Maybe the most striking set in this ever-shifting series of releases from Matana Roberts – and one that shows his more advanced sonic sensibilities, in a mix of improvised jazz and more compositional settings! There's a vibe here that's almost like the more "serious" work of Roscoe Mitchell – at least in the way that reeds and strings interweave – yet Roberts, as always, brings a deeply personal approach to the music, with lots of shorter songs that weave more soulful elements amidst the avant expressions – which are served up by a lineup that includes Mike Pride on drums, Cory Smythe on piano, Darius Jones on alto, Mazz Swift on violin, and Mat Lavelle on alto clarinet and pocket trumpet. Kyp Malone brings in a bit of electronics, and there are vocalizations at points – on titles that include "A Caged Dance", "No Way Chastened", "Away Is Not An Option", "Shake My Bones", "Enthralled Not By Her Curious Blend", "Different Rings", "Predestined Confessions", and "We Said". CD

Matana Roberts on alto saxophone. CD

Matana Roberts on saxophone and clarinet, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, Thomos Kneeland on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara on drums and percussion. CD

Hardly the sex tape you might expect from the title – and instead a really great ensemble performance from David Boykin – one that almost has him rising up to take on the Sun Ra legacy on the Chicago scene! The group here is full of wonderful sounds – not just tenor from Boykin, but also flute from Nicole Mitchell, alto from Matana Roberts, bass from Joshua Abrams, drums from Isaiah Spencer, Baritone from Aaron Getsung, keyboards from William Kurk, turntables from Besco, and Arp from Jim Baker – all coming together on long passages that mix rhythmic progressions with these freer flights of sound – very much the spirit of what you might have heard on a vintage Saturn Records release! And maybe as with one of the many self-issued live sets by Ra – this one features a familiar number, "47th Street Ghost", taken to an extended new height – and blended with another "untitled" composition – for one long performance recorded in concert. CD

One of the best ever sets of sprawling, spacey soul funk and jazz from the impossible to pen in Burnt Sugar Arkestra Chamber – never an easy group to describe in a nutshell, and that's a good thing – their best work in years and their first effort for the Livewired label! Making Love To The Dark Ages is a weirdly apt title, starting out with kind of dark, bluesy soul backdrop for Lisala's vocal in the beginning of the opening three part suite "Chains And Waters", slowly building into a tense, free jazz groove that's unafraid to pepper it up with some psyche rock guitar, heady/heavy bass, keys and synth, sax and drums. Guitarist and group leader Greg Tate conducts a sprawling chamber with slightly altered lineups depending on the piece, with players including vocal chanteuse Lisala, fellow vocalists Jeremiah, Karma Johnson, Justice Dilla X (who moonlights on piano, too) and others, alto & tenor sax by Matana Roberts and Petre Radu Scafaru, synth by Bruce Mack, cello by Will Martina, acoustic and electric bass by Jason DiMatteo and Jared Michael Nicherson, drums by Chris Eddleton and Trevor Holden & others, guitars by Rene Akan, Vernon Reid, trombone by David Smith, trumpet by Lewis 'Flip' Barnes, Jr, – lots more instrumentation and orchestration. The record rolls in and out of evocative soul, bits of electro and hip hop soundcraft, spaced out astral jazz, sharp solos and textured bursts of noise – never sacrificing a confluent sense of togetherness for all of the diverse sounds. Titles include the suites "Chains And Water" and the title track, plus "Thorazine/81", "Love To Tical" and "Dominata (The Gabri Ballad)". CD