With a classic tenor sax tone, top drawer backing band and great tunes and arrangements all present in ‘Gratitude’, it’s just hard to go wrong with this record.

‘An Untroublesome Defencelessness’ features the collective wisdom of Merzbow, Keiji Haino and Balazs Pandi – three visionary musicians who have made careers out of embracing uncharted territory.

‘The Royal Gospel’ by Cyril Neville’s Royal Southern Brotherhood should be eliciting a lot of hosannas in response.

It’s an open and shut case of instrumental wizardry and fun-filled indulgence…’From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess.’

With a clear head and a strong sense of purpose — and the like-minded Vinny Golia on board — Rich Halley keeps on producing abundantly creative modern jazz firmly grounded in all the great traditions of the music form.

Brian Charette’s newest album ‘Once & Future’ the perfect record for aspiring (and accomplished) organ-jazz players…and listeners as well.

More haunting, impulsive and memorable music from the multi-instrumentalist Kali Z. Fasteau, who made the always surprising ‘Intuit’ with fellow improv veterans Kidd Jordan and L. Mixashawn Rozi.

The E.S.T. from Down Under? With the Casey Golden Trio’s new EP ‘Miniature’, it’s sounding more and more like they are.

With ‘Music Of Weather Report’, founding bassist Miroslav Vitous makes that point explicitly and abundantly clear why that music is so vital. And like the music Vitous seeks to evoke, this is fusion jazz at its peak.

The 4th album by the French rowdy blues one-man-band Chicken Diamond gives us more of the same full-on bite that graced the first three long players, and a little bit more.