Duets here between drums and alto sax – the former by Gabriel Ferrandini, the latter by Ilia Belorukov – both handled in ways that really open up both of the instruments into very fresh territory! Ferrandini is free, but often seems to hit melodic elements as much as rhythmic ones – and things are sometimes vice versa for Belorukov – whose sense of improvisation with the drums is really magical, and very different than most other duets of this nature that we can think of. Titles include "The Big Passages", "Fragmented Matter", "Two Notes", "Without Facts", and "Fictions Of An Interlude". CD

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Bassist Mark Dresser has a great group here – one that features flutes from Nicole Mitchell and reeds from Marty Erlich – both players whose sense of energy really helps define the spirit of the set! Erlich is especially nice – maybe more striking than we've heard in years – and although we love Mitchell's work as a leader, she's also wonderful to hear in the spirit of an ensemble – an excellent lineup that also features strong contributions from Michael Dessen on trombone, plus violin from Keir Gogwilt, piano from Joshua White, and drums and percussion from Jim Black. The music is definitely in a Dresser mode throughout – with plenty of the spaciousness that he's brought to other recordings – but there are points that seem to evoke a deeper jazz history than usual, especially on tribute tracks to Arthur Blythe and Butch Lacy. Titles include "Gloaming", "Let Them Eat Paper Towels", "Far", "Ain't Nothing But A Cyber Coup & You", "Black Arthur's Bounce", and "Butch's Balm". CD

Bassist Mark Dresser has a great group here – one that features flutes from Nicole Mitchell and reeds from Marty Erlich – both players whose sense of energy really helps define the spirit of the set! Erlich is especially nice – maybe more striking than we've heard in years – and although we love Mitchell's work as a leader, she's also wonderful to hear in the spirit of an ensemble – an excellent lineup that also features strong contributions from Michael Dessen on trombone, plus violin from Keir Gogwilt, piano from Joshua White, and drums and percussion from Jim Black. The music is definitely in a Dresser mode throughout – with plenty of the spaciousness that he's brought to other recordings – but there are points that seem to evoke a deeper jazz history than usual, especially on tribute tracks to Arthur Blythe and Butch Lacy. Titles include "Gloaming", "Let Them Eat Paper Towels", "Far", "Ain't Nothing But A Cyber Coup & You", "Black Arthur's Bounce", and "Butch's Balm". CD

Fantastic sounds from a quartet version of the Canada Day group of drummer Harris Eisenstadt – a leader so generous, so open, the energy of the group seems to flow from every member in a very equal way! The tunes are all compositions created by Harris in the Swiss town of Poschiavo, but they've got qualities that really open up in the hands of the individual players – bassist Pascal Niggenkemper, pianist Alexander Hawkins, and trumpeter Nate Wooley – each of who is really fantastic here, in ways that have us awakening anew to their talents with every different selection. Despite a unified title name, each performance is very different – and tracks include "Poschiavo 35", "Poschiavo Four Voice 4", "Poschiavo 9", "Poschiavo Four Voice 3", "Poschiavo 8", and "Poschiavo 36". CD

Friends & Neighbors have really deepened their voice for this wonderful album – definitely showing us what's next, as they move past their initial inspiration from Ornette Coleman, and open up in modes that are completely their own! Some of the best passages here have this rich, melodic, almost majestic statement from the trumpet of Thomas Johansson and tenor of Andre Roligheten – beautifully bold yet fluid players together – but also able to crackle with energy when the solo passages open up – driven on nicely by Oscar Gronberg on piano, Jon Rune Strom on bass, and Tollef Ostvang on drums. The bass is especially strong – poised in the structure to really explode the sound – and titles include "Influx", "Headway Heat", "Thorlief's Blues", "Mozart", "Kubrick's Rude", and "WLB". CD

The group name's a combination of the two long performances on the album – titled "Life" and "Other Transient Storms" – but that hardly gives you a full picture of their sound – which comes from the work of Susana Santos Silva on trumpet and flugelhorn, Lotte Anker on tenor and soprano sax, Sten Sandell on piano, Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass, and Jon Falt on drums! Both Silva and Anker are pretty free in their performances – and Sten's on the farther side of his spectrum, too – but those warm, round notes of Zetterberg's instrument have a way of holding things together, so that even Falt gets a fair bit of freedom in his performance too. The players clearly have sympathy with each other, which shows in the confidence of their explorations together – which take an especially great course on the second half of the set. CD

Some of the darkest sounds in years from the great Rob Mazurek – a musician who's matched perfectly on every front by Gabriele Mitelli – who does everything that Rob does on the record, and also throws in a bit of soprano sax as well! The music is all improvised, and in that very deep blend of electronic and acoustic elements that Mazurek has explored over the years – with textures so intense, it's often difficult to figure out what's coming from where – as Rob blows piccolo trumpet, Mitelli blows cornet, and both artists served up a wealth of sounds on electronics, voice, and other objects too. Titles include "Venus", "Mercury", "Mars", and "Uranus". CD

Some of the darkest sounds in years from the great Rob Mazurek – a musician who's matched perfectly on every front by Gabriele Mitelli – who does everything that Rob does on the record, and also throws in a bit of soprano sax as well! The music is all improvised, and in that very deep blend of electronic and acoustic elements that Mazurek has explored over the years – with textures so intense, it's often difficult to figure out what's coming from where – as Rob blows piccolo trumpet, Mitelli blows cornet, and both artists served up a wealth of sounds on electronics, voice, and other objects too. Titles include "Venus", "Mercury", "Mars", and "Uranus". LP, Vinyl record album

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A totally cool combination of musical elements – baritone sax and analog electronics – both played here by Jonah Parzen-Johnson with a style that's unlike anything else we can think of! Sure, saxes and electronics have come together before – ever since Richard Tietelbaum and Anthony Braxton first recorded together back in the 70s. But there's also a very different vibe here that comes both from the baritone, and its deeper sonic range – and the way that Jonah uses his electronics, sometimes with flutteringly rhythmic elements that really make the music shimmer, but without overwhelming it at all. He's also not afraid to blow straight and soulfully at times too – which is especially great when the electronics are more abstract – and throughout, the album's full of these revelatory moments that make the whole thing a delight. Titles include "These Shoulders Those Shoulders", "Cabin Pressure", "I Have Questions", "What Do I Do With Sorry", "Guns Make Us Murderers", and "Too Many Dreams". CD

We're not sure we've ever heard from bassist Miles Perkin before, but after this album we'll definitely be keeping an ear out for his music – as the whole thing has a wonderfully fresh, wonderfully vibrant sort of sound – Miles' strong lines on the bass really working magic with a quartet that includes Tom Arthurs on trumpet, Benoit Delbecq on piano, and Jim Black on the drums! The vibe of the music is a bit hard to convey in words – as there's plenty of space for the bass right up front in the mix, but the music is never too airy or quiet either – just the right balance with a group flow that really comes along nicely – structure matched with improvisation, on titles that include "Sdreaming", "What Did You Expect", "The Point In Question", "Blue Cloud", and "Sea Drop". CD

We're not sure we've ever heard from bassist Miles Perkin before, but after this album we'll definitely be keeping an ear out for his music – as the whole thing has a wonderfully fresh, wonderfully vibrant sort of sound – Miles' strong lines on the bass really working magic with a quartet that includes Tom Arthurs on trumpet, Benoit Delbecq on piano, and Jim Black on the drums! The vibe of the music is a bit hard to convey in words – as there's plenty of space for the bass right up front in the mix, but the music is never too airy or quiet either – just the right balance with a group flow that really comes along nicely – structure matched with improvisation, on titles that include "Sdreaming", "What Did You Expect", "The Point In Question", "Blue Cloud", and "Sea Drop". LP, Vinyl record album

Freely improvised sounds from a trio that features bassist Torbjorn Zetterberg and trumpeter Susana Santos Silva – both musicians we've loved together in the past – joined here by alto saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos, who seems to give them a much freer sound overall! The tracks are very open in shape and structure – with especially strong interplay between the trumpet and alto – who sometimes dance around each other, sometimes spar – while Zetterberg really pushes himself, too – and seems to move past his more inherent sense of melody, into territory that we may well never have heard before (and we've listened to – and loved – dozens of his many recordings!) Titles include "Now Then", "I Find Nothing", "What Now", and "Yeah Well". CD

A wonderful continuation of the spirit of the previous collaboration between trumpet and flugelhorn player Susana Santos Silva and bassist Torbjorn Zetterberg – but a record that also adds in a cool extra element with the organ of Hampus Lindwall too! The music has this spacious, open quality – these tonefull lines from Silva which flow out in space, but which also have a quality that's not nearly as cold as, say, an ECM session of this type – thanks to the always-amazing, always-soulful work of Zetterberg on bass – who gives the record an organic grounding, which is then supported by Lindwall's lines on organ. And we're not exactly sure what type of organ he's using, but at times it almost feels like a pipe organ – as the sounds have both a depth, and sense of presence that really makes the music unique – even at points when his contributions are very low on the sonic totem pole. Titles include "Stop Chords", "Fiddling", "Distance", "First Initiative", "Second Initiative", "One Note Each", and "One Note Song". CD

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