‘Unfamiliar Ceilings’ by violinist Lina Tullgren and koto player Alec Toku Whiting is an excursion into unfamiliar territory alright, but it’s territory where the ceilings look open like blue skies.

There is no trio like Gordon Grdina’s Nomad Trio, where the vast talents of Grdina, Matt Mitchell and Jim Black are pushed to their limits and the best of each comes forth as a result.

Brandon Seabrook never undertakes paths chosen by others, but rarely has he had such willing and able partners in crime to carry out his scintillating eccentricities as Gerald Clever and Cooper-Moore.

Wherever Thollem travels during an Astral Traveling Sessions jaunt like the ones he made with Alex Cline and Susan Alcorn, it’s a journey into the vast unknown areas of music that few dare to venture. But Thollem, he lives there.

Kuzu’s third album ‘The Glass Delusion’ continues this noise-jazz trio’s reputation for making some of the most individualistic and rewarding music of this genre.

‘Thollem’s Astral Traveling Sessions with John Dieterich’ tingles your auditory senses because this is breaking new ground and they’re defining the whole dobro/synth genre as they go along. There might not be two musicians better equipped to be the first at doing that.

The wicked brews that Crazy Doberman concocts are crazy good; ”Illusory Expansion’ is hard to define but very easy to like.

These ain’t traditional Christmas carols, but Mars Williams has started a new tradition in line with a year that has broken all semblance of normalcy.

You never know what to expect from a new Brandon Seabrook album, aside from that it’s guaranteed to be way outside the bounds of normal. ‘Exultations’ is certainly that.

For this festival set performed in Italy ‘Live In Florence,’ Otomo Yoshihide, his guitar and his turntables match wits with Chris Pitsiokos with his alto saxophone and his electronics.