Inside the saxophone and the clarinet

In 1965, jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released A Charlie Brown Christmas, a humble cartoon soundtrack that quietly became one of the most beloved holiday albums of all time. In a recent video, musicians Jack Conte, Ryan Lerman, and Charles Cornell revisit the album’s emotional depth and lasting influence, explaining how it turned familiar holiday themes into timeless jazz.

From spiritual jazz to Afrobeat, from chord-less trios to genre-blurring hybrids, 2025 has delivered one of the most exciting years for new jazz recordings in recent memory. The Syos team gathered our favourite releases of the year, selecting musicians across scenes and continents whose work pushed boundaries while staying rooted in jazz tradition. These ten albums, listed in no particular order, show where the music is headed and why 2025 has been such a defining moment for jazz’s continued evolution.

When Max Bryk, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist of the Los Angeles trio Moonchild, spoke about his experience with Syos, he explained how trying different mouthpiece options helped him understand his sound more deeply and how our return policy supported that exploration.

Bass clarinetist Todd Marcus joins Lido Pimienta at Tiny Desk, bringing a centered, assertive sound shaped by his Syos mouthpiece. Built with an extra-high baffle and a custom chamber, it helps him cut through live ensembles without sacrificing the acoustic character of the instrument.

From ocean liners in the 1920s to packed clubs in Tokyo today, jazz in Japan has followed a path shaped by listening cafés, legendary players, and a deep national love for sound. Tomoaki Baba’s appearance in a UNIQLO commercial is only the latest chapter in a rich and ongoing story.

When live jazz stages went silent, Emmet Cohen opened his living room. Live From Emmet’s Place became the digital rent party that kept the art alive.

When multi-instrumentalist Jesse Chandler performed with Madison Cunningham on Jimmy Kimmel Live, his bass clarinet added lift and tension that pulled the listener closer. He was playing a Syos mouthpiece, the same one he now uses across saxophone and clarinet.

Tiny Desk concerts have become a global stage for authentic performance. From Havana to Baltimore to Tokyo, Syos artists Christian Ortiz, Brent Birckhead, and David Negrete brought their custom sounds to this intimate setting, proving that a mouthpiece can carry character and culture as much as notes.

Born in the dance halls and blues clubs of Texas, the “Texas Tenor” tradition is raw, powerful, and deeply soulful. It is a sound carried by legends like Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, and King Curtis. Today, it lives on through modern players and mouthpieces like the Robert Martin Signature Tenor, designed to capture that same grit, projection, and blues-soaked presence.