Four masterfully intuitive musicians who regularly aspire for greater heights with each venture reach the summit together on Satoko Fujii’s ‘Aspiration.’

Older, wiser and brimming with confidence, Jonny Lang makes his strongest case yet for his early fans who fell in love with that high school phenom to come running back to him. In 2017, ‘Signs’ fulfills the promise of 1997.

Guitar whiz Dave Stryker gets back to meat ‘n’ potatoes soul-jazz with ‘Strykin’ Ahead.’

It’s probably a little too hyperbolic to call Mke Reed’s ‘Flesh & Bone’ the most important release of the year. At the same time, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of its message at this critical time.

Proving again that contemporary jazz doesn’t necessarily equate to smooth jazz, Brad Cheeseman Group’s ‘The Tide Turns’ is another solid set of tracks from Cheeseman where real work is put in from conception to execution.

By not limiting himself within a narrow concept and exploiting a multiple of possibilities presented by the larger sextet, Vijay Iyer’s variety of tactics benefit ‘Far From Over,’ making this an insightful window into his wide-ranging capabilities.

Just as Nellie Bly was able to show what a woman is capable of when gender barriers are confronted or outright ignored, Sam Boshnack is an example of a growing number of women leading a resurgence of creativity in jazz.

‘Fountain Of Youth’ has the energy and enthusiasm of someone striving to make his mark, but with the discernment of the accomplished veteran that Weiskopf is.

Often compared to psychedelic post-rock outfits like Broadcast and Oneida, Chicago’s own Crown Larks can be thought of as jazz’s answer to Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, or indie rock’s answer to Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time, depending on You May Also Like: Plucky Strum [Sheryl Bailey & Harvie S]Read More

‘Expedition’ continues a long, provocative journey taken by Denny Zeitlin and George Marsh along the innovative frontier of jazz.