Features Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – plus David Fathead Newman on sax. (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

The music here is as evocative as the title – almost a mix of contemporary Blue Note modes with older ECM styles – all served up as a perfect showcase for the ever-growing talents of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire! We've really dug the last two records from Ambrose, and this one seems to push his voice even father than before – sometimes in smaller acoustic settings, sometimes with a bit of vocals, and sometimes a bit of strings – performed by a shifting lineup that includes guests Becca Stevens, Theo Bleckmann, and Cold Specks on vocals – plus a core group that includes Walter Smith on tenor and Sam Harris on piano. Titles include "Marie Christie", "Memo", "Ceasless Inexhaustible Child", "Rollcall For Those Absent", "Vartha", and "Our Basement". CD

A fantastic album from trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire – a set that really kicks his career up to the next level, and which is easily the most powerful record he's ever given us! The music finds Ambrose in many moods, all of them righteous – sometimes blowing hard and fierce in a small combo, sometimes issuing out more personal statements in a more stripped-down setting – working with players that include Harish Raghavan on bass, Justin Brown on drums, and Sam Harris on piano – plus vocalist Genevieve Artadi on one especially beautiful number that features Akinmusire on Fender Rhodes! We've loved the music of Ambrose for many years – and this is one of those faith-rewarding sets that always makes it so wonderful to follow the career of any key jazz musician – as we hope you'll also find on titles that include "Roy", "4623", "Moon", "Tide Of Hyacinth", "Cynical Sideliners", and "Mr Roscoe". CD

A wonderful album of straight ahead jazz – cut by a current combo from Italy, but done with a really classic sound! The style here is a bit like that of the straighter jazz albums on Schema Records – all acoustic, but often highly rhythmic – and focused in styles that explore older Italian modal jazz of the 60s, as well as some of the deeper shadings of the Blue Note scene from years back! The lineup is incredibly strong – with tenor from Daniele Scannapieco, trumpet from Fabrizio Bosso, and piano from Luca Mannutza, whose firm work and bold notes on the keys really give the album a lot of drive and fire! CD features Nicola Conte remixes of the leadoff track "Conversation" – which is actually great enough in its original version by the group – and other tracks include "Wide Green Eyes", "The Driver", "Shade Of Gira", "Dubai", and "Campagna". CD

No rift in decorum here – as the record may well be one of the tightest, most focused efforts we've ever heard from trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire – a beautifully-played live set from a really wonderful quartet! Ambrose shapes his notes perfectly throughout – over these building, blocky piano parts from Sam Harris – whose sense of color both balances and amplifies the presence of the leader. The pairing is so great, we might almost miss the work of Harish Raghavan on bass and Justin Brown on drums – except for moments when they burst out in waves of richness that are very inspirational. The song style and length shifts throughout, but never breaks the cohesiveness of the set – and titles include "Brooklyn", "Moment In Between The Rest", "Umteyo", "Maurice & Michael", "Taymoor's World", "Condor", "Withered", and "HAMS". CD

A brilliant update of the older Blue Note All-Stars concept – a set that features a tremendous lineup of the contemporary talents who've helped shape the new sound of the label in recent years – including trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Kendrick Scott, and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland. The set's produced by Glasper, and has all the open, soulful currents of his own great records for the label – but also really draws a lot from the contributions of the other heavyweights too – as they work together on a se of mostly original tunes, all with shapes and sounds that you never would have expected on Blue Note in years past. We're huge fans of this direction of the label – and appreciate the way that they've found a way to keep things creatively soulful, but without rehashing the past or resorting to easy gimmicks. There's a depth here that would have made the old school proud – and titles include "Bayyinah", "Cycling Through Reality", "Witch Hunt", "Second Light", "Freedom Dance", and "Message Of Hope" – plus a few shorter tracks dedicated to Bruce Lundvall, the always-optimistic champion who headed the label in the years before his death. CD

Features Herbie Hancock on piano! CD

A lovely title, and a lovely little record too – every bit as poetic as its promise – with haunting trumpet lines by Ambrose Akimusire, nestled nicely in an acoustic quintet that also features Gerald Clayton on piano and Walter Smith III on tenor! There's an understated quality to the record that's really nice – none of the too-modern modes you might guess from the cover image (we'll admit that sometimes we're suspicious of contemporary Blue Note mixing it up too much) – and instead a style that's mighty fresh, yet still pretty earthy – modern, yet never too outside – and a sense of soul that informs proceedings and really helps keep things on track. Titles include "Jaya", "Henya", "Far But Few Between", "Confessions To My Unborn Daughter", "The Walls Of Lechuguilla", and "My Name Is Oscar". CD

One of the leading lights of the ECM Records scene in the early 80s – bassist Marc Johnson, working here with his successful Bass Desires group! The lineup features some wonderful interplay on stringed instruments – Johnson's bass, and guitars from both John Scofield and Bill Frisell, the later of whom also plays a bit of guitar synthesizer, in very ECM-shaped lines. Drums are from Peter Erskine, who's well-heard when the moment allows – and titles include "Samurai Hee Haw", "Mojo Highway", "Thanks Again", "Bass Desires", and "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair". CD

With Kenny Barron on piano – plus Erik Friedlander on cello. (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Martin Pickett on piano, Steve Waterman on trumpet, Mark Bassey on trombone, Paul Jefferies on double bass, and Ben Twyford on drums. CD

On Great Summit Duke joins the combo of Louis Armstrong on piano – a group that includes Trummy Young on trombone and Barney Bigard on clarinet! We've always loved Duke Ellington's soundtracks, and Paris Blues is one of his best! The score is a moody introspective one, written for a 1961 film that starred Paul Newman as a frustrated jazz musician living in Paris. The "Paris Blues" theme is a dark, somber composition that is supposedly Newman's masterpiece as a jazz writer – and it works beautifully with the film's themes of frustration and unfulfilled desire. Ellington's at his best here, and apart from the main theme, the score also has great versions of classics like "Mood Indigo" and "Take The A Train", plus originals like "Nite", "Wild Man Moore", "Guitar Amour", and "Paris Stairs". Also features Louis Armstrong on one track! CD

Seminal work from Dizzy – showing that he was a genius in any form of jazz! In the mid 50s, Diz had one of the hippest big bands going – filled with great young players that included Lee Morgan, Joe Gordon, Melba Liston, Benny Golson, Billy Mitchell, and Walter Davis Jr. The work he crafted here was partly an extension of his earlier bop sides, but also a demonstration of his desire to express himself in more expansive forms – kind of a hint of the direction he'd take in the 60s, with his work in Latin, soundtrack, and funk styles. The set combines tracks from 3 different Verve albums – and it also packages the material with a number of previously unissued tracks, and some great liner notes that do a wonderful job of summing up the spirit of the work. Arrangements are by AK Salim, Quincy Jones, Tadd Dameron, and Dizzy himself – and tracks include "Jordu", "Tin Tin Deo", "Groovin For Nat", "Dizzy's Business", "Jessica's Day", "Doodlin", "Yo No Quiero Bailar", "Birk's Works", "Tangorine", "Umbrella Man", and "Mayflower Rock". 42 tracks in all! CD

A bit more of a high concept album than some of Wynton Marsalis' previous efforts – a set with a few more added horns on side one, and an extended suite on side two! The work definitely shows Wynton's increasing concern with jazz history – his desire to embrace, and sometimes represent, decades of past musical expression in his work – a real Lincoln Center sort of impulse, but one that still comes off relatively well here, and without as much hoke as you'd expect. Side one has Wynton working with regular pianist Marcus Roberts, plus Todd Williams on tenor and soprano sax and Wes Anderson on alto – and side two features a completely different group, much more in an older-styled jazz vein – with Michael White on clarinet, Danny Barker on banjo, Teddy Riley on trumpet, and Freddie Lonzo on trombone. Titles include "The Majesty Of The Blues", "Hickory Dickory Dock", and the expanded "New Orleans Function" suite. CD

A trio of fantastic albums from Christian Scott – all packaged together! First up is Ruler Rebel – a fantastic step forward for trumpeter Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah – an artist who takes on a new name with this recording, and a vibrant new sound as well! Scott still plays trumpet, but he also works with some electronics and effects, too – in a group that mixes acoustic elements from piano, flute, and percussion with electric work on Fender Rhodes and guitar – all in a sound that's swirlingly soulful, and as enigmatic as you might expect! The music reaches back to some deeper roots, but reworks the sound completely with lots of contemporary elements – and Scott's trumpet takes on a new sort of majesty in the setting – maybe hitting the promise we first saw in his music years back, but with even more focus here. Titles include "Encryption", "The Coronation Of X A Tunde Adjuah", "The Reckoning", "Ruler Rebel", and "New Orleanian Love Song". Next is Diaspora – a set that has Christian Scott really opening with a new sense of pride and power after adopting the Atunde Adjuah name – and blowing here not just on trumpet, but also "reverse flugelhorn", sirenette, and siren – and also using some sonic architecture to open up and expand his sound! Rhythms are a compelling mix of drum programs and acoustic percussion – peppered with work on alto, Fender Rhodes, bass, guitar, and drums – in this groove that's much more sharp-edged and sonically compelling than most other projects of this nature. Titles include "Lawless", "Our Lady Of New New Orleans", "IDK", "Desire & The Burning Girl", "Completely", "No Love", and "The Walk". Last is Emancipation Proclamation – part of Scott's brilliant trilogy that has him reworking his sound even more than before – using his horn in both acoustic and electric settings, and mixing with bits of funk and deeper musical currents – all at a level that's vaguely in the territory of Don Cherry in the 70s, but served up with a vibe that's very much Christian's own! Rather than be buried in the mix of percussion, Fender Rhodes, and other horns here – Scott seems to be set free, and really opens up with both the space of his solos, and the style of his phrasing – which is even more personal than before. The other players are great, too – a shifting lineup who retain the same bristling energy throughout – on titles that include "Ashes Of Our Forever", "The Emancipation Procrastination", "AvengHer", "Cages", "New Heroes", "Videotape", "The Cypher", "Michele With One L", and "Unrigging November". CD

Ches Smith on drums, Miguel Zenon on alto sax, Matt Mitchell on piano, Nick Dunston on bass, and Daniel Brevil, Fanfan Jean-Guy Rene, and Markus Schwartz on percussion – plus Sirene Dantor Rene on vocals. CD

The Blue Note debut of tenorist Walter Smith III – a player who's been making great music for almost 20 years on record, yet who really seems to push himself even more here! The album seems to mark a new chapter in Smith's music, and one that also really has a distinct voice on the tenor as well – a mode that's pointed and personal, yet sometimes understated too – at a level that has Walter's role in the rest of the group's sound as important to his individual presence as a soloist. The group sparkles with work from Taylor Eigsti on piano, Matt Stevens on guitar, Harish Ragavan on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums – and Ambrose Akinmusire guests on trumpet on one key track too. But throughout, the vision is that of Smith – not just for his own horn, but that of the whole group – as they move through tunes that include "Shine", "Contra", "Lamplight", "Mother Stands For Comfort", and "Pup Pow". CD

Pivotal work from Waldron – stepping out of the blowing session mode, emerging as one of the 60s most striking moderinists. Like a lot of Waldron's records from the time, this set shows an amazing desire for new forms and modern ideas, and the mix of players – Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, Ron Carter, Joe Benjamin, and Charlie Persip – pulls the material in a number of different ways. Carter plays bowed cello, as he did on Dolphy's Out There session, and he gives the set a dark moody feel. Ervin's in his best modernist mode, and he ably trades lines with Dolphy and keeps the whole thing moving nicely. Waldron's writing and arranging is superb, and the tracks feature a lot of weird time structures and unusual modal patterns. Includes the tracks "Status Seeking", "Warm Canto", "Warp and Woof", and "Fire Waltz". CD

A long-unavailable album from Andrew Hill – a quartet date that's filled with jagged edges and bold fragments of sound! The material was recorded in the 60s, but not issued at the time – and only appeared briefly in the mid 70s as part of a Sam Rivers 2LP set titled Involution. There's a really strong new thing vibe going on here – at a level that matches the brilliance of Hill's Smokestack album, but which is perhaps even better, given Rivers' sharp lines on tenor! As with many of the best Blue Note sets in this mode, the bass and drums almost get equal space with the main solo instruments – so that the percussion of JC Moses and bass of Walter Booker often hang out in space, shaping the sound of the record on their own, as all players contribute equally to the structure of the songs. Hill wrote all the numbers on the set, and titles include "Violence", "Pain", "Illusion", "Hope", "Lust", and "Desire". CD also features 2 alternate takes of "Violence" and "Desire". CD

The Chicago Blues Piano Masters are Barrelhouse Chuck, Detroit Junior, Erwin Helfer, and Pinetop Perkins doing solos and duets. (Blues, Jazz) CD

Includes the songs "Bayou Fever", "The Gri Gri Man", "To Be Continued", "One For Eric", "Unshielded Desire", and "Blue". CD