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Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand".

Gil Evans plays some sweet electric piano – and leads a group with Terumasa Hino on trumpet, Lew Soloff on trumpet and piccolo trumpet, George Adams on tenor and flute, and Gerry Niewood on soprano sax and flute!

Gil plays Jimi? Sounds like a gimmick, but it comes off pretty darn great – and it helps you forgive him for trying to convince the kids that he's not as old as his grey hair might make you think! As always with Evans, the key to the album is a beautiful balance between the strength of the players and vision of the arrangements – a hip mix of musicians who include Billy Harper on tenor and flute, Marvin Hannibal Peterson on trumpet, and both Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie on guitars! Arrangements are great too – handled by Tom Malone, Warren Smith, and Howard Johnson – all of whom make the album way more than just an instrumental reading of Jimi Hendrix tunes – and instead a great platform for improvisation that uses tunes that include "Up From The Skies", "Foxy Lady", "Gypsy Eyes", "Voodoo Chile", "Angel", "Crosstown Traffic", and "Castles Made of Sand". CD features 4 bonus alternate takes, too!

Wonderful work from this hip Japanese ensemble – a largeish group who draw on big band modes from earlier generations, yet find a youthful way to create rich new colors, tones, and timings! The set's got a really beautiful reed-heavy approach – one that has all the poetry you might expect from the title – with echoes of Kenton or Gil Evans sorts of arrangements, yet often turned towards the sharper tones of the post-Coltrane generation – and mixed with offbeat rhythms that further push the edges of the tunes. There's also a good number of trumpet and trombone parts, plus lots of great percussion – and titles include "Ladiga", "Divine Gift", "Trivial Chief", "Never Say Die", and "Bold & Able". 2CD set features 7 more bonus tracks too!

The genius of Joe Chambers knows no bounds – and record after record, his recent stretch has really continued to blow our mind! Chambers was always a hell of a talent back in the day – even at his start as a 60s Blue Note sideman – but in the past decade or so, he's really found his voice – and shows a talent for larger-concept projects that's really amazing – such as this project with his Moving Pictures Orchestra! The group's a largeish jazz ensemble with some top-shelf players – and they work together on Chambers arrangements that definitely have a cinematic feel – but there's also a richer jazz-based approach too – one that almost reminds us of classic charts from Gil Evans or Ralph Burns. Players include Craig Handy on tenor and soprano sax, David Weiss and Frank Greene on trumpets, Conrad Herwig and Steve Davis on trombones, Xavier Davis on piano, Steve Berrios on percussion, Dwayne Burno on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums and vibes. Titles include the "Moving Pictures Suite", plus "Lonesome Lover", "Power To The People", "Theme From M Squad", and "Mendacity" – which features vocals from Nicole Guiland.

A set that brings together half small group sessions, and half large group tracks – with Bird fronting orchestras arranged by Joe Lipman and Gil Evans. The small group tracks are both quartet ones – with either Hank Jones or Al Haig on piano – and titles include master takes and alternates of "Cosmic Rays", "Kim", "Laird Baird", and "Chi Chi". Large group tracks include "Night & Day", "Old Folks", "If I Love Again", and "In The Still Of The Night".