Little Village)
Amira Kellison:: Thursday 6-8 p.m.
1) Russ Anixter/Hippie Big Band: “What Is?” (Russ Anixter)
A new found friend of the station in 2025, Russ Anixter brings a unique sound to jazz with his album “What Is?” — my favorite new album of 2025.
2) BeatleJazz: “Reunion” (Yama)
3) Samara Joy: “Portrait” (Verve)
4) Christ McBride/Big Band: “Without Further Ado, Vol. 1” (Mack Avenue)
5) Greg Murphy: “Snap Happy” (Whaling City Sound)
6) Ben Paterson: “Cookin’ In The Couve”(Cellar)
7) Thom Rotella: “Right Time Left” (High Note)
8) Ted Piltzecker: “Peace Vibes” (OA2)
9) Jim Mullen: “For Heavens Sake” (Stunt)
10) Poncho Sanchez: “Live at the Belly Up Tavern” (Regime)