With ‘Fractal Sextet,’ guitarist/composer Stephan Thelen doesn’t necessarily introduce new ideas, but he takes good ideas he already developed and puts them into a new framework. That makes the music that resulted from this sound just as fresh.

With ‘Parallel Motion,’ the Yellowjackets continue to defy the tendency of even the best bands to run out of steam and go stale.

Cymbalic Encounters’ latest prog-rock/jazz collaboration with Brand X players Percy Jones and John Goodsall finds a delightful and always gamboled groove.

Those favoring something jazzy and a little out of the ordinary will find Tritone Asylum’s ‘The Hideaway Sessions’ a rewarding listen.

With the inspired assortment of musicians backing bandleader Mike Rivard, Club d’Elf’s ‘You Never Know’ sounds like the go-to world fusion album of 2022.

Tony Williams’ new remaster of the barely released 1980 record ‘Play or Die’ is much more than a curiosity. It’s a legit statement on fusion jazz.

‘Don’t Know’ is the Claudio Scolari Project’s third album in as many years, as the improvisational, familial quartet continues a roll that they don’t seem to want to slow down.

E3 by Alex Lakusta’s ‘Transmit Slow’ offers something for those looking for musicianship and for those who crave electrified sonics and interesting chord progressions.

Sun of Goldfinger’s ‘OZMIR’ is strangely enchanting even as it challenges you, and the only thing more astonishing is that such fully developed pieces of depth, mystery and just damned fine playing can be cooked up so quickly.

With the lively ‘Lifted,’ Trombone Shorty lifts up people with feel-good music rooted in the 20th century but is the perfect tonic for the 21st century.