A quintet session led by drummer Billy Drummond – with a great lineup that features Steve Wilson on alto and soprano sax, Steve Nelson on vibes, Renee Rosnes on piano, and Ray Drummond on bass. Rosnes provides three of the compositions and other tracks include Ornette Coleman's "Happy House", Thelonious Monk's "Ruby, My Dear", and Bobby Hutcherson's "8/4 Beat". CD

Hank Jones on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. CD

Billy Pierce on tenor sax, Donald Brown on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Features Ray Drummond on bass, Craig Handy on tenor and soprano, Stephen Scott on piano, and Billy Hart on drums! CD

A sweet lineup that includes Gary Bartz on alto and soprano saxophones, Chris Potter on tenor, Renee Rosnes on piano, and Billy Hart on drums! CD

Nat Adderley on cornet, Vincent Herring on alto saxophone, Rob Bargad on piano, James Genus on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Nat Adderley on cornet, Vincent Herring on alto saxophone, Rob Bargad on piano, James Genus on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

John Campbell on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. Tracks include "Four In One", "Steps", "Maiden Voyage", "Sea Journey", and "I Waited For You". CD

One of the best albums in years from altoist Jesse Davis – recorded in a relaxed, open-ended style that really unlocks some new magic in his horn! Davis' studio records are all quite nice, but this live date really takes him to places we've never heard before – a really old school exploration of alto modes that brings us back to Stitt or Criss, and shows a long-winded creativity we hardly knew that Jesse had. The rhythm section really helps the feel of the record, too – with a lot of humanity in the piano of Spike Wilner, mixed with the impeccable work of Peter Washington on bass and Billy Drummond on drums. Ryan Kisor's trumpet adds one more horn to the mix – and titles include "I'll Close My Eyes", "Piece Of The Apple", "Pray Thee/Beyond The Storm", "Journey From The Lighthouse", and "Body & Soul". CD

John Hebert on bass, Andy Milne on piano, Billy Drummond on drums, and Jen Shjyu on vocals. CD

A later set from pianist Andrew Hill – with Ron Horton on trumpet, Greg Tardy on flute and tenor, Marty Erlich on alto, Scott Colley on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums! CD

Lee Konitz on alto saxophone, Rich Perry on tenor saxophone, Harold Danko on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Harold Land on tenor sax, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums! CD

Charles McPherson is one of those players who had a unique vibe right from the start – and is one who's continued that way, even well into his many decades in music! This live set has McPherson demonstrating his amazing sense of tone and phrasing – an approach to the alto sax that's really unlike anyone else, and which steps away from expectations with all these strong solo moments in a group that also features excellent trumpet from Terell Stafford, plus piano from Jeb Patton, bass from David Wong, and drums from Billy Drummond. The set features a number of great originals – "Ode To Barry", "Surge", "Dynamic Duo", and "Blues For Lonnie In Three" – plus nice takes on "Old Folks" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". CD

Charles McPherson is one of those players who had a unique vibe right from the start – and is one who's continued that way, even well into his many decades in music! This live set has McPherson demonstrating his amazing sense of tone and phrasing – an approach to the alto sax that's really unlike anyone else, and which steps away from expectations with all these strong solo moments in a group that also features excellent trumpet from Terell Stafford, plus piano from Jeb Patton, bass from David Wong, and drums from Billy Drummond. The set features a number of great originals – "Ode To Barry", "Surge", "Dynamic Duo", and "Blues For Lonnie In Three" – plus nice takes on "Old Folks" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". LP, Vinyl record album

Grachan Moncur III and Dave Woodley on trombone, Tim Hagans on trumpet, Gary Bartz on alto saxophone, Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone, Billy Harper on tenor saxophone, John Clark on Frnech horn, Ray Drummond on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. CD

Native Colours is Ralph Moore on saxophones, Renee Rosnes on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Rich Perry on tenor, Frank Kimbrough on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Tim Ries on tenor and soprano saxophone, Scott Wendholt on trumpet, Ben Monder on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

Pianist Renee Rosnes joins The Drummonds group of drummer Billy Drummond and bassist Ray – bringing her sweetly swinging style on the keys into play with the pair's spacious approach to rhythm! There's an open, contemplative quality to this record that we really like a lot – one that approaches the familiar tunes with a bit of pause at times – pulling them apart, contemplating the components, then rolling forward with confidence into a more lively approach to the tune. We don't remember Renee ever sounding this good on other records – and titles include "Never Let Me Go", "My One & Only Love", "Stally By Starlight", "Gone With The Wind", "Angel Eyes", and "A Beautiful Friendship". CD

With Kenny Barron on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

John Tchicai plays the music of Thelonious Monk, and a few of his own tunes too – in a wonderful set that shows beautifully why we always look out for work from this enigmatic saxophonist! There's definitely a Monkish vibe to the record, but Tchicai's approach is often quite personal too – creating warmth where others might have kept things angular, or changing up the pacing of the tunes – so that he's always leaving a very strong imprint of his own on the recordings, and not just covering too-familiar Monk territory. Each tune has a slightly different execution – and many numbers have John stepping out sparely, blowing in the lead – but with some warmth and depth that's quite different than the coldness of his modern moments from years back. And there's also a bit of Hammond on the record – played by George Colligan, who also alternates on piano – and use of that instrument really makes for a fresh sound too – a wonderful change that's almost like some 60s soul jazz take on Monk. Bass is by Steve Laspina and drums are by Billy Drummond – and titles include "Monk's Mood", "Coming On The Hudson", "Light Blue", "Ugly Beauty", "Ruby My Dear", "Ask Him Now", and "Cool Copy". CD