BEST OF
Welcome to the
JazzTrax
Best of
2025
AND NOW … ANNOUNCING
THE JAZZTRAX BEST OF 2025
Check out the links below to some of the Highlights from this years JazzTrax Festival created by Austin Good
The JazzTrax Festival Youtube Channel
CLICK HERE
The JazzTrax Festival Instagram Feed
CLICK HERE
Top 10 Albums of 2025
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Album of the Year
"Light of Day"
Peter White
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
2.
“Midnight”
Randal Clark
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
3.
“Just Us”
Bob James & Dave Koz
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
4.
“Midnight in Paris”
Johnny Britt
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
5.
"Under the Moon Over the Sky”
Najee
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
6.
“Hand to Heart”
Roberto Restuccia
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
7.
“Terranova”
Jessy J
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
8.
“Midnight Groove”
Brian Simpson
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
9.
“So Much to Say”
Paul Brown
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Top 10 Albums of the Year
10.
“Fresh”
Ryan La Valette
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Honorable Mention
“Based On a True Story”
Mindi Abair
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Honorable Mention Two
“LifeForce”
3rd Force
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Honorable Mention Three
“Lush”
Kayla Waters
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Honorable Mention Four
“We Got This”
Pieces of a Dream
40 Best Songs of 2025
Debut Artist of 2025
Debut Artist of the Year
Andréa Lisa
Guitarist
A Guitarist, A Composer, A Producer, Kirk Whalum “uncovered” Andréa Lisa when in 2017 she received an e-mail from Kirk whom she considered one of her biggest influences, asking if she would like to be featured playing guitar on his album ‘Humanité.’
Best of 2025
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Best Song
"Oooh Aah (Catalina)"
By
Mindi Abair
From the CD
"Based On A True Story"
Reached No. #1 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Charts in July Stayed Top 10 on Billboard All Summer Got the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival A LOT OF MENTIONS on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s WATERCOLORS !!!!!!!!!
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Best Song or Album Title
“Under the Moon Over the Sky”
Najee
From the CD
“Under the Moon Over the Sky”
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Best Smooth Jazz Vocal
“No More Blues”
Jessy J
also included Instrumentally on
“Terranova”
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Best Live Performance
The Bob James Quartet
Friday Evening, Oct. 17, 2025
Avalon Ballroom Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival
JazzTrax Moment of the Year 2025
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JazzTrax (or Art Good’s) Moment of the Year
Bob James
"Fourplay Update"
Dialogue With
Art Good
“So I was still in my October Guest House, up by the Zane Grey Hotel,right around the corner, glass of wine in hand, from the 100 year old Chimes Tower, from which you are High Above, looking down on all of Avalon Bay, even ABOVE the Wrigley Casino and the glorious Pacific Ocean. Suddenly a Voicemail and a Text from Sonny Abelardo, Bob James ‘forever’ personal and road manager.
I should point out it was 10:50 a.m. and the Noon Session on our Closing Saturday of the 38th Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival was like an hour away.1 hour to my going up on stage and I wasn’t even dressed yet.
The text read, ‘Art I think I left my credit card at the bar in the Ballroom last night after Bob finished his show.’ I then called Sonny and said, Where are you?’ He replied ‘Still at our hotel, up by the golf course.’ I said, ‘And What time is your boat?’ 11:50 a.m. Exactly 1 hour from pulling away from the dock to head back across the sea. and 1 hour and 10 minutes till I was to take the stage.
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JazzTrax (or Art Good’s) Moment of the Year continued 2
Bob James
"Fourplay Update"
Dialogue With
Art Good
I said, “Sonny … just head for The Boat.” I jumped in my golf cart (the main mode of transportation in this tiny 1 square mile seaport village) and rushed down to the Casino. Literally Running UP the Ramps, 6 flights to the Ballroom high above. First Bartender, prepping for our afternoon of festival drinking, looked through his cashboxes and saw nothing that said Sonny Abelardo.
But then, the opposite bartender said, ‘I’ve got some credit cards over here and here’s one that says Sonny’… even as the last name was different. Turns out he uses a different Last Name on his card. I said, ‘That’s It,’ and ran back down the ramps and gunned the golf cart towards The Mole. (that’s what they call where Catalina Express boats come in, and dude’s fish into the open ocean from, like Nick Colionne used to do when he was booked here.”
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JazzTrax (or Art Good’s) Moment of the Year continued 3
Bob James
"Fourplay Update"
Dialogue With
Art Good
There was Sonny and Bob James and the band standing in line to board the ll:50 back to Long Beach. Handing Sonny his credit card (I joked that’d I bought a round for everyone on the crew up in the ballroom soon as I got his credit card, not sure he laughed) ….. and there I was suddenly and unexpectedly standing with Bob James in a line to get ON A BOAT. So Bob, great show last night and how special that you began with Your Version of Al Jolson’s 1920’s hit “I Left My Heart in Avalon.” They hadn’t begun the boarding so we chatted. I should have wished him an early Happy Birthday. He turns 86 on Christmas Day.
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JazzTrax (or Art Good’s) Moment of the Year continued 4
Bob James
"Fourplay Update"
Dialogue With
Art Good
Somehow our chat turned to FOURPLAY. I remember like it was yesterday, Fall of 1990, as Bob was about to come to perform on the Catalina Island JazzTrax Live Performance Stage for the 1st time. I was interviewing him as we had breakfast at a restaurant in San Diego’s Mission Valley when he said, “Art, what would you think about a Smooth Jazz All Star Band with Harvey Mason on Drums, Lee Ritenour on Guitar, Nathan East on Bass, oh, and Me on Keys. Oh … and we’re thinking of calling it FOURPLAY for the 4 who Play.
Their 1st album came just inside 1991. Took awhile to get them to Catalina Island but we did and I think 3 times. I always have a standing offer for Fourplay, but since the passing of guitarist Chuck Loeb in 2017, there has been no re emergence of that famous All Star foursome (bob, Nathan, Harvey, and Larry Carlton who replaced Rit, who was then replaced by Chuck Loeb.
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JazzTrax (or Art Good’s) Moment of the Year continued 5
Bob James
"Fourplay Update"
Dialogue With
Art Good
I had tried to get Bob to do a Fourplay Medley at least in his Festival Quartet Show. My introduction the night before I had concluded with, “If you can’t get Fourplay … you AT LEAST GET BOB.” And it was a quartet, so still equaled 4. And that’s when, standing in a line to get on board A BOAT, I got inside Fourplay scoop, straight from the horse’s mouth. I didn’t have to e-mail Nathan. I didn’t have to ask Sonny whom I’d just saved him by finding his credit card before he left the Island.
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JazzTrax (or Art Good’s) Moment of the Year continued 6
Bob James
"Fourplay Update"
Dialogue With
Art Good
Bob James himself, standing there, waiting to board A BOAT back to the mainland said, “Art, there’s a slim chance we might record another Fourplay album and a “Slim Chance” we might perform as Fourplay Live again.” He used his Thumb and 1st Finger to emphasize “SLIM CHANCE.”
I said, “Bob, if ever, I’ll take that SLIM Chance, I always have a standing offer on Fourplay.” And as I walked away I heard Bob’s Final Words to me “………as Long as The PRICE is RIGHT……….”
Top Billboard Smooth Jazz Hits of 2025
JazzTrax In Memorium 2024
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In Memoriam
Chuck Mangione
1940 to 2025
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In Memoriam
Gordon Goodwin
1954 to 2025
