A document of bassoonist Sara Shoenbeck's collaborations recorded between 2019-2021 in recording studios across North America, showing the inspired curiosity she brings to improvisation through a diverse set of duos performed with Harris Eisenstadt, Nicole Mitchell, Nels Cline, Roscoe Mitchell, Matt Mitchell, Mark Dresser, Wayne Horvitz, Peggy Lee and Robin Holcomb.

Drummer and composer Chess Smith in a 2-CD set of pieces merging jazz and traditional vodou rhythms, the band featuring Matt Mitchell (piano), Miguel Zenón (saxophone), Nick Dunston (bass), Sirene Dantor Rene (lead vocals), with Daniel Brevil, Markus Schwartz and Fanfan Jean-Guy Rene all on Haitian tanbou drums & vocals, released in a hardshell box with booklets.

A 2nd season from composer, improviser & bassist William Parker, after his 2000 Thirsty Ear release Painter's Spring, this new trio album with drummer Hamid Drake, wind player Daniel Carter performing on trumpet, flute and reeds, and Parker himself on bass, trombonium & shakuhachi, paint the season with sound as they celebrate the winter through visionary jazz music.

New York free jazz master bassist and composer in his first electric guitar trio album as a leader, performed with the innovatively inventive and solid rhythms of Gerald Cleaver on drums and the blazing deep blues work Ava Mendoza on electric guitar, presented as part of Parker's Tone World chronicle of instrumental suites, here following Sun Ra's Space Way.

Named after an Ornette Coleman composition from his album of the same name, alto saxophonist Tim Berne leads his duel-saxophone quartet with Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and the rhythm section from The Bad Plus, drummer Dave King and bassist Reid Anderson, through twelve melodic free jazz works honoring the legacy of Coleman, Redman, Haden & Hemphill.

An exemplary collective piano trio from Stephan Crump on acoustic bass, Kris Davis on piano and Eric McPherson on drums, their 2nd album as Borderlands Trio, recording in the studio for four exceptional, extended improvisations with an innate sense of lyricism and free flowing exchange of confident interaction, developing elegantly warm grooves and melodic progressions; beautiful.

The 4th album from saxophonist & bass clarinetist Silke Ebherard with her long-running powerhouse trio of Jan Roder on bass and Kay Lübke on drums, presenting all Eberhard compositions showing her strong writing voice under the influence of jazz greats like Dolphy, Mingus and Coleman, through nine well-balanced pieces from bluesy introspection to burning freedom.

Two decades after his last solo album, Michael Formanek returned to the studio to record these nine solo bass improvisations, each a profound spontaneous composition realizing structures and melodic development that incorporate journeys from abstraction into logical narrative territory as we follow the muse of a one of modern jazz' greatest bassists.

With a clarity in both improvising and in composing, NY tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis' second album with the rock solid quartet of Aruan Ortiz on piano, Brad Jones on bass and Chad Taylor on drums further explores his concepts of Molecular systematic music through powerfully solid compositions that lead to both lyrical and ardent soloing; exceptional.

This 1995 double CD presents the London Jazz Composer's Orchestra 1987 performances at Rote Fabrik, in Zurich, Switzerland and at the 1988 Taktlos-Festival, in a large ensemble that included Barre Philips, Dave Holland, Paul Lytton, Tony Oxley, Howard Riley, Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, Trevor Watts, Paul Rutherford, Radu Malfatti, Jon Corbett, Phillip Wachsmann, &c.

After a series of performances in Europe in 2020, the duo of German saxophonist Angelika Niescier (Angelika Niescier sublim) and British pianist Alexander Hawkins recorded this passionately charged and intimate duo at the Loft in Koln, Germany, finding the two in a high-speed dance of weaving notes and ardent expression, a brilliant set from two virtuoso players.

Perhaps one of the most complex piano trios active, Punkt.vrt.Plastik--Kaja Draksler on two different upright pianos, Petter Eldh on bass and Christian Lillinger on drums--explore unusual rhythmic approaches to jazz in exciting exchanges that fracture melody with rapidly veering impulse, always pulling back to reveal the mastery of their inventive playing.

A collection of jazz standards performed with a modern approach to free playing, updating these essential melodies for the 21st century while adhering to their original warmth, from drummer Tom Rainey's exceptional New York Obligatto band of Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Drew Gress on bass, and Jacob Sacks on piano.

Having performed together a number of times in festivals both in Europe and Chicago, the duo of drummer Hamid Drake and pianist Irene Schweizer reveals the familiarity and confidence their history brings to their improvisations, both in intense exchanges and playful melodic passages, as heard in this exemplary 2019 concert at Jazzgallery, in Nickelsdorf, Austria.

An absolutely impressive album of solo clarinet improvisations from reedist Chris Speed, known well for his saxophone work, here he displays inventive and implicitly lyrical approaches to this challenging reed instrument through great discipline, tone & technical skill as he presents succinct works inspired by John Coltrane, Julius Hemphill, Eric Dolphy and Paul Motion, &c.

Informed by the traditions of creative jazz; an interest in unusual time signatures; the music of Hinudstani and Brazil; through drummer Dan Weiss the influence of Indian Classical music; through Steve Coleman and Five Element compatriot, guitarist Miles Ozaki, an urban electric edge; making for an album both technically interesting and musically absolutely rewarding.

Never-before released recordings of tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler's 1966 band recording in his home town of Cleveland at club La Cave, recorded over two nights in a superb sextet with brother Donald on trumpet, Frank Wright on tenor sax, Michel Samson on violin, Clyde Shy on double bass and Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums, performing Ayler's compositions and Don Cherry's "D.C.".

With many parallels to and collaborative work with Henry Threadgill, cellist Christopher Hoffman pens eight dynamic compositions for his superb quintet of Bryan Carrott on vibraphone, Rashaan Carter on bass, Craig Weinrib on drums and David Virelles on piano, merging melodic approaches to creative jazz with interesting structures and virtuosic soloing from all performers.

Recorded in 2021, one of late New York bassist Mario Pavone's final studio albums sees the composer extending his Direct Trio of pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey with trumpeter Dave Ballou, a longtime collaborator who brings an additional level of lyrical excitement and sophistication to the group's work, in 9 substantial compositions and collective works.

An upbeat and energetic album of modern creative jazz compositions from Cuban-American saxophonist, woodwind player, and composer/improviser David Leon, leading his Aire De Agua with Sonya Belaya on piano, Florian Herzog on bass and Stephen Boegehold on drums, performing Leon's intricate compositions that elucidate each player's voice and great skill.

Brooklyn-based composer, bassist, and writer Nick Dunston in his debut album, blending jazz, contemporary, chamber and avant forms, in a uniquely voiced quintet with Louna Dekker-Vargas on flutes & piccolo, Ledah Finck on violin & viola, Tal Yahalom on guitar, and Stephen Boegehold on drums, in a sophisticated album of concisely fascinating compositions.

Known for his ensemble The Big Machine with Peter Evans, Carlos Homs, &c., NYC saxophonist Aaron Burnett steps out for a solo album of intense improvisatory exploration, demonstrating his background in classical saxophone studies that fuels an ardent intensity in personal expression, a tremendous balance between technique and passion.

The second release from the New York-based OGJB Quartet of Oliver Lake on alto saxophone, Graham Haynes on cornet & electronics, Joe Fonda on double bass and Barry Altschul on drums & percussion, an exceptional band of masterful and legendary improvisers each contributing compositions for the album along with two collective improvisations; solid and superb.

Focusing on two collective improvisations for pianist Cecil Taylor, three renowned improvisers who worked with Taylor in his groups and ensembles--drummer Andrew Cyrille, double bassist William Parker and flugelhornist Enrico Rava--each bring original compositions alongside one jazz standard to this well-balanced album of consummate, creative jazz.

The first of two planned volumes from the quartet of John Dikeman on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums, bringing the American saxophonist working throughout Europe together with this nearly telepathic collaborative grouping of UK frequent collaborators, captured in concert at Cafe OTO in 2019 for two absorbing improvisations.

Solo saxophone recordings from Israeli artists Ariel Shibolet, performing at Berlins Total Music Meeting in 2007, joyful and complex work in the vein of Evan Parker.

A series of duo improvisation between long-time Downtown NY collaborators, alto saxophonist John Zorn and electric bassist Bill Laswell, recorded in the studio during pandemic lockdown and the first return for Zorn to the saxophone after 15 months, in a uniquely thoughtful set of recordings named for artists including Brion Gysin, W.S. Burroughs, Alejandro Jodorowsky, &c.

John Zorn remakes his Masada Quartet with the new quartet of Kenny Wollesen on drums, Julian Lage on guitar, Jorge Roeder on bass, and the leader and composer himself on alto saxophone, the band having honed the elements of the Masada Songbook through live performance in NYC since 2019, here captured in Bill Laswell's studio in 2021 for 8 lyrically ecstatic recordings.

Dedicated to Chicago trumpeter Rob Mazurek's late father Henry Mazurek Sr., this is the second outing for Mazurek's outstanding quartet with Kris Davis on piano, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on double bass and Chad Taylor on drums, Mazurek also on bells & electronics, the compositions presented as a suite in a moving tribute to the strengths and attributes his father passed on.

Analogized to a form of poetry known as the Projective Verse, Chicago trumpeter Rob Mazurek propels clarion exclamation and contemplation on the piccolo trumpet through eleven improvisations utilizing the natural resonance of each room that he performs in, captured in True Stereo through dual microphones resulting in this remarkable solo album.

Using his own percussion array, particularly bells and ringing objects, and a variety of woodwinds focused around the saxophone family, AACM legend Roscoe Mitchell recorded these 19 compositions at his home studio during the pandemic lockdowns, creating fascinatingly introspective, atmospheric and resonant environments over which he distinctively overdubs his saxophone.

Borbetomagus's screaming 1986 live recording from Allentown, PA, revived from its cassette only obscurity, adding the entire second set, never previously released.

Two extended free electroacoustic improvisations in the AMM/London Improvisation Workshop vein, recorded live at London's Cafe OTO: first a prelude in the duo of Massimo Magee on electronics & saxophone and Joshua Weitzel on the 3-string Japanese shamisen; then expanded to a quartet with percussionist Eddie Prevost and Ken Ikeda on synthesizer.

Long awaited reissue of this 1998 LP, originally of live performances at ABC No Rio in NYC and now expanded to include live performances at DC Space in Washington, DC.

The third duo album focusing on the relationship between the bass and piano interplay of New York improvisers Michael Bisio and Matthew Shipp, whose long relationship as collaborators, particularly in the Matthew Shipp Trio and Quartet, afford them a nearly telepathic compatibility in their work together, heard in nine detailed recordings of superb dialog.

The enduring and innately lyrical collaboration of Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii and NY bassist Joe Fonda, first heard in 2016 with Duet, through 2019's Four with trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, continues despite the constraints of a pandemic in these 10 improvisations recorded separately in Kobe and at Fonda's home, with Fonda also performing on cello & flute.

One of Listen! Foundation's 2022 piano/bass duo series, German-based pianist Jordina Milla meets UK bassist Barry Guy for an album of uniquely discerning improvisation, Milla using inside preparations and gracefully energetic playing informed by her background in classical piano, complementing Guy's intensely melodic abstractions and technically advanced techniques; fascinating.

Recorded a few days after the Ictus duo album Clangs of percussionist and label leader Andrea Centazzo and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, this 1977 release presents the joyfully sophisticated 1976 concert in Udine, Italy of the percussionist & saxophonist joined in a trio with double bassist Kent Carter, performing 5 improvisations including the 3-part "Tao" series.

A stunning album of solo trumpet performance from Natsuki Tamura, who's name in Japanese translates as 'Natsu' meaning 'summer' and 'Ki' means 'tree', performed as layers of remarkable technique led by clarion playing over trumpet drones, sonic turbulence and percussive interaction on a wok, each layer using his extended vocabulary without studio manipulation.

The 3rd meeting of the transatlantic quintet of Joe McPhee on alto & soprano saxophones and pocket trumpet, Daunik Lazro on tenor & baritone saxophones, Joshua Abrams on double bass & guembri, Guillaume Seguron on double bass and Chad Taylor on drums & mbira is heard in this exceptional 2018 concert at the International Jazzfestival Saalfelden in Salzburg, Austria.

Originally formed in 1988 as a quartet with the primary composer and instigator saxophonist Chistoph Gallio, the current configuration of this Swiss modern jazz group is the trio of Gallio, double bassist Silvan Jeger and drummer Gerry Hemingway, incorporating a wide array of styles that are reminiscent of Steve Lacy's work while being uniquely DAY & TAXI.

The French quartet or Quentin Biardeau on sax, Gabriel Lemaire on sax and clarinet, Valentin Ceccaldi on cello, Adrien Chennebault on drums and guest trumpeter Bart Maris in a set of composed, structured, and freely improvised pieces, with an ear to lyricism.

Remastering & reissuing drummer Anthony Williams first two albums: Life Time was recorded for Blue Note shortly after joining the Miles Davis Quintet, employing two bassists--Richard Davis and Gary Peacock--along with mentor Sam Rivers and Davis alumni Herbie Hancock & Ron Carter; Spring reflects the new freedom of 60s jazz in a quintet with both Wayne Shorter & Sam Rivers.

Sharing members of the band F.A.T., the Lille, France on based quintet Eliogabal of Mael Bougeard & Sakina Abdou on saxophones, Paul Menard on guitar, Thomas Coquelet on bass and Pierre Pasquis on drums, declares themselves a free jazz rock progressif, performing complex and assertive music that takes time for contemplative musing among strong lyrical riffs, twists and turns.

Dinged Sleeve copies

In 2019, the Ensemble Studio Dan commissioned Downtown New York composer and pianist Anthony Coleman for a new work, fluctuating in fascinating ways between contemporary music and jazz forms, premiered at the Saalfelden Jazz Festival and also presented in Vienna at the Jeunesse Special 2019, live at Porgy and Bess, from which this album was superbly recorded.

Since 2010 the French band Drifting Box Celebration has blurred the lines between jazz, free improvisation and contemporary compositional music, led by drummer and composer Sylvain Marty and here with Stephane Arbon on double bass, Franck Pilandon on saxophones, Clement Gibert on clarinet & saxophone, David Audinet on trombone and Alexandre Peronny on cello.

A rare recording for Milford Graves in 2002 and a spectacular meeting between three free jazz legends--Peter Brotzmann on sax and clarinet, William Parker on bass and Doussn'Gouni, and Graves on drums and voice--recording in the front room of CBGBs for four magnificent and passionate improvisations, a wild affair captured by the Eremite Mobile Unit and finally released as a double LP.

Succinct interpretations of compositions by New York saxophonist and composer Tim Berne, performed by Berne himself in a duo with guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi, whose collaborations with Berne and his recent album Koi: Performing the Music of Tim Berne show Belisle-Chi to be the most capably informed player to accompany Berne in these thoughtful renderings.

Another wonderfully ambitious and superbly executed album from pianist and composer Alexander Hawkins, with nods to Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill and even Johann Sebastian Bach, expanding his core trio of bassist Neil Charles and drummer Stephen Davis with saxophonist & clarinetist Shabaka Hutchings, guitarist Otto Fischer and drummer Richard Olatunde Baker.

Despite five years of performance in the NYC area, this is the debut album of the collective trio of Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Brandon Lopez on bass and Tom Rainey on drums, fueled by the near-telepathic rapport of Laubrock & Rainey and expanded by the ferocious and astute contributions of Lopez, avoiding histrionics through literate and impeccably controlled discourse.

One of Swiss saxophonist Omri Ziegele smaller group formations with Yves Theiler on electric keyboards and Dario Sisera on drums & percussion, in a lyrical set of compositions yielding strong soloing over solid grooves and warm moods, highlighting Ziegele's remarkably fluid playing; it's nearly jazz/rock fusion, but at heart it's a solid jazz album.

Updating his Sabino quartet of Michael Formanek on double bass and Tom Rainey on drums with guitarist Ben Monder taking Marc Ducret's role, saxophonist Tony Malaby, here on tenor & soprano, charges forward with both modern, angular NY jazz and with experimental free improv both light and dark, in this captivating studio album of six Malaby compositions and one collective improv.

Updating their collaboration since the 2004 Alive in Brooklyn album from the trio of saxophonist Tony Malaby, drummer Tom Rainey and Angelica Sanchez on piano & Wurlitzer electric piano, contrasting that double album with a set of 10 succinct collective improvisations, inspired work of intuitive playing and a creative chemistry that only such long association can bring.

The 2nd half of guitarist Dave Tucker's live concert at London's Cafe OTO, bringing together himself, pianist/keyboardist Pat Thomas, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer/percussionist Mark Sanders for two extended improvisations of spontaneous performance, layering guitars over complex drum arrangements,and distinctive electronic manipulation.

First meetings between British pianist Matthew Bourne and Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen, two intrepid and like-minded improvisers using unusual techniques, preparations, inside playing and unusual percussive sources that fuel technically superb performances from both musicians, heard in six improvisations informed by masterful skill and creative drive.

An unusual conglomerate of styles across 2 CDs from bassist Moppa Elliott, featuring three bands: Advancing on a Wild Pitch, his jazz band with Danny Fox, Christian Coleman, Sam Kulik & Charles Evans; Unspeakable Garbage, his rock band with Jon Irabagon and Nick Millevoi; and the 9-piece "dance" band Acceleration Due To Gravity with Nate Wooley, Ava Mendoza, Mike Pride, &c.

After a few years of working, touring and one-off performances in New York City with Mazz Swift (violin & voice), Ron Stabinsky (synthesizers) and Levy Lorenzo (percussion & electronics), trumpeter Peter Evans recorded this incredible album, a new direction in his work with small ensembles, incorporating electronics into his exceptional compositions for creative improvisation.

Each of the compositions from bassist Moppa Elliot for this trio version of MOPDTK with Ron Stabinsky on piano & synthesizer and Kevin Shea on drums & synthesizer, is named after a Pennsylvania town that has experienced a disaster, including floods, fires, nuclear meltdowns, &c, re-imagining each event through complex and surprisingly lyrical compositions.

The 3rd release for the trio of Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis, German pianist Elisabeth Harnik and Chicago percussionist Michael Zerang, performing live at the 2020 ArtActs Festival in St Johan Austria for five outstanding improvisations fueled by their previous trio & duo work and flavored with inside piano preparations, hand percussion and superb soloing from all three.

The debut of this thoroughly modern piano trio from Sweden of pianist Lisa Ullen, bassist Elsa Bergman and drummer Anna Lund, merging traditional and free jazz forms along with influences from contemporary compositional music, approaching their collective music using a diverse set of strategies and techniques that yield a spectrum of captivating conversations.

The third in tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens' rotating quintet configuration of their "In Common" project, here with Kris Davis on piano, Dave Holland on bass and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, performing "one-page songs" written for the musicians involved, lyrical jazz reflecting on the tradition through modern creative freedom.

Recorded during an extended stay at the Half Note in NYC from saxophonist John Coltrane's Quartet with pianist McCoy Tyner, double bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, originally recorded for radio broadcast, here reissued and resequenced to demonstrate Coltrane's evolution in presentation & performance, while also mapping a future to his music.

Reissuing and remastering Sun Ra's 1966 Arkestra album Nothing Is, the complete live recording from St. Lawrence University in NY with a classic ensemble including saxophonists Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick & John Gilmore, bassist Ronnie Boykins, drummer Cliffor Jarvis, &c., an incredible concert with an exemplary set of Sun Ra compositions and performances.

Next generation tenor saxophonist Zoh Amba, a Tennessee transplant living in NYC who grew up playing with the mountains & forest of her native state, in her debut album with the quartet of pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Joey Barron, performing a mix of Amba compositions and collective improvisations, including one with John Zorn on alto sax.

Two exemplary solo sets from the truly distinctive and commanding French double bassist and vocalist Joelle Leandres recorded at Vancouver Jazz Festival, Western Front, Vancouver, Canada, in June 1995 and at The Ibleo Jazz Festival in Ragusa, Italy in October, 1994.

Extraordinary New York drummer & percussionist Francisco Mela is joined by Taiwan pianist and composer residing in NY, Shinya Lin, for two extended collective improvisations of joyful interaction, a complex interweaving of keys and drums augmented by percussive preparations from Lin and vocal exclamation from Mela, an upbeat and exuberantly intricate encounter.

Composer, pianist and band leader Manuel Valera presents his second album with New York-based New Cuban Express Big Band, a large ensemble performing Valera's compositions that fuse the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Brazil to forge innovative sounds and textures, leaving room for outstanding solos from vocalists and instrumentalists.

A leader on the Portuguese free jazz scene, tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado assembles a collective quartet with three exemplary Norwegian improvisers--Thomas Johansson on trumpet, Jon Rune Strom on double bass and Gard Nilssen on drums--for a dynamic concert at ZDB club in Lisbon in 2017, three dialogs of sparking, fiery interactions and a final "Response".

Two burning improvisations from the Chicago / Norwegian trio Ballister of Dave Rempis on alto & tenor saxophones, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello & electronics and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums & percussion, performing live at Alchemia in Krakow, Poland in 2019 in an exuberantly assertive concert from three incredibly active artists in the trans-Atlantic community of improvising musicians.

Barcelona pianist Agustí Fernández and Polish bass guitarist Rafał Mazur correspond through solo tracks recorded in their respective studios, each missive an unusual and impressive free improvisation using extended techniques, inside playing and inexplicable exclamation, in a five-part exchange where each message is alternately addressed "Dear Agusti" and "Dear Rafał".

A tribute to NY reedist & wind player Mark Whitecage, who passed away in March 2021, in a concert at Rochester's BopShop in 2018 by the band he is probably best known for: Nu Band, with trumpeter Thomas Heberer taking Roy Campbell's original seat, plus Lou Grassi on drums and Joe Fonda on bass, a great concert blending modern creative jazz with passionate playing and a bit of hard bop.

A collection of four concerts, each presented on a single CD, from the chamber-oriented and technically superb trio of Tim Trevor-Briscoe on alto saxophone & clarinet, Szilard Mezei on viola and Nicola Guazzaloca on piano, captured at at Korzo Zenehaz in Hungary; Cultural Centre of Vojvodina in Novi Sad Serbi; Regional Creative Atelier in Serbia; and Harom Hollo in Budapest.

An idiosyncratic and wonderfully wild improvisational music theater group revolving around composer & cellist Tristan Honsinger, using spoken word and song through eclectic and active free improvisation including strings, reeds, trumpet, toy piano, tap dance, bass & drums, a truly unique and joyfully quirky album that fulfills Honsinger's goal of uniting music, theater & poetry.

Setting out to explore a standard song format for modern times through the instrumental piano jazz format, the French/German trio of basist Joel Grip, drummer Michael Griener and pianist Simon Sieger present a set of six Grip compositions along with two Sieger/Grip and one Sieger piece, all sophisticated, creative and lyrically infused modern jazz.

A serious album of expressive free jazz from innately lyrical playing to scrabbly exploration, by the Twin Cities, Minneapolis trio of George Cartwright on saxophones, Josh Granowski on upright bass and Dave King on drums, performing live at Jazz Central Studio for two CDs of superb playing, the title inspired by the novel "A Calculated Life" by Anne Charnock.

Reinventing their band with the late drummer Alvin Fielder and saxophonist Kidd Jordan, the core trio of vocalist Kelley Hurt, pianist Christopher Parker and alto saxophonist Chad Fowler bring together drumming legend Brian Blade, bassist William Parker and trumpeter Marc Franklin for three extended works, rich journeys in expressive, soulful and lyrical free jazz

With exceptionally quick spontaneity and astute anticipation, free improvising pianist Joel Futterman and drummer Steve Hirsh engage in a series of extended dialogs across two CDs of "Warp" & "Weft" in multiple parts, pushing each other in both technical and expressive interaction, weaving complex interplay with startling ease and creative intention.

Sun Ra alumni, bassist Tyler Mitchell leads a small ensemble including current Arkestra leader, saxophonist Marshall Allen, drummer Wayne Smith and percussionsit Elson Nascimento through a series of Sun Ra compositions and core pieces, along with a Thelonious Monk tune and two Mitchell compositions, in a band with saxophonist Chris Hemingway & Nicoletta Manzini.

An open and free album of modern jazz evoking loft-style collective improvisation but controlled under the compositions of pianist Christopher Parker, in his debut album as a leader with the incredibly talented sextet of Kelley Hurt on vocals, Daniel Carter on winds, Jaimie Branch on trumpet, William Parker on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums

Four extended collective improvisations of implicit lyricism and transcendent power from Brazilian-born New York-based tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman, recording in the studio with his quartet of frequent collaborator and masterful bassist William Parker, also performing on shakuhachi, along with pianist Christopher Parker and drummer Chad Anderson.

A soulful and even honky-tonk take on jazz from baritone saxophonist and vocalist Dave Sewleson, covering tunes like Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" (two versions) or leaning back on riffs from popular music through lap steel guitarist Mike Neer, with Dave Hofstra on bass and Bernice "Boom Boom" Brooks on drums, a surprisingly enjoyable merging of popular and free playing.

With the chamber-like orchestration of vibes and viola in the front line, the debut of bassist Michael Bisio's quartet with Karl Berger on vibes and sharing compositional credits, Mat Maneri on viola and Whit Dick on drums, is fueled by masterful improvisation and astute communication, an exemplary album of open-minded creative jazz executed with consummate skill.

Bringing together New York City and Philadelphia improvisers, the trio of T.J. Borden on cello, James McKain on tenor sax and Leo Suarez on drums, freely improvising through a "personally refined approach to pointillistic communication, interplay and the construction/demolition of static foundations" evolved through repeated sessions and live recordings.

Known from the TGB trio and work with Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese deep brass player Sergio Carolino turns from his typical tuba for a solo album on a new instrument of his own invention--the lusophone--a standing tuba based on the Jazzophon, a trumpet in the shape of a saxophone, here built from parts of frontal bell tubas and demonstrated in an impressive, extended improvisation.