In imposing his large ambitions on the smaller scale of a quartet, Ches Smith made music that’s still grand in scope with ‘Clone Row.’ All it took were the right partners and some
resourcefulness to pull off that magic act.

In the end, the Sunny Five’s ‘Candid’ is a jam record but in this case, the jams expose just how scary talented this assemblage truly is.

With ‘Collodion,’ Anthony Wilson managed to turn what would be a stressful situation for lesser musicians into a cozy listening experience.

The the music of ‘MYSTIC’ by the expanded Sun of Goldfinger ensemble The Sunny Four lives entirely in the moment while justifying multiple moments re-hearing it.

Sprung from the prolific mind of Rob Mazurek, the Exploding Star Orchestra started out in 2007 reaching toward towering heights of artistry and attaining them. Most amazingly, they still manage to do that today with ‘Lightning Dreamers.’

Seven albums in, the Kaze concept shows no sign of going stale. Every time out they freshen that concept in ingenious ways and ‘Crustal Movement’ with Ikue Mori returning is their most audacious undertaking yet.

In greatly expanding the possibilities for vibraphone and marimba, Patricia Brennan’s ‘More Touch’ takes us to exciting new sonic territory fueled by exceptional musicianship and a lot of gumption.

With ‘Recoil,’ Brad Henkel, Dustin Carlson and Samuel Hall set out and succeeded in making a freeform record that’s not just uncommon, but uncommonly good.

Here is the streaming premiere of “Spider Season,” the dauntless title track from bassist Nick Dunston’s upcoming second album of the same name.

Mind-altering music is usually about textures; Jaimie Branch and Jason Nazary do that part well while also bringing their improvising gifts to the table.