Renee Rosnes on piano, Cecile McLorin Salvant on vocals, Anat Cohen on clarinet and bass clarinet, Melissa Aldana on tenor, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Noriko Ueda on bass, and Allison Miller on drums. CD

The last album that Jimmy Heath ever gave the world – and a record that makes us miss him even more – as the whole thing takes Heath back to that spectacular mix of solo expressionist, thoughtful composer, and sensitive arranger territory of his best early years! And if you want proof of Jimmy's warm, open spirit – the set begins with a one minute bowed bass solo before Heath's horn even comes into play – then works sublime magic on a number of original numbers, and a few well-chosen classics – all put together by Jimmy as a "ballads" album, but in a way that's hugely different from some of the more facile songbook sessions of over-recorded standards. Instead, the Heath arrangements throughout are wonderfully fresh, and have a soulful quality that really blows us away – more than even on some of his other late records, which is what makes this final session so bittersweet. The core group features Kenny Barron on piano, Monte Croft on vibes, Russell Malone on guitar, and Lewis Nash on drums – and the set features vocals from Gregory Porter on one track, and Cecile McLorin Salvant on another – and Wynton Marsalis blows a trumpet solo on a third track. Titles include "Ballad From Upper Neighbors Suiter", "Left Alone", "Inside Your Heart", "La Mesha", "Con Alma", "Fasion Or Passion", and "Don't Explain". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Cecile McLorin Salvant, Vincent Herring, and Dayna Stephens. CD

Archie Shepp returns to some of the hippest, most righteous modes of his early 70s album for Impulse Records – especially those post-Paris sessions that often brought in singers and an expanded instrumental lineup! The performance here is a live one, and features beautiful vocals from Amina Claudine Myers, Marion Rampal, and Cecile McLorin Salvant – who sometimes work in a righteous chorus mode, sometimes sing solo, to bring out this depth in the compositions that we really love. Shep's on tenor and soprano sax, and sings a bit too – and there's a larger ensemble that features Famadou Don Moye on drums and percussion, plus guitar, trumpets, trombones, and even some added strings. Jimmy Owens conducts, and titles include a very cool reworking of the classic "Blues For Brother G Jackson" – plus "Quiet Dawn", "Cry Of My People", "Arms", "Attica Blues", "Mama Too Tight", and "Goodbye Sweet Pops". CD

To fans of the group Rush, the title of this record has a very different meaning than the common one – and, no surprise, pianist Brad Mehldau is actually referencing that song by the group here – which he performs on the record, along with some of their other work – and adds in his own music too – all in pursuit of this amazing blend of spirituality informed by progressive rock! The concept is one that's a bit hard to describe in words, and it's also kind of a mindblowing surprise from Mehldau – music we never would have expected from any of his previous records! There's still a current of jazz on the album, but there's all sorts of other things going on too – a guitar solo on one number, heavy drums on another, and even a vocal contribution from Cecile McLorin Salvant, who also sounds nothing like usual. In addition to remakes of "Tom Sawyer" and "Jacob's Ladder", the set also features the titles "Maybe As His Skies Are Wide", "Herr Und Knect", "Cogs IN Cogs", "Voy Correndo Te Encontrar/Racecar", and "Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album