Over the years, Ken Vandermark has become almost as much of an important leader of avant jazz ensembles as an individual soloist – and here, he really showcases his boldly visionary talent for bringing individual improvisers together into an even more powerful lineup as a whole! The record bristles with fresh sounds and personal touches right from the very first note – directed with some visual elements from Kim Alpert, which can't be seen on the record – but help motivate the performances by a group that features Vandermark and Mars Williams on reeds, each laying in a different channel – plus Tim Barnes and Claire Rousay on percussion, Nick Macri on basses, Katinka Kleijn on cello, and both Damon Locks and Lou Mallozzi on recordings and electronics – the latter of which are used in ways that are sometimes spare and subtle, but extremely striking! The set is divided up into five sections, all improvised – recorded at Chicago's Elastic Arts. CD

A really beautiful set that was issued on a sub-label of UK folk powerhouse Transatlantic – yet a set that's nicely different than some of the better-known work from that label! Ian Hunt and John Thomas both play acoustic guitars, and add in a bit of bass and light percussion – in a stripped-down style that has all the elements of folk, but sounds nothing like it – as there's a much cooler post-60s vibe – not really singer/songwriter, but this sense of intimacy and adult approaches to the music that's very special – maybe a bit like the team of Lambert & Nuttycombe, yet very much in the group's own spirit. The duo really transform the material they touch – as evidenced on their great version of "Living Without You" – heard here next to titles that include "Hold Me Know", "Silver Lady", "We Say We're Happy", "Mr Bojangles", "Older Now & Younger Then", "Morning For Eve", and "Rockfield Rag". CD

Very much the sort of record that's made James Brandon Lewis such a key force on the tenor in recent years – an album that acts as a bridge between so many different modern modes, in part because of the strength of the group! Lewis is one of that rare breed who can improvise on the outside, yet still retain a soulful swing – almost a quality that hearkens back to 60s avant jazz giants – and we can say that same about the rest of the group here, a lineup that features Aruan Ortiz on piano, Brad Jones on bass, and Chad Taylor on drums – the last of whom is especially marvelous in this endeavor! It almost seems as if Lewis gets better and better with each new record – and that's certainly the case here – n titles that include "Black Apollo", "Triptych", "Elan Vital", "Empirical Perception", "Transfiguration", and "Swerve". CD