The decoy here might be in the rhythms, which are often electric, but still played live – handled by Robert Irving III on many tracks, with a cool 80s fusion sound that's mighty nice! The style of the album's a nice change from the Miles groove of the 70s – a bit leaner, with almost a Weather Report influence at times, but far less jamming – and still prone to the darker tones that always make Davis' music of these later years surprisingly good. Al Foster handles acoustic drums on some tracks, and other players include Bill Evans on soprano sax and Mino Cinelu on percussion – on titles that include "Decoy", "Robot 415", "Code MD", "Freaky Deaky", "What It Is", "That's Right", and "That's What Happened". LP, Vinyl record album

Christian Scott on on trumpet – with Walter Smith III on tenor, Matt Stevens on guitar, Aaron Parks on piano, Joe Sanders on bass, and Jamire Williams on drums. CD

Grachan Moncur III and Dave Woodley on trombone, Tim Hagans on trumpet, Gary Bartz on alto saxophone, Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone, Billy Harper on tenor saxophone, John Clark on Frnech horn, Ray Drummond on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. CD

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Drummer Cecil Brooks III leads a tight New York soul jazz combo through a set of tracks that remind us a lot of his strong work for Muse Records in years past. The group features Don Braden on tenor and John Hicks on piano – and Hicks gets a fair bit of space to work out on a few of the album's gentler numbers, offset nicely by some of the angular numbers composed by Brooks. Titles include "Swamp Run", "Sweet Summer Breeze", "Dreamy", "The Voice Of The Saxophone", "Yvette", "Hill District", and "Spontaneous Percussion". CD

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A very cool set, and one that mixes Afro Funk and Krautrock inspirations into a mad little groove of its own – thanks to plenty of cool keyboard work from David Nesselhauf! Most tracks just feature another drummer joining the leader – who also plays bass and guitar, while working through a host of different keyboard sources – and the tunes have some of the lean energy of percussion-driven cuts by Can, but more of the warmth that comes from some of the West African influences of the 70s. There's vocals on the record from Nessselhauf, but always processed and vocoded – usually acting just as one more electronic element – on cuts that include "The Void Phenomenon", "The Calling", "Fade To Grey", "Constellation Forming", "Now I Know", "Kosmich Blues", "Three Brothers", "Event Horizon", and "Raumschiff Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A fresh set of work from drummer Kendrick Scott – a lean trio set that features excellent interplay with the bass of Ruben Rogers and tenor of Walter Smith III – the latter of whom really gets a chance to take off in the setting! We've loved Smith on other records, but here the freedom of the trio really seems to set a new sort of fire – very bold work on drums by Scott at many points – emerging with a righteous power that maybe makes us think he should always be heading a trio – especially when Walter's got a way of soaring around the sound at a level this great! Titles include "What Day Is It", "One Door Closes Another Opens", "Your Destiny Awaits", "Threshold", "Isn't This My Sound Around Me", and "A Voice Through The Door". CD

The Blue Note debut of tenorist Walter Smith III – a player who's been making great music for almost 20 years on record, yet who really seems to push himself even more here! The album seems to mark a new chapter in Smith's music, and one that also really has a distinct voice on the tenor as well – a mode that's pointed and personal, yet sometimes understated too – at a level that has Walter's role in the rest of the group's sound as important to his individual presence as a soloist. The group sparkles with work from Taylor Eigsti on piano, Matt Stevens on guitar, Harish Ragavan on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums – and Ambrose Akinmusire guests on trumpet on one key track too. But throughout, the vision is that of Smith – not just for his own horn, but that of the whole group – as they move through tunes that include "Shine", "Contra", "Lamplight", "Mother Stands For Comfort", and "Pup Pow". CD

Don Braden on tenor saxophone, Xavier Davis on piano, Dwayne Bruno on bass, and Cecil Brooks III on drums. CD

Features tenor Don Braden working in a few different quartet and trio formations – musicians include Darrell Grant on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Cecil Brooks III on drums. CD

Bassist Marlene Rosenberg leads a hell of a trio here – one that features Kenny Barron on piano and Lewis Nash on drums – both tremendous players who sound even better in the round, rich company of Rosenberg's bass! Most titles are trio numbers, but driven as much by the bass as by the always-wonderful work of Barron – and the tunes include many originals by Marlene – instrumentals, but with a current of the more righteous energy promised by the title. One exception is the great "Not The Song I Wanna Sing" – a number that has Rosenberg on vocals while Christian McBride handles the bass – alongside other vocal contributions from Thomas Burrell and Robert Irving III – which help make the song the most political number on the set. Titles include "The Line Between", "American Violet", "Togetherness", "And Still we Rise", "Visions", "The Barron", "Rain", "Love's In Need Of Love Today", and "Not The Song I Wanna Sing". CD

John Hick's great trio with Dwayne Dolphin on bass and Cecil Brooks III on drums! CD

Phil Woods on alto saxophone, Roy Hargrove on flugelhorn, Bill Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums. CD

Composed and directed by Anthony Branker, Walter Smith III on tenor saxophone, Remy Le Boeuf on alto and soprano saxophones, Philip Dizack on trumpet, Pete McCann on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano, Linda May Han Oh on double and electric bass, Donald Edwards on drums, and Alison Crockett on vocals and spoken word. CD