Rising young talents and revered veterans helped take jazz to a multitude of exciting new destinations in 2025.

But the most notable debut album of the year, the aptly titled “New Dawn,” came from a musician who is very likely the world’s veteran living jazz artist. Saxophonist Marshall Allen, who turned 101 in May, is now in the Guinness Book of Records as “the oldest person to release a debut solo album (male).”

Allen was, in fact, only 100 when “New Dawn” came out in March. He continues to head the Sun Ra Arkestra, the cutting-edge jazz and Afrofuturism ensemble he joined in 1958 and has led since shortly after Ra’s death in 1993. He is that anomalous musician whose life has not been stunted by smoking.

At the other end of the spectrum is a host of fresh-faced artists who are bringing their own imprimatur to jazz. They include Baltimore trumpeter Brandon Woody, British saxophonist Xhosa Cole, Spanish trumpeter Milena Casado and Philadelphia-born singer Samara Joy, 25, who already has five Grammy Award wins to her credit.

As in previous years, my favorite jazz albums released in 2025 number in the dozens. Today, these are the ones that made my list today.

Linda May Han Oh, “Strange Heavens” (Biophilia)

Malaysian-born bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh has performed leading her own band and as a pivotal member of groups led by such greats as guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Joe Lovano. Her latest album, “Strange Heavens,” soars repeatedly as she, drum marvel Tyshawn Sorey and the sublime trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire create vibrant music that is by turns combustible and contemplative, carefully crafted and wonderfully animated.

Guitarist, composer and band leader Mary Halvorson made one of 2025’s standout jazz albums.(Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Mary Halvorson, About Ghosts (Nonesuch)

New York guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson is a master of textures, dynamics and contrapuntal twists and turns whose music never goes quite where you expect but always hits its mark. With alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins and tenor saxophonist Brian Settles joining her six-piece band, Amaryllis — which features the outstanding vibraphonist and marimba player Patricia Brennan — Halvorsen makes full use of her expanded sonic palette. What results is a consistent treat.

Patricia Brennan, “Of The Near And Far” (Pyroclastic)

There is a cinematic scope in the music of Patricia Brennan, whose 10-piece ensemble performs her impeccably scored compositions with meticulous attention to detail while leaving room for improvisatory flights of fancy. Brennan’s multifarious pieces at times nod to progressive-rock at its most urbane — in particular such bands as Gentle Giant, Tangerine Dream and Happy The Man. Ultimately, though, “Of The Near and Far” is a singular accomplishment that promises even better things to follow.

Xhosa Cole, On a Modern Genius, Vol. 1 (Stoney Lane)

At 28, English tenor saxophonist Xhosa Cole is a star in the making. His often ecstatic playing enlivens this album of classic songs by Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington’s rhapsodic “Come Sunday.” All of them sound reverent and brand new as Cole injects them with infectious vigor and delightful twists — including key support from New York tap dancer Liberty Styles.

Yazz Ahmed, “A Paradise In The Hold” (Night Time Stories)

English-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s fourth album is her most rewarding work to date. It’s a stunning, East-meets-West synthesis that deftly combines swirling Arabian melodies and polyrhythms with jazz tonalities and lively improvisation to create a borders-blurring whole that is both earthy and exotic.

Ambrose Akinmusire, “Honey From a Winter Stone” (Nonesuch)

Jazz, chamber music, electronica, Afro-Latin and hip-hop are all equals on this absorbing album by trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire. By turns introspective and illuminating, graceful and high-flying, tender and abstract, the music on “Honey From a Winter Stone” is a powerful statement of purpose from an uncompromising musical auteur.

Related Articles

Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, dies at 65

The 12 best needle drops of 2025

Barry Manilow to have surgery for early-stage lung cancer and postpones January concerts

Singer-songwriter Chris Rea, known for ‘Driving Home for Christmas,’ dies at 74

Review: ‘The Wiz’ revival at the Orpheum is a must-see delight

Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith, “Defiant Life” ECM

One of the most contemplative, understated and moving albums of the year, “Defiant Life” finds pianist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith reuniting for their first album together in nine years. While the title of “Defiant Life” reflects the challenges, pain and tumult in our increasingly chaotic world, the exceptionally poignant music Iyer and Smith make also points to redemption, if not catharsis.

Branford Marsalis Quartet, “Belonging” (Nonesuch)

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis was a New Orleans high school student and a member of the Big Easy funk band The Creators when pianist Keith Jarrett’s “Belonging” album was released in 1974. This new album is faithful to the joyous spirit and soul of the original album while exuding a welcome sense of celebration.

Joshua White, “Flora and Fauna: 9 Preludes for Solo Piano” (Orenda)

Now based in Long Beach, San Diego-bred pianist Joshua White has an expansive musical vocabulary that covers almost the entire breadth and depth of jazz. “Flora and Fauna: 9 Preludes for Solo Piano” is his second solo album — and his first without any accompanists. But a pianist this skilled requires no help to make compelling statements. Whether playing with whisper-soft delicacy and a meditative focus or with an infectiously exultant air, White is a major talent who deserves to be discovered and welcomed by a broader audience.

By VIVIAN HOWARD, Associated Press

The cheese ball is a cliché. I believe, however, that like the pig in a blanket and the baked potato, the cheese ball is so cliched it has actually become cool.

(Voracious / Associated Press)

Socially acceptable or not, when this dish from my cookbook “Deep Run Roots” is put out at a party of any kind, people hover over it like it’s a crystal ball.

Once you get used to the idea of making a cheese ball, keep a few things in mind. Bring it out at least 30 minutes before you plan on serving it. This forethought will make it spreadable and allow the complexity of its flavor to come through. Also, consider doubling the recipe. A fully formed cheese ball freezes and travels nicely. And, last, keep your cracker choice simple. Sea salt or plain Jane is the way to go here, possibly everywhere.

Note: This recipe calls for dates. Please do not use pre-chopped dates from a bag. They are covered in sugar and taste like sweet cardboard. Use whole, dried dates and remove the pits.

Cheese ball

Makes 1 large cheese ball or 2 small ones

(Voracious via AP)

Ingredients

¼ cup high-quality blue cheese (I like Maytag)
1/3 cup (5 ½ tablespoons) unsalted butter
¼ cup fresh goat cheese
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cream cheese
¼ cup chopped dates
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (both white and green parts work here)
½ teaspoon hot sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Salt-and-Butter-Roasted Pecans, (recipe below), roughly chopped (or plain, toasted pecans)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

SALT-AND-BUTTER-ROASTED PECANS

2 cups pecan halves or pieces
2 tablespoons melted butter
¾ teaspoon salt, divided

Directions

1. Soften the cheese: Take the blue cheese, butter, goat cheese, and cream cheese out of the refrigerator to soften 30 minutes before making your cheese-ball mixture.

2. While the cheese softens, roast the pecans: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Toss the pecans thoroughly with the melted butter and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and slide that sheet onto the middle rack of your oven. Roast the pecans for 11 minutes if using pecan halves and 10 minutes if you’re using pieces. Bring the slightly darkened and toasty-smelling pecans out of the oven and hit them with the remaining salt. Let them cool. Any extra pecans will keep for 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

3. Finish the cheese ball: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all the ingredients except for the pecans and parsley. Paddle it up till homogenous. It will be loose and sticky and you’ll wonder how you’re ever going to form that mess into a ball. The answer is, you transfer the bowl to the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so. During that time the cheese mix will firm up enough for you to pat it into a sphere. Once it’s stiff enough to hold up, form the ball and roll that ball in the pecans, followed by parsley.

Vivian Howard is the chef and owner of the Chef and the Farmer restaurant in Kinston, North Carolina. The first woman since Julia Child to win a Peabody Award for a cooking program, she co-created and stars in the PBS series “A Chef’s Life.”

Excerpted from “Deep Run Roots” by Vivian Howard. Copyright (copyright) 2016 by Vivian Howard. Photograph by Rex Miller. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

Related Articles

Recipe: Sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken will fire you up

Dried cherry scones are a simple treat for the post-holiday breakfast table

Five Weeknight Dishes: Beef biryani, green chile bean bake and sheet-pan lemon turmeric chicken

Ayesha Curry shares her recipe for a ‘So This Is Christmas Cocktail’

Recipe: Miniature chicken pot pies warm the soul

By DAMIAN J. TROISE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks wavered in morning trading on Wall Street Tuesday as 2025 nudges closer to the finish line.

Related Articles

Without pennies, should retailers round up or down? States offer their 2 cents

Winter storm packing snow and strong winds to descend on Great Lakes and Northeast

Where are the wackiest New Year’s Eve drops in the US?

US removal of panels honoring Black soldiers at WWII cemetery in the Netherlands draws backlash

US faith leaders supporting targeted immigrants brace for a tough year ahead

The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged. The benchmark index is still on track for a gain of more than 17% for the year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 43 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:02 a.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite was mostly unchanged.

The biggest weights on the market remained technology companies and other companies focused on advancements for artificial intelligence.

Nvidia fell 0.3%. Facebook parent Meta Platforms rose 1.9%. Both companies have outsized values that have a greater overall impact on the market’s broader direction.

With just two trading days left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions and volume has been thin. U.S. markets will be closed on Thursday for New Year’s day.

The more notable action was again in the commodities markets. Gold, silver and copper all resumed their ascent after steep declines a day earlier.

The price of gold gained 1% and silver prices gained 7% after slumping Monday when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, one of the largest trading floors for commodities, asked traders to put up more cash to make bets on precious metals. Prices for both metals have surged in 2025 on a mix of economic worries and supply deficits.

Copper rose 2.7% and is up more 40% for the year on strong demand. The base metal is critical to global energy infrastructure, and demand is expected to keep growing as the development of artificial intelligence technology puts more of a strain on data centers and the energy grid.

Crude oil prices were relatively steady. The price of U.S. crude oil rose 0.5%. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 0.3%.

Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.14% from 4.11% late Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which moves more closely with expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, rose to 3.47% from 3.46% late Monday.

Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

By ALBERT STUMM, Associated Press

Many consumers feel pride in avoiding the glazed pastries in the supermarket and instead opting for “all natural” granola that comes packed with extra protein. Same goes for low-fat yogurts “made with real fruit,” “organic” plant-based milks and bottled “superfood” smoothies.

Buyer beware: Healthy grocery buzzwords like those often cover up an unhealthy amount of sugar.

Added sugars are difficult to quickly spot because many companies use clever marketing to distract consumers, said Nicole Avena, a professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical School and Princeton University who has studied added sugars.

Avena said while some health-forward brands know people are starting to become aware of the hazards of added sugars, “a lot of the bigger brands don’t worry so much about people’s health.”

Here’s how to spot hidden sugars and what to do about it.

FILE – This photo illustration shows granulated sugar falling from a spoon, in Philadelphia, on Sept. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

What to look for

Along with saturated fat and salt, eating excess sugar is linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other health risks.

The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which adds up to 57 pounds per year, according to the American Heart Association. About half of that comes from beverages, but much of the rest is sneaked into cereal, salsa, prepared sandwiches, dairy products, bottled sauces and baked goods, including many brands of whole-grain bread.

To help control sugar intake, start by checking the nutrition label. Since 2021, food companies have been required to list the quantity of added sugars separately from total sugar content. But the plan backfired, Avena said.

Companies reduced common sweeteners like refined beet sugar and high-fructose corn syrup but added alternatives, such as monk fruit and the sugar alcohol erythritol, which aren’t considered “added sugars” under FDA regulations.

“Now our foods are even more sweet than they were back in 2020,” Avena said.

Related Articles

As youth sports professionalize, kids are burning out fast

FDA panelists questioned antidepressants in pregnancy. But doctors call them a lifeline

Experts question Denmark’s vaccine program as a model for U.S.

How one father created an organ empire

Americans face growing loneliness and social disconnection

What should you do?

Collin Popp, a dietitian and professor at NYU Langone Health, said the current FDA recommendation allows for some flexibility. People should get no more than 10% of their calories from added sugar, which amounts to about 50 grams per day if eating 2,000 calories, or a bit more than what’s in a typical can of soda.

But that might be too flexible, Popp said.

“I would actually like to see that be less than 5%, and closer to zero for some, if they have diabetes or prediabetes,” he said.

The key is to be mindful of what you’re eating, even if the product seems healthy or if the package is labeled organic, Popp said. Roasted nuts, plant-based milks and wasabi peas, for example, can include a surprising amount of added sugars. So can English muffins and Greek yogurt.

One Chobani black cherry yogurt, for example, has zero grams of fat but 9 grams of added sugar, or more than 2 teaspoons. Silk brand almond milk has 7 grams per cup.

Popp recommends taking control of how much sugar goes into your food. That could mean buying plain yogurt and adding honey or berries, or asking the barista if you can put your own oat milk into your coffee.

Taking from one column to add to another

Although they lower the calorie content of foods, artificial sweeteners like stevia and sugar alcohols may not be better because they can encourage people to overeat, Avena said. She said research shows that sweet flavors are what activate the reward center of the brain, not the sugar itself.

That’s not to write off sugar alternatives, including allulose for people with Type 1 diabetes since it doesn’t affect blood sugar.

But for the general public, minimizing dependence on the overall sweetness of food is key to improving health, she said.

“Don’t let the food companies decide how much sugar you’re eating,” Avena said.

Albert Stumm writes about food, travel and wellness. Find his work at www.albertstumm.com.