On this episode of Visions, I welcome the new year with a mix of old and new. I play classic cuts that got us here and new music that’s taking us into the new year and beyond.

I play quintessential tracks from Max Roach, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Aretha Franklin, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, and Lee Morgan.

I also play brand new singles from Joel Ross, Signal Quartet, and Tomeka Reid. Finally, I cover a couple albums that came out last year that I didn’t discover until this year from Gerald Clayton and Phi-Psonics.

Happy new year and happy listening!

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 Jan. 5, 2026

• “A Brand New Me” – Aretha Franklin*
• “One by One (Live)” – Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
• “Wisdom is Eternal (for Barry Harris)” – Joel Ross
• “More Always” – Gerald Clayton
• “dance! skip! hop!” – Tomeka Reid
• “Sumpin’ Like Dat” – Marion Hayden*
• “Love Theme from Your Life” – Phi-Psonics
• “And Silence” – Myra Melford Trio
• “I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You)” – John Coltrane
• “The Mercenary” – Lee Morgan
• “Credibility Gap” – Signal Quartet*
• “Absolutions” – Max Roach
• “Prince of Darkness” – Miles Davis
• “Just Give It Some Time” – Bennie Maupin*
• “Binky’s Beam” – John McLaughlin
• “Groove” – William Parker

* Indicates Detroit artists

On this episode of Visions, I celebrate several birthdays, including my own, the solstice, and winter in general.

Dec. 29 just so happened to fall on a Monday for Visions, but that’s also my birthday, Joe Lovano’s birthday and Danilo Perez’s birthday. I play their music and several others who have birthdays in late December and early January.

You’ll hear from Lonnie Liston Smith, Chris Potter, Milt Jackson and Herbie Nichols. I also play Capricorn themed music from Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter.

I play a couple selections having to do with the solstice or winter from Gerry Mulligan & Paul Desmond, Branford Marsalis, and a beautiful record from Ralph Towner.

Last but not least, I play my own music on Visions for the very first time. You’ll hear two selections from my 2021 album, Placemaking.

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. 29, 2025

• “Lonnie’s Lament (Live)” – Joe Lovano
• “Footprints” – Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes
• “Capricorn” – Miles Davis
• “For Someone I Love” – Milt Jackson
• “Dyad” – Kaleigh Wilder*
• “Wintersong (Take 2)” – Gerry Mulligan & Paul Desmond
• “Solstice” – Branford Marsalis
• “Panamá 2000” – Danilo Perez
• “It Didn’t Happen” – Herbie Nichols
• “Capricorn 2” – Wayne Shorter
• “The Source (For John Coltrane)” – Chris Potter
• “These Tears I Cry (Alternate Take)” – Kaleigh Wilder
• “Nimbus” – Ralph Towner, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber & Jon Christensen

*indicates Detroit artists

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

On this episode of Visions and in typical fashion, I head all over the musical map with my selections.

This week features classic cuts from John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Curtis Fuller, and Detroit’s Barry Harris. I also feature newer releases from Esthesis Quartet, Heat On, Brandee Younger, and Detroit’s Louis Jones III and William Hill III.

I venture slightly into the avant-garde with Eric Dolphy and Marion Brown. And finally, a great track from Roy Hargrove featuring Wynton Marsalis.

There are a few others in the mix, but with music spanning from the 1960’s to the 2020’s, there’s something in here for everyone to enjoy.

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. 15, 2025

• “‘Snuff” – Jackie McLean
• “Black Bath” – Curtis Fuller
• “Mr. Day” – John Coltrane
• “Country Boy” – John Lee Hooker
• “Breaking Point” – Brandee Younger
• “Stay the Course” – William Hill III*
• “Horace Silver” – The New York Bass Violin Choir & Bill Lee
• “Nicaragua” – The Barry Harris* Sextet
• “Homestretch” – Joe Henderson
• “Peek-A-Boo” – Louis Jones III*
• “Ace of Pentacles” – Esthesis Quartet
• “Bye-Ya” – Carmen Staaf
• “Gazzelloni” – Eric Dolphy
• “West India” – Marion Brown
• “Nostalgia” – Roy Hargrove
• “Rimrock” – Heat On
• “Feed the Fire (feat. esperanza spalding & Karriem Riggins*)[Bonus Track]” – Nicholas Payton

*indicates Detroit artists

On this episode of Visions, I play sounds from the now. In previous episodes, I played a lot of music from the 60’s and 70’s, but not many selections from recent decades. This episode highlights music almost exclusively from the 21st century.

You hear from Nubya Garcia, Kassa Overall, Terri Lyne Carrington, Detroit’s Geri Allen and Allen Dennard, and Tomeka Reid. I work one of my all time favorite artists, Meshell Ndegeocello, into the mix with her free-ish jazz record from 2005. And I explore my new music discoveries with Nala Sinephro, Nicola Conte, Joshua Moshe, and Gregory Groover Jr.

There are a few tracks from Terence Blanchard‘s “Malcolm X Jazz Suite” which is coming to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra this Friday, Dec. 5. Blanchard worked on the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s 1992 film, “Malcolm X,” and reimagined the music as its own album which came out the following year. This Friday, Blanchard will play new arrangements from the record with an all new band. Happy listening!

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. 1, 2025

• “A Little Max (Parfait)” – Terri Lyne Carrington
• “Malcolm’s Theme” – Terence Blanchard
• “The Healer” – Joshua Moshe
• “Hastings Street” – Allen Dennard*
• “Odyssey” – Nubya Garcia
• “C.R.E.A.M. (CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME)” – Kassa Overall
• “Papillon (feat. Matthew Garrison, Federico Gonzalez Pena & Kenny Garrett)” – Meshell Ndegeocello
• “Malcolm Makes Hajj” – Terence Blanchard
• “All Blues” – Mary Lou Williams
• “Go for Broke (feat. Joel Ross, Paul Cornish, Harish Raghavan & Kendrick Scott)” – Gregory Groover Jr.
• “Space 4” – Nala Sinephro
• “Home Grown” – Geri Allen*
• “The Nation” – Terence Blanchard
• “Life Forces” – Nicola Conte
• “Wabash Blues (feat. Tomeka Reid, Mary Halvorson, Tomas Fujiwara & Jason Roebke)” – Tomeka Reid Quartet
• “The Thump (Live)” – Marquis Hill

*Indicates Detroit artists

On this episode of Visions, I expand how I usually think about jazz to include cuts I don’t typically play on the show. I venture into soul with artists like Tower of Power, Aretha Franklin, and Roberta Flack.

I also play a classic blues cut from Lightnin’ Hopkins, plus incredible organ players Charles Earlund and Richard “Groove” Holmes.

To me and many others, these artists are part of the same continuum that jazz falls on, which is Black Music. I’m hoping to continue expanding beyond just playing “jazz” and include Black Music more broadly!

On the more straight-ahead end of the jazz spectrum, I include cuts from Herbie Hancock, the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Hutcherson, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Rouse, Miles Davis, Larry Young, and a few others.

I hope you like the twists and turns this episode takes!

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 Nov. 24, 2025

• “Biafra” – Nat Adderely
• “Beyond All Limits” – Larry Young
• “Hey Harold (feat. Billy Hart)” – Bobby Hutcherson
• “Soul Vaccination” – Tower of Power
• “Bitchin'” – Charlie Rouse
• “Rock Steady” – Aretha Franklin*
• “Ostinato (Suite for Angela)” – Herbie Hancock
• “Yes Lord” – The Detroit Jazz Composers Ltd.*
• “To Love Somebody” – Roberta Flack
• “The Shadow of Your Smile” – Oscar Peterson
• “Misty” – Richard “Groove” Holmes
• “More Today Than Yesterday” – Charles Earlund
• “Woke Up This Morning” – Lightnin’ Hopkins
• “Compensation (Live at the Village Vanguard)” – The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra
• “Freedom Jazz Dance (Evolution of the Groove)” – Miles Davis

*indicates Detroit artists

This week on Visions, I dug through my personal record crates to inspire the episode. Now, I don’t have an extensive collection, but what I found was a lot of 70’s jazz records. This led me to a show of almost entirely selections from the 70’s.

I’ve got Alice Coltrane, Elvin Jones in a couple different contexts, Leon Thomas, Wendell Harrison, Cecil McBee, Lonnie Liston Smith, Armen Donelian, Miles Davis, and Pharoah Sanders. I also play a 2025 release from Chicago-based trio Hearts & Minds, and a brand new Blue Note release from Aaron Parks.

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 Nov. 17, 2025

• “Blues on the Bottom” – Cecil McBee
• “Illumination” – Hearts & Minds
• “Flys” – Jack DeJohnette’s Directions
• “One” – Leon Thomas
• “Peace” – Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes
• “Song of Happiness” – McCoy Tyner
• “Half and Half (feat. McCoy Tyner)” – Elvin Jones & Jimmy Garrison Sextet
• “My Ship (Live at the Lighthouse Café, CA.1972)” – Elvin Jones
• “Bob’s Blues” – Robert Hurst*
• “Parks Lope” – Aaron Parks
• “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today” – Kenny Burrell*
• “Monday” – Armen Donelian
• “My Favorite Things” – Alice Coltrane*
• “Little Church” – Miles Davis
• “Heavenese” – Wendell Harrison*
• “Astral Traveling” – Pharoah Sanders

* indicates Detroit artists