Ian East’s ‘Inner Paths’ is an ethnic fusion album that’s fun to listen to now and will be fun to listen to a hundred plays from now. Getting a world music education can hardly be more enjoyable than listening to this.

What you get when DeJohnette combines with guys named Coltrane and Garrison doesn’t exactly square up with the mental picture (or rather, mental music) most jazzbos might imagine when those three names are put together. Nonetheless, ‘In Movement’ is no less gratifying.

‘Behind The Vibration’ is a typical Rez Abbasi album in the sense that when you think he’s about to run out of ideas and start repeating himself, he’ll come out with something fresh and stimulating that builds upon what he’s made before.

‘An Untroublesome Defencelessness’ features the collective wisdom of Merzbow, Keiji Haino and Balazs Pandi – three visionary musicians who have made careers out of embracing uncharted territory.

With ‘Music Of Weather Report’, founding bassist Miroslav Vitous makes that point explicitly and abundantly clear why that music is so vital. And like the music Vitous seeks to evoke, this is fusion jazz at its peak.

A few years back the fusion guitarist Mark Lettieri put forward an EP that was all killer/no filler. Three years later, he’s back You May Also Like: Hiromi – Spark (2016) Jeff Lorber Fusion – ‘The Drop’ (2023)

That Nik Bärtsch can apply his innovations so effectively with a bass-less combo and even with a small string section further validates the soundness of this unique approach.

The elusive but exciting ‘Realization’ shows how original and visionary music from original and visionary musicians can be when all the constraints are lifted.

Talented trombonist/composer Matthew Hartnett has identified something culturally valuable in every environment he’s found himself in to make a remarkable introduction.

Jaimeo Brown and Chris Sholar are able to make sense of traditional work songs from the American South and all corners of the world all and place it in the context of the present.