Among the best of the 86 concerts I have seen so far this year have been the Colin Vallon Trio (Tinguely Museum and Bird's Eye, 28 February-1 March); the Hildegunn Øiseth Quartett (Stadtcasino, 28 March); the Joe Sanders Quartet (Bird's Eye, 2 May; Tinguely, 25 July); Philip Dizack's Brass Regalia (Bird's Eye, 30-31 May); Tinariwen (Mühle Hunziken, 10 June); Warren Haynes (Z7 Pratteln, 10 July); Luciano Biondini, Michel Godard, and Lucas Niggli, and A Novel of Anomaly (Tinguely, 13 October); Ember (Bird's Eye, 24-25 October); Jah Baba (Bird's Eye, 31 October-1 November); Youn Sun Nah (Volkshaus, 10 November); Yumi Ito (Bird's Eye, 21-22 November); and Quiet Tree (Bird's Eye, 19 December).cember). (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 20 December 2025)

Photos by me.

A man in a blue hat stands at a piano — Colin Vallon, Tinguely Museum, 28 February 2025

A woman in a silvery shirt plays the trumpet — Hildegunn Øiseth, Stadtcasino, 28 March

Two saxophonists, a bassist, and a drummer — Joe Sanders Quartet, Bird’s Eye, 2 May

A man in an orange shirt plays the trumpet with a bassist and a drummer in the background — Philip Dizack, Bird’s Eye, 31 May

Looking down at an electric guitarist in flip flops — Tinariwen, Mühle Hunziken, 10 June

A five-piece band on stage from a distance — Warren Haynes Band, Z7 Pratteln, 10 July

A man plays accordion, looking closely at the keys — Luciano Biondini, Tinguely, 13 October

A drummer, a bassist, and a trumpet player also holding a saxophone — Ember, Bird’s Eye, 25 October

A six-piece band from Benin, with a man in a colorful outfit in the middle — Jah Baba, Bird’s Eye, 1 November

A singer, an electric guitarist, and a drummer, with a bassist hidden behind the guitarist — Yumi Ito Quartet, Bird’s Eye, 22 November

A closeup of a man’s left hand playing a tenor saxophone — Simon Spiess, Quiet Tree, Bird’s Eye, 19 December

Thirteen great performances I’ve seen in 2025