A beautiful session from Italian trumpeter Fabrizo Bosso and saxophonist Javier Girotto – one that's filled with all the Latin Moods promised in the title! The set steps nicely off some of Bosso's other recent work for Blue Note – with a sound that's evocative, but also pretty lively too – especially given the small combo setting for the date! Bosso's trumpet and flugelhorn come into great play with Girotto's soprano and baritone sax lines – dancing beautifully over some rhythmic backings shaded in with keyboards, piano, and electric bass. The large booklet features some poetic prose that really set the scene for each tune – and although there's a bit of vocals on the record, most numbers are instrumental. Titles include "Volver", "Matias", "Pescao Blanco", "Wide Green Eyes", "Ochenta", "El Cacerolazo", "African Friends", and "Penny". CD

A set that definitely lives up to the poetry promised in its title – with none of the too-clean sounds you might guess from its hand-washing reference either! The album's one of the freest, most organic sessions we've heard from pianist Masabumi Kikuchi – almost improvised at points, but with a poetic cohesion in the piano lines that's really great – kind of an offbeat sense of lyricism that points in the same directions that Steve Kuhn or Keith Jarrett were heading in the late 60s. Drummer Masahiko Togashi plays lots of cool percussion and even a bit of gong – and Gary Peacock's bass here is as great as on any of his other excellent Japanese recordings. Titles include "Dreams", "The Trap", "The Milky Way", "Apple", "Get Magic Again", and "End". CD

The cover looks anime, but the music is anything but – and instead offers up some very live-action interplay between drummer Takeo Moriyama and pianist Fumio Itabashi! Itabashi's music is full of beautifully lyrical colors and tones, which get plenty of space to flow and flower on the album – on live tracks that sometimes have the drums in the lead, with piano responding strongly – sometimes with more emphasis on piano tones, slightly augmented by the drums. The combination is beautiful, and makes for a wonderfully deep record that's neither free jazz improv, nor too-familiar standards. The tunes are as poetic as their titles – which include "A School Of Fish", "Scolded", "Plovers On The Shore", "The Sea Watarase", "Red Dragonflies", and "The Paper Doll In Bridal Kimono". CD

Inventive percussion and amazing bass work – plus a host of other interesting elements as well – all wrapped up beautifully in this unique collaboration between Isao Suzuki and Masahiko Togashi! Both players were some of the most creative of the mainstream Japanese scene of the 70s – Togashi a drummer who'd often go out, but still maintain a sense of soul – and Suzuki a bassist who often used variations of his instrument that were a bit unusual, and which did way more than simple rhythm work! Here, Isao's working with cello, piccolo bass, and regular bass – in addition to piano and percussion – and Togashi plays lots more percussion, and a bit of keyboards too – as both players mix up instrumentation in these sensitive shadings of sound and color that are almost a Japanese equivalent of the best ECM experiments of the 70s. Tunes are all as poetic as they sound from the titles – and titles include "A Day Of The Sun", "Birth Of Yellow Eggs", "Silvery Flash", and "Awakening Of The Fresh Green". LP, Vinyl record album

A key early moment for Keith Jarrett – his first-ever solo album, recorded in the early 70s for ECM – and the start of a huge legacy of later work! Before this set, Jarrett had recorded some compelling trio material for Atlantic – and he was also exploring more spiritually soulful tones over at Impulse Records too. But this record is something else entirely – a new showcase for his sensitive expressions – the kind of angular, yet poetic lines that sparkled strongly in the trio recordings, yet stand out even more on their own! Tunes are beautifully penned – and titles include "In Front", "Ritooria", "Lalene", "Starbright", "Vapallia", and "Semblence". LP, Vinyl record album

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

A beautifully earthy performance – and a set that not only has the three members of the trio on their trademark instruments, but also picking up a wide range of other elements too! Joe Morris is perhaps the most striking here – as in addition to guitar, he also uses banjo, fiddle, bass, banjouke, pocket trumpet, and even a bit of whistles – a sonic sense of variety that's matched by Parker's use of shakuhachi, sintir, n'goni, and thumb piano – all instruments that he plays with the same deeply spiritual currents of his work on bass! Hamid Drake sticks mostly to percussion – a range of drums, cymbals, and gongs – but overall, his performance feels as open and organic as the others – far beyond both standard and free jazz, into a mode that almost works in some ethnographic currents as well. The whole record's as poetic as the title – and tracks include "Profound Branches", "The Sky Was Purple Blue", "Energy Of Patience", "The Rhythm Of Butterflies", "Endless Galaxies", and "Grass Beneath The Cracked Shells". CD

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! Titles include "Cast Adrift", "For A Breath I Tarry", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 2)", "Clear Skies Select Stick", "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 6)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 4)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from pianist Sadik Hakim – a player most people know for his contribution to the American bop scene of the late 40s – but an artist who grew even more strongly during his later years in Montreal! This album's a real highlight from that overlooked time in Hakim's career – a set that not only has the musician playing both Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano, but which also highlights his tremendous skill as a writer, too – with a richness that easily rivals the best on the European scene of the time – such as some of our favorite London jazz musicians, or the great work on MPS. Side one features the extended "London Suite" – a work that's poetic, but also pretty darn groovy too – and side two features on shorter compositions that include "Liliane", "Grey Cup Caper", and "Moon In Aquarius" – all carried off beautifully by a group that includes Al Khabyyr Sayyd Abdul on alto and flute, Billy Robinson on tenor, and Peter Leitch on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest moments ever from pianist Sadik Hakim – a player most people know for his contribution to the American bop scene of the late 40s – but an artist who grew even more strongly during his later years in Montreal! This album's a real highlight from that overlooked time in Hakim's career – a set that not only has the musician playing both Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano, but which also highlights his tremendous skill as a writer, too – with a richness that easily rivals the best on the European scene of the time – such as some of our favorite London jazz musicians, or the great work on MPS. Side one features the extended "London Suite" – a work that's poetic, but also pretty darn groovy too – and side two features on shorter compositions that include "Liliane", "Grey Cup Caper", and "Moon In Aquarius" – all carried off beautifully by a group that includes Al Khabyyr Sayyd Abdul on alto and flute, Billy Robinson on tenor, and Peter Leitch on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

A really pivotal album from the great Art Farmer – a late 50s session that has him finding that sense of tone and timing that would dominate his work in years to come! Art was already great by the time of this set, but he's also got maybe a more personal, almost poetic vibe at times – starting to realize that the space between the notes is as important as the notes themselves, while still maybe holding onto a slight bit of the bite of his earliest recordings too. The group is a very well-matched trio of easygoing modernists – Hank Jones on piano, Addison Farmer on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – on titles that include "Too Late Now", "Back In The Cage", "And Now", "Stablemates", "Earth", and "Nita". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent small group work from Sadao Watanabe – easily one of the best Japanese reed players of the past 50 years – still sounding great here on a recent acoustic session! Watanabe plays alto throughout – a definite preferred horn of late – and stretches out in these expressive solos in the company of Gerald Clayton on piano, Ben Williams on bass, and Jonathan Blake on drums – a combo who step out with lots of warm sympathy on a set of tracks that's all original material by Watanabe! Sadao's tunes have a feel that's quite poetic, yet still also swinging too – a balance carried out in a wonderfully subtle way on tunes that include "I Miss You When I Think Of You", "Gemmation", "Vamos Juntos", "Simpatico", and "Warm Days Ahead". CD

A great title for this one – given the extremely poetic sound of Tommy Flanagan on the piano! For years, Tommy's had a great talent for being as bopper, yet as sensitive as a mellower, more lyrical player too – a brilliant combination that shows up instantly in the first few notes of this set – a late 80s recording that's filled with warmth and subtle imagination. The trio features George Mraz on bass and Kenny Washington on drums – the latter of whom really gets things swinging in some great gentle ways – and titles include "Raincheck", "Lament", "Caravan", "Voce Abuso", "Mean Streets", and "That Tired Routine Called Love". CD

Mindblowing jazz from Japan – a tremendous introduction to the 70s scene in Tokyo if you've never heard this music at all – and a package that also includes a fair bit of rare tracks, even if you're not a newcomer! The Japanese love of American jazz is no secret – and the music was spread widely there by American forces after WWII – but during the 70s, something really special happened, and the scene found a voice that was all its own – exploding with new energy to create sounds that were soulful, spiritual, and powerfully poetic! By the end of the 70s, Japanese fusion would get more global exposure – but most of the tracks here are acoustic, save for Fender Rhodes lines – and feature completely inventive, imaginative sounds – often set to grooves that are modal and spiritual too. A fantastic collection throughout – with tracks that include "Blind Man" by Shintaro Quintet, "White Fire" by Takao Uematsu, "Aya's Samba" by Eiji Nakayama, "Earth Mother" by Koichi Matsukaze, "Dead Letter" by Tohru Aizawa, "Kaze" by Takeo Moriyama, "Long Neal" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Unknown Point" by Mitsuaki Katayama, and "Little Island" by Fumio Karashima. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

The Delmark debut as a leader from drummer Frank Rosaly – and a very unique little record! Rosaly's a player we've really dug on other folks' records, and his vision here at the helm is pretty darn great – a real change from some of the modes used by his avant Chicago contemporaries – almost more poetic at points, although filled with sharp edges throughout! The record was composed for use in a documentary about Chicago scrap recyclers working the alley of the city – and Rosaly brings a really human, personal sort of feel to his music – even though the overall approach is still based on improvisation between group members too. The lineup features James Falzone on clarinet, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Jason Roebke on bass and cracklebox, Keefe Jackson on tenor and bass clarinet, and Jason Adasiewicz on vibes – which adds some particularly great tones to the metallic narrative. Rosaly also plays a bit of percussion, piano, and electronics – and titles include "Adrian", "Bedbugs", "Driven", "Yards", "Wet Feet Splashing", "The Dark", and "Tragically Positive". CD

Mindblowing jazz from Japan – a tremendous introduction to the 70s scene in Tokyo if you've never heard this music at all – and a package that also includes a fair bit of rare tracks, even if you're not a newcomer! The Japanese love of American jazz is no secret – and the music was spread widely there by American forces after WWII – but during the 70s, something really special happened, and the scene found a voice that was all its own – exploding with new energy to create sounds that were soulful, spiritual, and powerfully poetic! By the end of the 70s, Japanese fusion would get more global exposure – but most of the tracks here are acoustic, save for Fender Rhodes lines – and feature completely inventive, imaginative sounds – often set to grooves that are modal and spiritual too. A fantastic collection throughout – with tracks that include "Blind Man" by Shintaro Quintet, "White Fire" by Takao Uematsu, "Aya's Samba" by Eiji Nakayama, "Earth Mother" by Koichi Matsukaze, "Dead Letter" by Tohru Aizawa, "Kaze" by Takeo Moriyama, "Long Neal" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Unknown Point" by Mitsuaki Katayama, and "Little Island" by Fumio Karashima. 3LP set features bonus tracks – "Sea Breeze" by George Otsuka and "Ode To Workman" by Terumasa Hino and Reggie Workman. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A really pivotal album from the great Art Farmer – a late 50s session that has him finding that sense of tone and timing that would dominate his work in years to come! Art was already great by the time of this set, but he's also got maybe a more personal, almost poetic vibe at times – starting to realize that the space between the notes is as important as the notes themselves, while still maybe holding onto a slight bit of the bite of his earliest recordings too. The group is a very well-matched trio of easygoing modernists – Hank Jones on piano, Addison Farmer on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums – on titles that include "Too Late Now", "Back In The Cage", "And Now", "Stablemates", "Earth", and "Nita". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure albums ever from the amazing singer Jeanne Lee – and that's saying a lot, given how obscure most of her albums are in general! The record has a beautifully poetic feel – a mixture of songs, improvisations, and some spoken passages too – set to fantastic improvisation from a group of players that includes Sam Rivers on soprano, tenor, and flute; Gunter Hampel on piano, vibes, alto, and flute, Jack Gregg on bass, and Steve McCall on drums – plus guest work from Mark Whitecage on alto, and both Perry Robinson and Allan Praskin on clarinet. There's some of the spirituality of a Strata East recording here, mixed with some of the more open modes of the New York loft jazz scene too – and titles include "Sundance", "Yeh Come T Be", "Jamaica", "Subway Couple", "The Miracle Is", "Your Ballad", "Angel Chile", and "Conspiracy". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully meditative music from spiritual flautist Nicole Mitchell – a set that's almost a stripped-down version of work done with her larger ensembles in the past – as she works here on duo improvisations with pianist Alexander Hawkins! The spare sound of the record is wonderful, as it allows Mitchell to craft maybe some of her most personal, poetic sounds on the flute – and even allows her some brief vocalizations too – while Hawkins moves between moments on the piano that are free, but in a sprightly way – to others that have a more subtle sense of tone and timing. Titles include "Interlocking Imaginations", "Jalopy Ride", "Elliptical Rotations", "Flicker Bounce Glide", "The Stars Are Listening", and "There Is A Balm In Gilead". CD

The title's a wonderfully poetic one, and the music is too – very open improvisations between Sabu Toyozumi on drums and Yuji Takahashi on piano – along with plenty of percussion from both musicians too! There's a very spacious approach to the music – lots of thoughtful interaction between both players, as they find sonic resonance that never overwhelms at all, yet which is still freely spontaneous – beautifully organic in approach, and stretched out on two long tracks that make up the album – "Lovely Silver 6000 KM" and "Shoulder Blade & Hip Joint". LP, Vinyl record album