Not always tuneful but unfailingly engaging and playful, ‘Hearts and Minds’ exemplifies the best qualities of adventurous Chicago jazz.

Ivo Perelman liberally mixes and matches his improv trios for his ‘Art of the Improv Trio’ series and maintains his high standards for free jazz all the same.

Preston Frazier lists his five Best Concerts of 2016, with two special honorable mentions.

Mike Casey is, not to put too fine a point on it, an extraordinary saxophone player.

Rob Reddy’s ‘Citizen Quintet’ imposes itself as more than just a collection of songs but as a creature: inhaling, exhaling, always moving in crooked paths while always finding its way home, displaying evolving emotion as it bursts with complexity.

Memory of Elements’ ‘Now Noise’ is an album with so much going on that you’ll need more than one listen to fully appreciate it.

Adam Schneit keeps the Neil Young-like melody of “A Clearer View” melody well within sight while retaining the immediacy of a good Young song without needing lyrics to get that across.

Guitarist Ryan Blotnick moves back to Maine and an album of eight, spacious Blotnick compositions gently swayed by African-derived rhythms happens.

“The Lady In My Life” is a tribute to the late Rod Temperton’s pop songcrafting genius and the flair Kait Dunton has for surprising, smart arrangements.

‘Concert of the Century: A Tribute to Charlie Parker’ crosses so many boundaries – not the least of which is time.