Here we are well into the 21st century and Sun Ra’s music from these mid-70s performances is in some ways, still ahead of the present time.

Pianist John Escreet took his great L.A. group and made it even better for the epicenter of your dreams.’ Call it addition by sweet addition.

SticklerPhonics’ secret weapon isn’t the combination of instruments, but the imagination and wherewithal to make music that’s fresh and fun.

John Blum’s ‘Deep Space’ might have some Sun Ra flavor in it thanks to Marshall Allen, but the free jazz pianist follows his own muse and it’s a good one.

‘Vivid Tales of A Blurry Self-Portrait’ tells a story with not words but with feel, and you can’t help but notice the unpretentious emotional investment Nicola Caminiti put into his debut album.

Defying smooth jazz stereotypes, David Sanborn shined when joined fellow ex-Julius Hemphill pupil Tim Berne in adventurous performances of Hemphill songs.

Often situated in a cloud of opaque neo-funk, the late David Sanborn’s talents could be understandably obscured. Yet, there’s no mistaking, or escaping, that tone.

Spin-offs usually aren’t as successful as the original thing. That axiom never applies to Ivo Perelman projects, though, and for ‘Duologues 1-Turning Point,’ a peak performing Perelman gets Tom Rainey’s best.

Like a fingerprint or snowflake, Ivo Perelman’s and Matthew Shipp’s ‘Magical Incantation’ is unique within a collection of other unique tie-ups even if the basic approaches are similar.

Emphasizing a loosely-structured, open approach, the Tomeka Reid Quartet builds on the success of the prior two outings with ‘3+3.’