Michael Bisio has such a keen sense of intuition that he can improvise with anyone. Here, he seeks out a new challenge with an unlikely partner in Allen Shawn.

OM have been at the forefront of improvised music for almost 50 years, and ‘It’s About Time’ shows they’re still doing it as well as ever.

Singing and playing like a boss is an under-appreciated talent, and Wendy Eisenberg shows she can handle this demanding dual chore with “Centreville.”

Merzbow, Mats Gustafsson and Balazs Pandi know how to manipulate calmness to make it as impactful as the ceaseless noise that they also create.

A restless, progressive artist through the last 50 years, Terje Rypdal shows he can still pack large ideas into a small band within the tighter confines of a studio.

No matter how free or straight it’s played, ‘The Unidentifiable’ is always eloquent, audacious and artful. The Matthew Shipp Trio continues to set the standard for the modern jazz trio of our time.

Takuya Kuroda already located the sweet spot where funk, jazz, hip-hop and R&B intersect. Now he’s amping up the studio creativity with ‘Fly Moon Die Soon.’

Sameer Gupta and Ben Tyree make music that’s direct and sometimes abrasive but also easy to absorb because they mesh so well together.

Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura always have something new to say in part because they are so open to allowing new musical personalities to disrupt an existing chemistry.

Bob James’ ‘Once Upon a Time’ helps to complete our understanding of an artist far more adventurous than his popular works come close to suggesting.