‘Cloudward’ offers a rare chance to see how Mary Halvorson’s music evolves when everything else is kept the same.

Craft Recordings’ new vinyl pressing of ‘Smack Up’ is flawless, a term that also describes this music from the late alto saxophonist Art Pepper.

‘Interaction’ really all of one big collection of amazing moments, a continuum of passion and a brainstorm of original ideas filtered through three highly trained instruments.

James Brandon Lewis’ quartet albums showcase other sides of his advanced artistry and that heavyweight band. ‘Transfiguration’ is jazz soul music of the highest order.

Peter Himmelman, Marcel Bonfim and Ozomatli are part of the latest edition of Five for the Road, an occasional look at music that’s been in my car lately.

Relaxed yet articulate, it’s easy to see why Deelee Dube is the first European to win the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

With Ches Smith’s recently-earned reputation comes higher expectations, and his upcoming ‘Laugh Ash’ lives up to it with another ambitious project that’s not a mere repeat of what he’s done before.

One of Satoko Fujii’s first ensembles in the mid-90s following her graduate studies was a trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer You May Also Like: Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio – ‘Moon On the Lake’ (2021) Kira Kira [Satoko Fujii] – Bright Force (2018) Satoko Fujii + Alister Spence –Read More

Dave Stryker’s mighty trio got mightier with Bob Mintzer in the mix, justifying picking up ‘Groove Street’ even if you have the group’s other records.

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.