‘Smoke Sessions’ is one of Nicholas Payton’s standouts because in paying homage to some of his idols, Payton does so in an offhand manner that reveals his own inimitable musical personality.

Every Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber project was treated as a major work by the late Greg Tate, and with ‘Angels Over Oakanda,’ he leaves intact his legacy of leading a band of boundless imagination and chops.

The only thing that beats a white Christmas is a blues Christmas, particularly the vintage style blues proffered by Ben Levin for his yuletide tune “Forgot Mrs. Claus.”

Playing in the most exposed settings is a Catherine Sikora hallmark, her latest being ‘corners,’ a series of concerts by one, for one. Her fearlessness never lets her — nor the listener — down.

Here is the video premiere of the totally improvised piece “Zion” by piano maestro Nick Maclean.

Once again with ‘Windows of Time,’ Wertico Cain & Gray make instant music with all the creativity and none of the mess, and they don’t even have to be in the same room to do it.

Neal Francis bares his soul on his satisfying sophomore release ‘In Plain Sight’ but also shows how to do it without dragging down his listeners in the process.

Oftentimes quickly knocking out a record translates into a low quality product. For someone like Sue Foley, the raw and unfiltered ‘Pinky’s Blues’ just means she’s doing what comes naturally.

Listening to Matthew Shipp create on unaccompanied piano is like peering into the soul of a man. ‘Codebreaker’ exposes the soul of an artist absorbing decades of accomplishment but still capable of decades more.

The video debuting here takes us on a whirlwind tour of Carn Davidson 9’s upcoming new album ‘The History of Us’ and the driving force behind it.