Big band music: What does that mean? Apparently a lot of different things to a lot of different musicians.

With ‘Letters to George’ by his exciting new combo GEORGE, John Hollenbeck once again takes a somewhat odd assortment of musicians and shaped them into the something truly fresh and compelling.

On ‘Juba Lee,’ Avram Fefer’s Quartet picks right up where 2019’s ‘Testament’ left off, resulting in another excellent entry from the underrated saxophonist, composer and leader.

Michael Leonhart joined Preston Frazier to discuss his lengthy musical partnership with Steely Dan, among other career highlights.

Michael Leonhart joins Preston Frazier to discuss ‘Bona Fide,’ the longtime Steely Dan collaborator’s current project with rapper JSWISS.

Hal Galper’s ‘Ivory Forest Redux’ easily justifies the decision to polish up these recordings and take them back out of obscurity. Artists well-known and should be better-known all shine on it.

Getting it right instead of getting it sooner paid off handsomely for Trevor Dunn and his Trio-Convulsant on ‘Séances.’

Even now, no one else in jazz compares to Moppa Elliot’s returning Mostly Other People Do the Killing. Audacity with the chops to make it work remains the basic recipe.

Dan Weiss’ innate understanding of tradition picked up from key influences made it possible to move forward in the salient, discriminating way that he did for ‘Dedication.’

Ivo Perelman and Joe Morris are hardly the first saxophone-guitar duo, but they take that combination to its highest possible level with ‘Elliptic Time.’