Features Terell Stafford on trumpet and Ron Blake on tenor. CD

Features Dave Douglas on trumpet – with Chris Speed on tenor, Joshua Roseman on trombone, and Uri Caine on piano! 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

Art Farmer blows here with a great group – Slide Hampton on trombone, Ron Blake on tenor and soprano, and Geoff Keezer on piano! CD

Twin trumpet and flugelhorn work from Art Farmer and Tom Harrell – with Ron Blake on tenor and soprano, and Geoff Keezer on piano! CD

A quintet session. Tracks include "Count Up", "Sheer Lunacy", "Inner Urge", "Bells", and "Elvinesque". CD

One of the most soulful sessions we've ever heard from reedman Chico Freeman – a session that's still mostly jazz, but which also brings in a host of other styles as well! The "project" in the title is well placed – as Chico's getting help from a lot of other guests on the record – keyboardist Misha Tsiganov, guitarist Bill White, vibist Alexi Tsiganov, percussionist Nikos Kiourktsis, and bassist Orlando Marin – plus singers Jennifer Hamady and Athina Kostavara, who add a surprising vocal element to the set. Not all tracks have vocals, but their presence seems to bring in a smoother side overall – and Chico even sings a bit himself on one number. Titles include "Lift Me Up", "Tzivaeri", "Cartagena", "Part Of Me", "Miss You Like Smoking", "India Blue", and "Didn't Even Know You". CD

Charles McPherson on alto saxophone – with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Santi Debriano on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

Features Myra Melford on piano, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Chris Speed on tenor sax and clarinet, Eirk Friedlander on cello, and Michael Sarin on drums. CD

Features Myra Melford on piano and harmonium, Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor sax, Cuong Vu on trumpet, Stomu Takeishi on bass guitar, and Kenny Wollesen on drums. CD

Myra Melford on piano, accompanied by Marty Ehrlich on alto saxophone, clarinet, and bass clarinet. CD

Myra Melford on piano and harmonium, Stomu Takeishi on bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums and percussion. CD

Features Ted Nash on tenor, clarinet, and bass clarinet – with work from Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, and William Schimmel on accordion! CD

Ted Nash on tenor sax, clarinet & alto flute, Tomas Ulrich on cello, Ben Allison on double bass, Tim Horner on drums, Frank Kimbrough on piano, Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, Erik Charlston on vibraphone & percussion, Ron Lawrence on viola & Joyce Hammann on violin. CD

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A serious later session from Don Sebesky – one that shows that he's still capable of plenty of darkness in his music, even after scoring some smoother sets in the 70s! The album's definitely got something of a "jazz orchestra" feel – with a full orchestra that initiates the proceedings, and sets the scene with a low-toned, rumbling sort of style – before the album then opens up into some much more jazz solo-based work that has a much more redemptive feel! Players include Alex Foster on tenor, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Gordon Beck on piano, Richard Davis on guitar, and Joe Beck on guitar – all of whom get some nice space to state their cases as the album rolls on – on three long tracks that include "Bird & Bela In B", "Rite Of Spring", and "Sebastian's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio date – with Ray Drummond on bass and Billy Hart on drums! CD

Essentially the US release of Nicola Conte's Jet Sounds LP on Schema – with a few different tracks, but mostly the same lineup. Conte's a genius, and the album's a breathtaking mix of 60s bossa, soundtrack, and easy themes – put together with never a dull moment, and always a focus on the kind of mid and uptempo grooves that have been pushing the Italian and German scenes for the last 5 years. The record features tracks from a few of Nicola's 12" singles, plus a wealth of excellent new material that really expands his groove wonderfully – with a totally real, totally honest sound that pushes past the gazillion retro remix throwaway albums that you'll find stuffing the listening stations at the megastores! Tracks include "Fucco Fatuo", "Il Cerchio Rosso", "Dossier Omega", "Arabesque", "Mambo De Los Dandies", "Jazz Pour Dadine", and "The In Samba". CD

The genius of Nicola Conte gets the remix treatment – in this wonderful new album that steps off heavily from his massive Jet Sounds set of a few years ago! If you know Nicola, he's the wunderkind behind the Schema label – and, probably more than anyone in the world right now, one of the few producer/musicians who can really handle a retro-sounding groove. Conte's steeped in classic jazz, soundtracks, and bossa nova – all of which come into play in his music – and this set has him working with a host of able talents who help to take his unique creative vision even farther than before! Titles include "Jazz Pour Dadine" remixed by The Dining Rooms, "Arabesque" done by Micatone, "Forma 2000" reformed by Les Gammas, "Dossier Omega" redone by Espen Horne, "The In Samba" done by Kyoto Jazz Massive, "Missione A Bombay" by Eddy & Dus, "Mambo De Los Dandies" by Gerardo Frisina, and "Trappola Mortale (traffic replay) done anew by The Freeform Arkestra. CD

The genius of Nicola Conte gets the remix treatment – in this wonderful new album that steps off heavily from his massive Jet Sounds set of a few years ago! If you know Nicola, he's the wunderkind behind the Schema label – and, probably more than anyone in the world right now, one of the few producer/musicians who can really handle a retro-sounding groove. Conte's steeped in classic jazz, soundtracks, and bossa nova – all of which come into play in his music – and this set has him working with a host of able talents who help to take his unique creative vision even farther than before! US version features a slightly different track list than the European one – with titles that include "Arabesque (vocal version)" done by Micatone, "Forma 2000" reformed by Les Gammas, "Tema In Hi Fi" by Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella, "Jet Sounds" by Nuspirit Helsinki, "Bossa Per Due" by Thievery Corporation, "Fuoco Fatuo" by Koop, "New Standards" by Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella, "Love Me Till Sunday" by Nicola Conte, "Dossier Omega" redone by Espen Horne, "The In Samba" done by Kyoto Jazz Massive, "Missione A Bombay" by Eddy & Dus, and "Mambo De Los Dandies" by Gerardo Frisina. CD

Completely evocative late life work from Chet Baker – one of the last albums he ever recorded, and a set that shows just how much Baker kept evolving in the later years of his career! Given some of the personal troubles that plagued Chet over the decades, there's sometimes a thought out there that he was a weaker version of himself at this time – but that's definitely not the case, as Baker really shifted his sound and style to accommodate some of his challenges, at a level that maybe made the music even more powerful than some of his music from years before! Some of the best moments here feature contributions from key musical partner of the 80s Nicola Stilo, who uses flute, guitar, and piano in these light ways while Chet's soloing with this strong, fluid vibe that's a real surprise – gentle, but extremely powerful. A few cuts bring in a bit of keyboards, and Chet sings a bit – but his best "singing" here is through his trumpet, which is still a hell of a voice in jazz. Titles include "Chet's Blues", "Waiting For Chet", "The Party Is Over", "With Sadness", "Deep Arabesques", and "Like The Precedent" – plus a lovely reading of the Elvis Costello tune "Almost Blue". CD