Starting with his 2014 big label debut ‘Rising Son,’ Takuya Kuroda preserved the integrity of jazz as he stretches far beyond its tradition to make it embraceable for newer generations.

Preston Frazier’s Best of 2021 jazz favorites also include terrific releases by Peter DiCarlo, Dan Wilson, Nate Smith, David Garfield and Andrew Green.

Osibisa, Nate Smith and Octarine Sky are part of the latest edition of Five for the Road, an occasional look at music that’s been in my car lately.

Five for the Road focuses on artists I’ve been playing in the car lately. This time, it’s Judith Owen, the Doobie Brothers, Roger Rosenberg, Ari Hest and Nate Smith.

Haskins’ capacity for blending cutting-edge, high-tech means of music making with the handmade, organically conceived method of playing jazz borders on the genius level, and that’s just what he is going for with ‘Gnosis.’

Randy Brecker knows his way around both pop and modern jazz. He puts both together so convincingly on this update of a Donald Fagen classic.

Chris Potter’s string quartet-supplemented ‘Imaginary Cities’ is ambitious, maybe the high-water mark of ambition so far in Potter’s career.