There were two discoveries with ‘Science Friction +size’: When a quartet discovered new possibilities with a trumpeter, and when Tim Berne scraped a shiny disc off the floor.

‘Threads’ is the kind of opening statement that usually takes several tries to nail down, but the Caterpillar Quartet blends a variety of styles to make ostensibly jazz that’s often hard to neatly categorize when you dig deep into these songs.

Individually and collectively, Tim Berne’s Hardcell trio was amazing and the live souvenir ‘The Cosmos’ confirms that.

Dave Gisler’s highly improvisational trio is a natural in a live setting. Add the like-minded trumpeter Jaimie Branch to the mix, and those qualities are taken up a couple of notches.

If you’re going to go extreme, do it with conviction. Jon Irabagon, Mike Pride, Mick Barr and Ava Mendoza are committed as ever for ‘I Don’t Hear Nothin’ But The Blues Volume 3: Anatomical Snuffbox.’

The first encounter of tenor sax boss Rich Halley and the Matthew Shipp Trio worked out so well, they quickly decided to do it again.

The genius of Steve Lacy isn’t that easy to articulate but Phil Sudderberg, Charlie Kirchen and Jason Stein take great care of the soprano saxophone legacy when they play his ‘Clinkers’ solo masterpiece with all the invention and attitude of the original.

OM have been at the forefront of improvised music for almost 50 years, and ‘It’s About Time’ shows they’re still doing it as well as ever.

Singing and playing like a boss is an under-appreciated talent, and Wendy Eisenberg shows she can handle this demanding dual chore with “Centreville.”

Merzbow, Mats Gustafsson and Balazs Pandi know how to manipulate calmness to make it as impactful as the ceaseless noise that they also create.