Share Your Picks for the Best Movies, TV Series, Books & Music of 2025
Today is open mic day at The Honest Broker
It will soon be the time of year for making lists. And I’m not talking Santa Claus and his annual survey of the naughty and nice.
I’m focused instead on the best-of-year lists. I’ll share my own guide to the 100 best recordings of 2025 in a few weeks (available to premium subscribers). But I also want to hear about your favorite creative works of the year.
Please support my work by taking out a premium subscription (just $6 per month).
That’s the theme of today’s open mic thread. Tell us in the comments about the best music, films, TV series, and books of the year.
But, please, do NOT use this invitation to promote your own work. I will give you an opportunity to do that in the future.
We’ve done this a few times in the past, and I always walk away from it with a long list of things to check out. So I’m eager to hear what you have to say today.
TV: Slow Horses
A lot of good music issued this year, including Joe Farnsworth's 'The Big Room,' which had the feel of a stone-cold Blue Note classic without being an exercise in nostalgia. All-star band on it, including Jeremy Pelt, Emmet Cohen, Joel Ross and Sarah Hanahan, who is an amazing player!
Patricia Brennan's newest was huge for me too and two great Monk tribute albums by Xhosa Cole and Dayna Stephens that approached the great man's work in very different ways.
John Splithoff's 'Far From Here' was prime Yacht rock for the 21st century. Tyreek McDole's debut was also tremendous - a jazz vocalist to keep an eye out for.
Female singer-songwriters were also big for me this year: Hannah Cohen, Taylor Rae, Lucy Dacus, Emily Hines, Jessica Risker, Lili Anel, etc.
Reed Turchi's 'World on Fire' was back to basics blues and folk that was addictive listening.
SF Jazz Collective's 'Collective Imagery' was another very interesting album merging art and music. Had my favourite cut of all this year, Warren Wolf's magnificent, multi-part 'The Files.'