With eCsTaSy now six years running, Raoul Björkenheim decided to fully harness the trust built up with eCsTaSy over that time and ‘Doors Of Perception’ is the triumphant result.

Mumpbeak’s ‘Tooth,’ now out via Rare Noise Records, not only continues ideas Roy Powell first put forth on the self-titled debut, but also makes it plain that there’s plenty of room to expand on those ideas.

Teeming with guitars, Wadada Leo Smith’s ‘Najwa’ is one of those particularly bright moments in a catalog full of them.

At a young seventy-six years old, Jerry Granelli still pushes forward even when his muse beckons him back, as it does for the Bill Frisell/Robben Ford reunion ‘Dance Hall.’

Vinnie Sperrazza and his audacious crew once again stretch jazz across multiple red lines and force people to rethink what defines that idiom.

‘Protocol 4’ is another example of how Simon Phillips never rests on his laurels.

Always putting spirituality above improvisation, Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band connects to listeners in a way uncommon for jazz musicians, and ‘Body And Shadow’ continues a remarkable consistency of mission and quality spanning two decades.

For ‘Masonic Lawn,’ Hammond uses Resonator guitars to hold an extemporaneous musical dialogue with Bafus.

Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition’s the original mission of melding modern group-level stream-of-consciousness with contemporary raga remains intact, ‘Agrima’ builds on those original ideas, too.

Chris Comb’s ‘Combsy’ is strongly recommended for those who like the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, but this fuller impression of Combs’ offbeat musical personality is a treat all unto itself.