Cheer-Accident’s ‘Vacate’ is an “easy listening” record from an art rock band that deserves close listening.

Thumbscrew’s elusive sound radically mixes studied with spontaneity and incorporating fresh novel ideas each time around, with ‘Wingbeats’ representing yet another step forward.

Soft Machine’s peak roster playing at peak performance is reason enough to plunk down for ‘Høvikodden 1971’ if this boundary-pushing style of jazz-rock is your thing.

Emphasizing a loosely-structured, open approach, the Tomeka Reid Quartet builds on the success of the prior two outings with ‘3+3.’

Ahleuchatistas long ago proved to be a ferocious live act, so ‘The Summer We Went West [and East] – Live 2006’ is a release that needed to happen.

Michael Formanek, Anthony Pirog and Mike Pride produce the kind of inspired music that comes from jamming – even if the record wasn’t made that way.

Thumbscrew continues to perform greater than the sum of its considerable parts, as ‘Multicolored Midnight’ retains all the freshness of their first time together.

The Fourth Qorld Quartet’s ‘1975’ documents that brief time talented brothers and a colleague came together and really went for it blending free jazz, rock and modern classical.

‘Numbers Maker’ sticks with the Desertion Trio original vision, but that vision is getting rougher and rowdier. Fortunately, Nick Millevoi & Co. know how to do rough ‘n’ rowdy.

The highly distinctive musical personalities of Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek and Tomas Fujiwara and their superhuman telepathy are the only ingredients that carry over from one Thumbscrew album to the next. ‘Never Is Enough’ is full of new daring feats by this amazing trio.