‘The Signal’ is bold, personal and completely lucid audio art from Elizabeth Shepherd. It wouldn’t be overstating it at all to assert that this is the most important vocal jazz record of 2014.

Yes, ‘Apocryphal’ is ethereal, an adjective that might be overused a tad, but it’s all about the way Vinnie Sperrazza and his three accomplices give the music that quality. It puts Sperrazza’s formal debut in a far corner of jazz that’s rarely occupied with so much moxie.

Scott Feiner successfully introduces the pandeiro into electric jazz fusion to produce a breezy concoction that goes down as easy as rum punch, and is just as intoxicating.

This majestic, simmering music is a captivating soundtrack looking for an epic film.

Impossibly labyrinthine but appealing harmonies combine here with a high level of acumen.

The unexpected solitude the master cellist found from the five day loss of power in lower Manhattan from Hurricane Sandy gave him the perspective and focus that provided the material for his bluegrass-tinged combo’s second release, Nighthawks.

With precious few recordings prior to his staggering, self-titled 1976 debut, Jaco Pastorius’ Modern American Music…Period! The Criteria Sessions is a set of demos that, for once, really do matter and matter a lot. You May Also Like: Gerry Gibbs & Thrasher People – Weather Or Not (2017) David Sancious:Read More

The Nels Cline Singers’ identity has always been elusive thing to pin down, which is kind of the point of the band. You May Also Like: The Nels Cline Singers – ‘Share the Wealth’ (2020)

Remember back in the late 90’s, when the then-little-known acid jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood got together with John Scofield and caused a funk-jazz commotion? You May Also Like: Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound – ‘Omnisphere’ (2018)