Features Charles Lloyd on reeds, flutes, piano, and percussion – with additional percussion from Zakir Hussain and Eric Harland. CD

Features Renee Rosnes on piano, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Matt Penman on bass, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Joshua Redman tenor and soprano sax, Miguel Zenon on alto and flute, and Eric Harland on drums. CD

Charles Lloyd on reeds, Geri Allen on piano, Robert Hurst on bass, and Eric Harland on drums and percussion. CD

Charles Lloyd on tenor saxophone, alto flute, and tarogato, Jason Moran on piano, Reuben Rogers on double bass, and Eric Harland on drums and percussion. CD

Beautiful work from the Marvels group of Charles Lloyd – a combo that not only features his own great sounds on tenor and flute, but also the very strong presence of Bill Frisell on guitar! Although Lloyd recorded famously with guitar players back in his early years, the sound here is very different – filtered through the sonic explorations of his albums for ECM, and inflected with that sense of color that only seems to get stronger and stronger in the work of Frisell over the years. That quality is also augmented by use of the steel guitar in the quintet, handled by Greg Leisz – alongside the bass of Reuben Rogers and drums of Eric Harland. Titles include remakes of two 60s gems – Ornette Coleman's "Rambling" and Gabor Szabo's "Lady Gabor" – plus the originals "Tone Poem", "Dismal Swamp", and "Prayer". CD

James Farm is Joshua Redma on saxophone, Aaron Parks on piano, Hammond, pump organ, and celeste, Matt Penman on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. Tracks are all originals by members of the band. CD

Few players have the scope and depth of Charles Lloyd over the space of so many decades – and here, once again, Lloyd reminds us that his longevity in jazz has everything to do with the continued growth of his music – and not just the fact that he's stuck around for so long! The sound is wonderful – this 21st Century extrapolation of spiritual currents that Lloyd first unleashed in his early solo years, and which hit a very focused, clear vibe here in a quintet lineup that includes Julian Lage on guitar, Gerald Clayton on paino, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. Lage's solos are as searing as Lloyd's, but in a very different way – and the mix of his tones and the sharper reeds is beautiful, and spun out over very long tracks that include "Dream Weaver", "Requiem", "La Llorna", and "Part 5 – Ruminations". CD

Beautiful work from Charles Lloyd – a set of compelling originals mixed with standards, both old and new, performed in a laidback style that really makes the most of his wonderful tone! Lloyd was a player who was great from the start – but in recent years, he seems to have even deepened his sound more strongly – finding notes on the saxophone that few others could match, in ways that are similar to the levels that Archie Shepp hit during his maturing years. The cooled-off setting of the album works perfectly to highlight this great side of Lloyd's talents – and backing is subtle, and handled by the trio of Jason Moran on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. Titles include "Caroline No", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Monk's Mood", "Mirror", "Ruby My Dear", "Lift Every Voice & Sing", "Desolation Song", and "Tagi". CD

Charles Lloyd on reeds and flute – with Maria Farantouri on vocals, Socratis Sinopoulos on lyre, Takis Farazis and Jason Moran on piano, Reuben Rogers on double bass, and Eric Harland on drums. CD

John Swana on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jesse Van Ruller on guitar, John Patitucci on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. CD

A really beautiful album from keyboardist Ray Angry – a set that not only sparkles from his own great work on Hammond, piano, and Fender Rhodes – but also from a killer quintet that includes Derrick Hodge on bass, Eric Harland on drums, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, and Myron Waldon on a variety of saxes! If you're a fan of any of the players in the mix, you'll find plenty here to love – and in fact, it's almost as if the album gives each of them the hippest sort of setting that they've had in awhile, maybe even more than on their own albums as leaders – as there's this magical sense of flow that has the notes and rhythms cascading about in really fresh directions. Ray wrote most of the titles – and tunes include "Bjork City", "Number One Love", "Bleeding Heart", "Circles INside You", "Gamma Ray", "Jake-Ism", and "It Might Be Gold". LP, Vinyl record album

Joshua Redman on saxophone, Christian McBride, Larry Grenadier and Reuben Rogers on bass, and Ali Jackson, Brian Blade, and Eric Harland on drums. CD

The music of John Coltrane, mixed with originals from the SF Jazz Collective – a perfect combination, considering that the lineup is so hip, it features heavyweights like Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Joshua Redman on tenor, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Miguel Zenon on alto, and Renee Rosnes on piano! Isaac Smith is the trombonist this time around – and rhythm is rock-solid, thanks to the work of Eric Harland on drums and Matt Penman on bass – the last of whom might well be a secret hero of the group! The first half of the set features takes on the Coltrane tunes "Crescent", "Naima", "Africa", "Moment's Notice", "26 2", and "Love/Dear Lord" – followed by originals that include "Psalm For Peggy", "Love Is Enough", "Scrambled Egg", and "Development". CD

Ravi Coltrane's first album for Blue Note – put together here with production help from Joe Lovano, who also plays a bit of guest tenor too! The album's got a really dark edge – and really works strongly in those edgier sides of the spectrum – those modes that Coltrane's developed best in the past decade or so – which are almost more saxophonic elements of a maturing Wayne Shorter than they are those of his famous father! Ravi's got a good sense of space between his notes – never bridging the gaps with flurries of sound, and instead making these bold statements that swing together nicely, with help from a lineup that includes Geri Allen and Luis Pedromo on piano, James Genus and Drew Gress on bass, and EJ Strickland and Eric Harland on drums. In addition to tenor from Lovano on two tracks, the set also features some guest trumpet from Ralph Alessi – on titles that include "The Change My Girl", "Spirit Fiction", "Klepto", "Roads Cross", "Cross Roads", "Yellow Cat", and "Check Out Time". CD

Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel has been giving us music for years – but on recent releases, he really seems to have found a great place to express himself – a quintet that includes work from Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet and Brad Mehldau on piano – both musicians that seem completely transformed in the presence of Wolfgang! The sound is open, spare, and often somewhat tentative – as befits Muthspiel's legacy – but there's also these shimmering moments that come from Akimusire on trumpet, and occasional currents of sentiment from Mehldau's piano – both forces that really open up the sound of the record. The group also features Larry Grenadier on bass and Eric Harland on drums – and titles include "For Django", "Descendants", "Clearing", "Panorama", "Blueshead", "Buenos Aires", "Where The River Goes", and "One Day My Prince Was Gone". CD

With Sean Smith on acoustic bass and Eric Harland on drums. CD