Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Matt Moran on vibraphone, Chris Tordini and Drew Gress on acoustic bass, and John Hollenbeck on drums and percussion. CD

Lovely work from Claudia Quintet – a modern jazz group, but one with a wonderfully sensitive sound! At points, these guys almost make us feel like we're dipping into a creative contemporary soundtrack – thanks to their inventive use of accordion, vibes, percussion, bass, tenor, and clarinet – all put together in ways that are still quite jazz-based, but with some more sonically sensitive elements as well. Gary Versace joins the group on piano this time around, bringing in just a bit more punch at points, and titles include "Sphinx", "Matt On Matt", "Zurn", "Drew With Drew", "Chris & Chris", "Royal Toast", "Ideal Standard", "For Frederick Franck", and "Crane Merit". CD

Carlo De Rosa on bass, Mark Shim on tenor saxophone, Vijay Iyer on piano and Fender Rhodes, and Justin Brown on drums. CD

Amazing early work from the Fourth World Quartet – an obscure new music ensemble from early 70s Michigan – but one whose members would go on to form Mission Of Burma and Destroy All Monsters! Here, the sound is completely different than those later groups – a mix of compositional structure and free improvisation – served up by Roger Miller on piano, Benjamin Miller on guitar and alto, Laurence Miller on bass clarinet, and Jack Waterston on alto – a reed-heavy lineup who make some wonderful soundshapes next to Roger's more dynamic piano! Some moments echo some of Miller's later, post-Burma work – but the sound here is also very much its own – very hard to peg, with titles that include "Glanmane", "Alone In Allendale", "The Transformation Of Oz", "Ambrosia Triangle", "Bubble On A Stem", and "Winter's Dream". CD

Features Warren Walker on saxophone, Gael Petrina on bass, Caleb Dolister on drums, and just about everyone on electronics. CD

Incredible work from Harry Miller's Isipingo – a group that was a contemporary of Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath – and which had a similar blend of free-thinking jazz and South African roots! The performance here is a beautifully recorded one – done live for radio in the mid 70s, and featuring 4 extended tracks that really showcase the group at their best. Despite the length of the tracks, there's no sense of self-indulgence at all – and most numbers have a pulsating, rhythmic energy that drives all players along strongly. The sextet features Miller on bass, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, Nick Evans on trombone, Louis Moholo on drums, Mike Osborne on alto, and Keith Tippett on piano – and titles include "Eli's Song", "Which Way Now", "Family Affair", and "Children At Play". CD

Enrique Ruiz on piano and synthesizer, Rafael Ramos Sania on double bass, and Luis Torregrosa on drums. CD

There's been many Soft Machine live albums issued over the years – and while they're all pretty great, few may be as essential as this rare slice of work from 1970! The material captures the group right before the freewheeling side-long tracks of their famous album Third – the record that really catapulted the more longform, jazz-informed side of the Soft Machine sound – served up here with the great Robert Wyatt still at the drums, reminding us what a force he could be while he could still handle the instrument with such ferocity – next to the saxes of Elton Dean and Lyn Dobson, the bass of Hugh Hopper, and Hohner Planet and Lowrey Deluxe keyboards of Mike Ratledge! The tracks are long extrapolations of themes from albums – filled with plenty of improvisation, and recorded in the first half in a set done in Paris in March of 1970, and the second in an Amsterdam show from earlier that same year. CD

Bassist Luke Stewart is fast becoming one of our favorite talents on his instrument in recent years – an artist who first grabbed our ears with his work in Irreversible Entanglements, but who seems even better suited to stand out front as a leader! The performance of the trio here is wonderful – complex, but organic – very rhythmic, but also never tied to the groove – maybe a bit in the spirit of the UK group Ill Considered at times, but with a direction that's very much its own! In addition to Stewart on bass, the always-amazing Chad Taylor is on drums – really given the space here to remind us how brilliant he can be – and the group also features Brian Settles on tenor, carving out these really beautiful lines over the top. Titles include "Roots", "Angles", "Reminiscence", "Circles", and "Dream House". CD

Wonderful lost work from John Surman – some of his most beautiful, most lyrical music ever – a great companion to his late 60s albums for Deram – and served up here with a similar balance in sound! Most tracks hang nicely on the inside of the spectrum – never going too far out, and mostly moving in these modal rhythms and gentle grooves that are totally great – although there are two numbers here that are much freer overall – the kind of wild improvisation that was gripping the European scene at the end of the 60s! Players are all top-shelf – some Brits and Germans working together beautifully, in a lineup that includes Surman on soprano and baritone sax, Alan Skidmore on tenor and flute, Ronnie Scott on tenor, Mike Osborne on alto, Malcolm Griffiths and Erich Kleinschuster on trombones, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, Fritz Pauer on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Alan Jackson on drums. Titles include "Mayflower", "Once Upon A Time", "Gratuliere", and "Puzzle". Package also features a bonus DVD of the performance! CD

The second album from Chicago vibist Jason Adasiewicz and his Rolldown group – giving us some of the best vibes-led jazz in years! The group features players from the Chicago scene that are truly at the forefront of an exciting wave of modern jazz in the city, and anywhere else on the planet – coronet player Josh Berman, Aram Shelton on alto sax and clarinet, Frank Rosaly on drums, and Jason Roebke on bass – rolling along with sound that combines an avant energy with classic dexterity. The interplay is intuitive and dynamic, balancing tense and playful moments with precision. Wonderful! Includes "Green Grass", "Varmint", "Dagger", "Hide", "I Hope She Is Awake", "Punchbag" and "The Griots". LP, Vinyl record album

Previously unreleased recordings featuring Evan Parker, Julie Tippetts, Steve Swallow, Carla Bley, Wolfgang Dauner, Rosswell Rudd, Albert Mangelsdorff, and others! CD

John Hollenbeck on drums and percussion, Red Wierenga on accordion, Matt Moran on vibraphone, Drew Gress on acoustic bass, and Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor saxophone. CD