Thollem ducks into a studio and jams with a noted, up-and-coming fusion guitarist and the drummer from an established garage-punk band.

Philips is clearly that guy who is well suited for DIY, and now we know from ‘Get Along’ that even when he does something by himself two different ways, both ways are the ‘right’ way.

A little mellower and little more intimate, ‘Butterflies’ is Basia aging gracefully with music that will likely not age at all.

Strange to say this, but the 1970s adult contemporary star Rita Coolidge actually outdid her with her first real album in twenty years ‘Safe In The Arms Of Time.’

Dave Holland continues to add meaningful music to an already ample, rewarding catalog with the double-album free jazz extravaganza ‘Uncharted Territories.’

With ‘No Revenge Necessary,’ Nolatet once again come up with something that defies categorization outside the very broad confines of “jazz.”

It’s that opaque fickleness juiced by prowess on their instruments that makes Spencer Friedman and Paul de Jong’s ‘Functions’ both so different and yet so compelling.

Satoko Fujii is issuing an album in every month of 2018, and if there’s one musician with enough ensembles, projects and ideas to pull it off, it’s her.

It’s always refreshing to see a long-established rock star simply follow his muse. Ten years ago, Steve Winwood did just that with ‘Nine Lives.’

David Ake puts decades of experience behind ‘Humanities,’ creating what will certainly be one of the best mainstream jazz releases of the year.