There’s never been a 21st century ESP-Disc that’s sounded so much like a mid-’60s ESP-Disk record than ‘Winter Garden’ by the Flow Trio with Joe McPhee.

‘Threads’ is the kind of opening statement that usually takes several tries to nail down, but the Caterpillar Quartet blends a variety of styles to make ostensibly jazz that’s often hard to neatly categorize when you dig deep into these songs.

Thankfully ESP-Disk made the call to get out to the world Owl Xounds Exploding Galaxy’s ‘The Coalescence,’ a valuable relic from an audacious NYC Downtown band that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Mat Walerian’s latest Okuden project is his most ambitious yet and when you understand the sweeping, cutting-edge careers of his sidemen, you see an artist whose ambitions matches theirs.

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.

Whit Dickey has been an understated but sturdy and vital figure on New York City’s Downtown scene for the last 30 years.

‘Gowanus Sessions II’ is the long-awaited second part of an epic improv recording session from Thollem McDonas, William Parker and Nels Cline.

As the Radical Empathy Trio, Thollem McDonas, Nels Cline and Michael Wimberly brew up two extended 20-minute performances that liberally mix acoustic with electronics.

With ‘Ineffable Joy,’ Ivo Perelman makes a significant addition to free jazz’s most fabled record company catalog.

Matthew Shipp returns to his trio, using a common setup to make music that’s uncommonly advanced and stimulating.