Peter Erskine on drums – plus Joe Lovano on tenor sax, Randy Brecker on trumpet, and John Scofield on guitar! CD

Christopher Hollyday on alto saxophone, Wallace Roney on trumpet, Cedar Walton on piano, David Williams on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. CD

With John Klemmer on tenor, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Watch What Happens", "You Must Believe In Spring", "Friday Fugue", "Once Upon A Summertime", "J & B", "The Saddest Thing Of All", and "Splittons". CD

With 24 tracks including "Suliram", "Mbube", "Click Song", "Amampondo", "Kilimanjaro", and "Le Fleuve". CD

Features guest tenor from Joshua Redman and guest trumpet from Wynton Marsalis. CD

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Incredible work from Carmen – one of her last great albums! The set was recorded in 1988 – but it's got an "instant classic" feel that makes it one of the best vocal jazz albums of its generation. Carmen's working with a small group that includes Charlie Rouse, Larry Willis, George Mraz, and Clifford Jordan – singing vocal versions of Monk classics like "I Mean You", "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", and "Ugly Beauty" – most of which have lyrics written by Jon Hendricks! This CD makes the original album even better – and throws in some bonus alternate versions of tracks on the album! CD

With Peter Erskine on drums. CD

With Kenny Darron on piano, Todd Coolman on bass, Akira Tana on drums, and Onaje Allan Gumbs on synthesizer. LP, Vinyl record album

Moody plays with Kirk Lightsey on piano, Todd Coolman on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums. CD

Moody plays with Kirk Lightsey on piano, Todd Coolman on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Houston Person, Cecil Bridgewater, and Steve Turre. CD

Nice soundtrack to the now-legendary film by Bruce Weber that tracked Chet Baker during some of the last days of his life. The set's got a nice mix of vocal and instrumental tracks, with Chet in fine enough form at the time of the recording. Titles include "You're My Thrill", "Moon & Sand", "Zingaro", "My One & Only Love", and "Almost Blue". CD

Completely evocative late life work from Chet Baker – one of the last albums he ever recorded, and a set that shows just how much Baker kept evolving in the later years of his career! Given some of the personal troubles that plagued Chet over the decades, there's sometimes a thought out there that he was a weaker version of himself at this time – but that's definitely not the case, as Baker really shifted his sound and style to accommodate some of his challenges, at a level that maybe made the music even more powerful than some of his music from years before! Some of the best moments here feature contributions from key musical partner of the 80s Nicola Stilo, who uses flute, guitar, and piano in these light ways while Chet's soloing with this strong, fluid vibe that's a real surprise – gentle, but extremely powerful. A few cuts bring in a bit of keyboards, and Chet sings a bit – but his best "singing" here is through his trumpet, which is still a hell of a voice in jazz. Titles include "Chet's Blues", "Waiting For Chet", "The Party Is Over", "With Sadness", "Deep Arabesques", and "Like The Precedent" – plus a lovely reading of the Elvis Costello tune "Almost Blue". CD

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Classic AACM material from Chicago, strangely issued on Arista, but produced by Michael Cuscuna with all the care of a small-label session. The classic lineup of Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins, and Steve McCall is firmly in place – and they band interacts with a sense of humor and imagination that rivals the Art Ensemble of Chicago for sheer genius. Titles include "Cosmic Ass", "Open Air Strut", and "Strait White Royal Flush". LP, Vinyl record album

Harry Allen on tenor saxophone, Michael Moore on bass, Jake Hanna on drums, and Dave McKenna on piano. CD

Some solo numbers, but some great duets with Ricky Ford on tenor or Anthony Braxton on alto, and Rufus Reid on bass! Also features one unusual number – "Wende" – with Chris Connor on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

With Andy Milne on paino & keyboards, David Gilmore on guitar and guitar synth, Reggie Washington on electric bass, and Oliver Gene Lake Jr on drums and percussion. CD