Rich Halley’s encounter with the Matthew Shipp Trio is no East Coast meets West Coast kind of thing, just a meeting of great minds that think alike.

Even with standard formats, Steve Lehman is dragging jazz into the future kicking and screaming. Tough love never sounded that good.

Rich Halley’s inspired collaboration provides the visionary interplay, the spirituality and, yes, the flair for melody that are hallmarks of both sides.

That feeling of not being able to fully grasp what’s unfolding is at the heart of the thrill of listening to ‘Radical Invisibility’ by Daniel Carter, Stelios Mihas, Irma Nejando and Federico Ughi.

‘The Fine Line’ leaves you wondering why the wider public hasn’t picked up on what all insiders have known for years: Bob Sheppard is a top-shelf jazz musician.

The Jason Stein, Greg Ward-led project ‘Nature Work’ is highly recommended for those who like adventurous, impulsive jazz.

Sax players with “bag full of soul” qualities always thrive in an organ-and-guitar combo, and a that’s just what Ken Fowser does here.

Whit Dickey uses his drums not to merely set a rhythmic pulse of the song, but the spiritual pulse, too.

We’ve covered a lot of music by drummer Scott Amendola and trumpet player Shane Endsley but the two never crossed paths in this space … until now.

Nothing was spared in making Wertico Cain and Gray’s seventh collaboration a rich listening and viewing experience.