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

Late work from Chet Baker, but great work too – and sounds that have Baker returning to an incredibly strong sense of force in the final year of his life! We love some of Chet's records from earlier in the decade, but many of those are a bit laidback – kind of a beautiful exploration of space and lanquidity. But here, Baker's got a hell of a fire – blowing crisp notes that are given a wonderful drive from a quartet that features Harold Danko on piano, Hein Van De Geyn on bass, and John Engels on drums! Chet sings a bit, but the real showcase is his trumpet work – superb, and maybe still at the top of the range of trumpeters working at the time on the planet – on titles that include "Portrait In Black & White", "Stella By Starlight", "For Minors Only", and "My Funny Valentine" – plus a nice reading of the Elvis Costello tune "Almost Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

Features vocals from Elvis Costello and Debbie Harry. CD

Features Bill Frisell, Vernon Reid, Geri Allen, Don Byron, Elvis Costello, Mark Ribot, Greg Cohen, Don Alias, Dr. John, and many others. CD

Featured guests include Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello, Marc Ribot, Bruce Hornsby, Branford Marsalis, Jerry Garcia, Willie Dixon, and Neil Young! CD

A stunning reinvention of the music of Charles Mingus – still very much with all the fire and spirit of the great one's original intent – but taken to new territory here in the hands of Frank Lacy! Lacy is every bit the same sort of visionary leader as Mingus – and although he plays a hell of a trombone, he acts here mostly as a singer and director of a sublime large ensemble that features Jack Walrath and Lew Soloff on trumpets, Wayne Escoffery and Craig Handy on tenors, Conrad Herwig and Earl McIntyre on trombones, Ronnie Cuber on baritone, and David Kikoski and Helen Sung on piano. Frank's voice is warmly raspy, and deeply personal – just right for the straining tension that often comes from the best Mingus music – that yearning for expression that continues to make his sound so powerful. Lyrics here are penned by Mingus himself – plus Langston Hughes, Joni Mitchell, and Elvis Costello – and titles include "Weird Nightmare", "Consider Me", "Eclipse", "Chair In The Sky", "Noonlight", "Dry Cleaner From Des Moines", and "Sweet Sucker Dance". CD

A really great change in the music of Swedish guitarist Johan Lindstrom – music that expands the vision of his previous record, and also explores some more song-based territory – while still allowing for lots of musical contributions from other players we love on the Moserobie label! You know something's different when Elvis Costello steps in on the first track for a bit of spoken lyrics to a song he wrote with Lindstrom – and things continue to move in other ways throughout – with vocals from Sofie Livebrandt on two tracks, amidst work from Jonas Kullhammar on saxes and flute, Per Texas Johansson on clarinet and tenor, Jesper Nordenstrom on piano and organ, Mats Aleklint on trombone Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass, and Konrad Agnas on drums! Most tracks are relatively short, but work together well – and there are definitely moments of improvisation amidst some of the more structured elements of the record – on titles that include "What What", "Homeward", "Trombone Interlude", "Edwards Chacone", "Music Orbit Box", "Septet Serenade", "Echoes Across The Dunes", and "Worms Of Underground". CD