Reaching deep down within himself is how Matthew Shipp can create a record like ‘The Cosmic Piano’ that rises well above being simply a ‘solo piano’ venture.

The convening of Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Mat Maneri on ‘Armageddon Flower’ is a confluence of saxophone, piano, bass and viola for the ages.

After Jon Anderson’s exit, I thought I’d never again experience the joy that Yes brought to me in the past. I was happy to be proved wrong at this concert.

The Claudio Scolari Project has made originative music by fearlessly taking chances every time the tape rolls. For ‘Bloom’ they also took a chance by expanding the group and that, too, paid off.

The Blackbyrds’ ‘City Life’ stands as a hallmark of ’70s jazz funk, blending smooth grooves, socially aware lyrics and impressive instrumentation.

The sixth installment of Fernando Perdomo’s critically acclaimed ‘Waves’ series picks up where ‘Waves 5’ left off – and that’s a good thing.

The songs of Richard Rodgers are timeless tunes but that doesn’t stop Denny Zeitlin for putting forth the extra effort to make these songs like new again.

In imposing his large ambitions on the smaller scale of a quartet, Ches Smith made music that’s still grand in scope with ‘Clone Row.’ All it took were the right partners and some
resourcefulness to pull off that magic act.

The James Brandon Lewis Quartet is an eminent ensemble for a number of good reasons and every one of those reasons can be found on ‘Abstraction Is Deliverance.’

Thelonious Monk’s ‘Thelonious Himself’ was never a “crowd-pleaser” in the conventional sense. The LP rewarded repeat listens – and it still does today.