Every now and then the boys bring vocal albums into the mix, but vocal group albums - now those are rarities. This time they take on two, at as opposite ends of the soul spectrum as it's possible to get. There's still room for releases led by instrumentalists, this time by a somewhat "out" bassist and a vibraphonist playing with how "in" he can get. Mario Pavone – TOULON DAYS; Andy Bey and the Bey Sisters – ROUND MIDNIGHT; Warren Wolf – SMOOVE VIBES; Dave Holland and Norma Winstone – VITAL SPARK.

We try to cover a wide gamut of improvised music in the podcast, buttoday's episode must surely have the widest spread of any recent offering. We've got spiritual jazz from the late sixties, a quartet featuring clarinet from a few weeks ago, an album by a British mover and shaker that could easily be filed under New Age, and an encounter between a saxophonist and guitar player that will leave most listeners cowering under their sofas. In pop matters, Pat learns that even Korean ladies can be F-boys and then pontificates about his latest live encounter with vibes-meister Joel Ross. Shabaka Hutchings – PERCEIVE ITS BEAUTY ACKNOWLEDGE ITS GRACE; Fred Frith John Butcher – THE NATURAL ORDER ; Gary Bartz – ANOTHER EARTH; Martin Wind – STARS.

Have no fear - the boys are not discussing just any four quartets. No, there's a couple of matching sets. An influential album from a certain "European Quartet" confronts its doppelganger from fifty years later; a recent leader date from a guitarist known for his electric work faces off with a work of his youth dating back forty-five years. And if that's not exciting enough, Pat leads Mike into the dark alleyway of Beach Boy bootlegs. Branford Marsalis – BELONGING; Keith Jarrett – BELONGING; Nels Cline, et al – QUARTET MUSIC; Nels Cline – CONSENTRIK QUARTET.

It's too early for March Madness, but just in time for the bastards to wrap up their survey of the New York Times' Top Ten list of 2025 jazz albums. Some of the choices give the boys mixed emotions and some barely any emotions at all, but at the end of this journey we can all say one thing for certain- that sure was definitely ten albums of jazz. Pop matters stretches to include a discussion of a life-enhancing live set from Indianapolis mainstay Steve Allee. Billy Hart – JUST; Jacob Garchik - Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time; Kassa Overall - CREAM; Joe Farnsworth – THE BIG ROOM.

It's episode two of three covering the New York Times list of Top Ten 2025 jazz albums, and since we generally cover 4 albums a show, and the Times only picked 10 for their top 10 list, we add a couple of our own picks to this "middle" episode to make the math work. We've got a drummer led live date that sounds studio bound, a duet veering towards new age, a bizarre and challenging disc from a long running Underground ensemble, and an album of Monk covers by a quartet featuring a tenor saxophone - how original! Marcus Gilmore – JOURNEY TO THE NEW – LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD ; Chicago Underground Duo – HYPERGLYPH; Shuteen Erdenebaatar – UNDER THE SAME STARS; Dayna Stephens – MONK’D.

It's sort of nearly a yearly ritual - Pat and Mike pick an outlet's top 10 list for the previous year, work their way through it, and pass FINAL JUDGMENT. Because of course these lists are anything but subjective. Mike picked the list this year: the good old New York Times, whose choices have been discussed before in these parts. He's not as grumpy as sometimes about the paper's East Coast bias, but this episode covers only 4 of the 10, so no long-term promises. Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons – LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA; Brandee Younger - GADABOUT SEASON; Amina Claudine Myers - SOLACE OF THE MIND; Trio of Bloom - TRIO OF BLOOM.

Welcome to 2026! As what will certainly prove to be an interesting year kicks off, the boys dive deeply into little-discussed keyboard master Kirk Lightsey's discography, checking out a couple of leader dates, an unusual duet exploration of a single composer, and a sideman appearance in a saxophonist's band who at least one Allaboutjazz reader finds worthy of a box set. Kirk Lightsey – ISOTOPE, COLTRANE REVISITED AT BIRDSEYE; Kirk Lightsey and Harold Danko – SHORTER BY TWO; Ricky Ford – SHORTER IDEAS.

For our last podcast of 2025 we delve into two very different big band projects, check out a recording by a brass band formed to cheer a guy up on his half-centenary, and dig through crates to pull out a harmolodic gem from the early eighties, when bass knew how to be big. Pop matters is light this week, focusing mostly on an English trio who took on a nickname for residents of Indiana for no apparently reason. Odean Pope - ALMOST LIKE ME; Mark Masters – SAM RIVERS 100; John Yao - POINTS IN TIME; Wild Iris Brass Band – WAY UP.