‘Testament’ leaves me wondering why Avram Fefer isn’t more widely noticed. He consistently brings the goods in composition, technique and sidemen – and delivers.

Divergent, fearless, unpredictable and vulnerable, Jaimie Branch has made good on the great promise of ‘Fly or Die’ by soaring again on ‘Fly or Die II: bird dogs of paradise.’

Chad Taylor’s first solo album shows you stuff you won’t hear on all the numerous, critically acclaimed projects he became involved with.

With the unusual structure of the electro-acoustic trio Hearts & MInds come opportunities to implement ideas you couldn’t really pull off in a ‘normal’ trio setting. ‘Electroradiance’ adroitly exploits those opportunities.

The fourth Frequency Response release from Tom Abbs could well be his last for a long time; the man’s got things to do. If that’s the case, it’s all the more reason to savor ‘Hawthorne.’

Full of vigor and moxie from start to finish, ‘Sing Me Some Cry’ harnesses the savvy of its participants, but that vast potential is reached only because Eric Revis has the insight to get so much out of them, and they in turn get the most out of Revis’ compositions.

In thirty-five short minutes, Jaimie Branch said a lot about what she’s offering to the realm of outward-bound jazz. If ‘Fly or Die’ is only her Chapter One, I can hardly wait to hear the rest of this book.

Here is an advance stream from Rob Mazurek / Exploding Star Orchestra’s upcoming ‘Galactic Parables: Volume 1,’ an early ’70s-styled rock/jazz orgy.

S. Victor Aaron picks the best of 2014’s avant-garde and experimental jazz, including Roscoe Mitchell, Jimmy Giuffre, Wadada Leo Smith and others.

Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor’s deft application of lo-fi electronics to out-jazz has been celebrated here a few times, and Locus, their second release with Northern Spy Records, is another reason to celebrate. You May Also Like: Rob Mazurek Quintet’s hypnotic, diverse Sound Is rewarded close listens Novellino / RosiRead More