Alexander Hawkins on piano, Shabak Hutching on reeds, Otto Fischer on electric guitar, Neil Charles on bass, Stephen Davis on drums, and Richard Olatunde Baker on percussion. CD

A smashing set of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a set that shows that after all these years, he's still a richly creative talent on his instrument! The album has Louis duetting with pianist Alexander Hawkins – a younger player who'd caught his ear a few years before, and who turns out to be a perfect partner for the record – graced with just the right kind of free-thinking, yet spiritual elements as Moholo's own music – able to stretch out strongly with a lot of freedom, yet never lose sight of the overarching goal! The tracks are all long and open – and almost recall some of the interplay between Moholo and Chris McGregor in years back – especially some of the freer work on the 70s London scene. The album's a beautiful extension of the Ogun Records tradition – and titles include "Lakutshon Ilanga", "Hear Our Hearts", "Heavy Manners", "Amaxesha Osizi", "If I Should Lose You", "Pure Vision", and "Catch You On The Rebound". CD

A record that moves far beyond familiar piano trio format – so much so, that it's probably wrong to even call it a piano trio record at all – as the keyboard work of Alexander Hawkins is equally wrapped around the bass of Neil Charles and drums of Stephen Davis, as all three rise and soar together on these freewheeling waves of sound! Hawkins plays a bit of keyboards at times, and all three musicians add in percussion as well – and throughout the set, there's a very fresh vibe that has all three players linked together in sound and spirit, on titles that include "Puzzle Canon", "Rupture", "Rapture", "Counterpoint Celestial", "Canon Celestial", and "Unlimited Growth Increases The Divide". CD

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

Joe McPhee plays here with a Hammond organ trio – a setting that partially gets him back to the soulful sound of his roots, but which still keeps things in the freer mode of later years too! Joe starts out the performance with some wonderful solo work on pocket trumpet – played with these offbeat notes and inventive phrasing that might only be matched by Don Cherry's work on the instrument. The drums from Steve Noble come into the mix slowly, while the Hammond from Alexander Hawkins rolls in on these bold waves of sound – almost more forceful than any organ player of the headiest 70s years – spurred on by some rolling bass from John Edwards. Hammond dominates for the rest of side one – but then Joe switches to tenor, and gets some intimate, soulful space – before the organ comes rolling into the mix again! The 2CD set includes the 37+ minute "Spontaneous Combustion" on Disc One and the more than twice as long (77+ minutes) "Spontaneous Combustion 2" on Disc Two! CD

A great little live set from Von Freeman – and one of his best albums! Like some of his rare few sides from the 70s, this one features Von in a relaxed setting – blowing as the main lead soloist in front of a piano trio recorded at the Dakota Bar & Grill in St Paul, Minnesota, in 1996. Unlike other sets, though, this one really shows the edge that Von can have when he's working at his best. Gone are the easily-blown standards that never really illustrate the genius of Von that's been an influence on decades of players – from Andrew Hill to Malachi Favors to Eric Alexander. Freeman's range on the tenor is incredible – taking in a wealth of influences that runs from Coleman Hawkins to Ben Webster to Coltrane and Wayne Shorter – and while the rhythm section is comprised of younger players from St Paul, Von's the real talent here, and has plenty of room to work. Titles include "Footprints", "Caravan", "Crazy She Calls me", "Blues For Sunnyland", and "Bye Bye Blackbird". CD