Balancing clarity with a free-thinking spirit, vibraphonist Bobby Naughton leads his trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Randy Kaye through original works alongside compositions by Anthony Braxton and Carla Bley, captured live at Charlie's Tap in Cambridge, MA in 1985, where lucid melodies, bowed bass lyricism and pointed drumming converge in a poised set that affirms Naughton's singular voice.

Inspired by the 1960s Mission Rebels youth movement founded by his father, Rev. Jesse James, Bay Area guitarist David James leads an ensemble of trombone, clarinet, viola, bass, drums and voices in a socially resonant instrumental and song suite that blends chamber textures and improvisation into a reflective, community-rooted work of memory and tribute.

Bassist and composer Lisa Mezzacappa leads her Bay Area 5(ish) ensemble — with Aaron Bennett, Kyle Bruckmann, Mark Clifford, Brett Carson, Jordan Glenn and guest Fred Frith — through a meticulously structured yet explosively improvisational suite blending Braxtonian processional lines, chamber-textured atmospheres and surging free interplay into a dynamic, "tight-loose" exploration of contemporary creative jazz.

Produced by Evan Parker and drawn from a shelved 1995 studio date, this first full release of the Kenny Wheeler Sextet captures the flugelhorn master at 65 balancing post-bop sophistication with open-ended improvisation alongside Ray Warleigh, Stan Sulzmann, John Parricelli, Chris Laurence and Tony Levin, in harmonically rich compositions that favor nuance, collective trust, and deeply lyricism.