George Garzone and Joe Lovano on saxophones, Joey Calderazzo on piano, John Lockwood on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums. CD

A really beautiful follow-up to the previous set of duets from these two west coast musicians – and a record that's maybe even more sublime than the first! We're not sure what it is – maybe it's the passage of a few years that has deepened the sound, or maybe just the warmth that both players have for each other – yet whatever the case, the combination of the saxophones of Sam Gendel and the bass of Sam Wilkes flows out with all these tones and textures that go way past the obvious – definitely in some of the "beyond jazz" modes of the LA scene in recent years, but still with enough solo strengths to please fans of more conventional instrumentation too. There's great sonic touches to many tracks – almost an International Anthem vibe, but not in a remix/cutup way – and titles include "Greetings To Idris More Songs", "Flametop Green", "Welcome Vibe", "Theem Prototype", "SG's Prius", "Streetlevel", and a nice version of "Caroline No". CD

Richard Grossman on piano, John Carter on clarinet, Vinny Golia on bass clarinet and soprano saxophones, Ken Filiano on bass, and Alex Cline on drums. CD

Featuring Dave and Don Grusin on acoustic and electric pianos, Rhodes, and OBX synthesizer, Lee Ritenour and Eric Gale on guitars, Steve Gadd on drums, Anthony Jackson on bass, Rubens Bassini on percussion, George Young on saxophones, flute, and piccolo, Tiger Okoshi on trumpet and flugelhorn, and The Dream Orchestra featuring NHK Strings and Tokyo Brass Ensemble. LP, Vinyl record album

A solo performance from groundbreaking saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, but one that's got sort of a "phantom" partner in Peter Brotzmann – as Mats works here from the boxed set of musical scores that Brotzmann originally created for his Chicago Tentet! Gustafsson plays selections from "Box 1" and "Box 2" – all set up by cards that cue the action for his improvisation – not a real set of musical notations, but ideas conveyed by images – which Mats then delivers on sopranino, soprano, alto, baritone, and bass saxophones – plus a few saxophone mouthpieces as well! There's few folks who can create such a range of sounds in such a setting – and the whole thing is not only a testament to Gustafsson's ongoing solo skills, but also his ability to relate to a key contemporary like Brotzmann. CD

With Harry James, Nick Buono, Gino Bozzacco, Wiliam Hicks, and Robert Berrenson on trumpets; Tom Padveen and Chuck Anderson on trombones; Houghton Peterson on bass trombone; Quin Davis, Pat Longo, Mel Kunkle, Bob Lawson, and Norman Smith on saxophones; Tommy Todd on piano, Dave Stone on bass, and Les DeMerle on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever issue of music from a short UK film of the 70s – nicely trippy sounds from very familiar instruments! The cool 10" album brings together all the music for the short documentary as one piece – nicely drifting sounds created by a combo that features Julian Furniss on guitar, Geoff Jolliffe on bass, Mick Kirby on drums, and Steve Jolliffe himself on keyboards, flute, and saxophones! Given the instrumentation, you might expect jazz – but the results are a lot more unique, and perfect for the offbeat nature of the film. LP, Vinyl record album

Robin Kenyatta on saxophones, Morten Gronvad on vibraphone, Reddie Johnson on bass, and Ronnie Burrage on drums. CD

Features Nils Landgren on trombone and trumpet, Per Johansson on saxophones, Henrik Janson on guitar, Esbjorn Svensson on keys, Magnum Coltrane Price on synth and vocals, and Lars Danielsson on bass – plus special guests Bernard Purdie, Michael and Randy Brecker, Airto Moreira, and Till Bronner. CD

Features Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Cory Smythe on piano and quarter-tone keyboard, Sam Pluta on electronics, Zeena Parkins on electric harp, Adam Matlock on accordion, Josh Modney on violin, Robert Landfermann on bass, and Tom Rainey on drums. CD

Mel Lewis leads a big band including Kenny Werner on piano, Dennis Irwin on bass, Earl Gardner, Joe Mosello, Glen Drewes, Jim Powell, and Bill Pusey on trumpets, John Mosca, Ed Neumeister, Douglas Purviance, and Earl McIntyre on trombones, Stephanie Fauber on french horn, Dick Oats, Ted Nash, Joe Lovano, Ralph Lalama, and Gary Smulyan on saxophones, clarinet, and flute. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Joe Lovano, Ralph Lalama, George Garzone, Steve Slagle, and Gary Smulyan on saxophones – plus Conrad Herwig on trombone, Tim Hagans on trumpet, John Hicks on piano, Dennis Irwin on bass,and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

Joe Lovano on saxophones, Michel Petrucciani on piano, Dave Holland on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums! CD

With Ron Blake on saxophones, Shedrick Mitchell on piano and Fender Rhodes, and Rodney Green on drums – plus special guests Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, and James Carter. CD

Bassist Christian McBride's always got a great ear for the players he chooses to work with – and that's definitely the case here, as the group features the great Warren Wolf on vibes and reedman Steve Wilson on both alto and soprano sax! Wilson and Wolf have this great way of balancing each other out – the sometimes-sharp edges of Steve's saxophones, and the inherent warmth of Warren's vibes – dancing together joyfully and really opening up the sound, in the company of other players who include Peter Martin on piano and Carl Allen on drums. As always, McBride proves to be a really special sort of bassist-as-leader – and titles include "Ms Angelou", "The Shade Of The Cedar Tree", "Fair Hope Theme", and "Gang Gang" – all nice and long! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Jackie McLean on alto sax, Rene McLean on saxophones and flute, Hotep Idris Galeta on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Carl Allen on drums. CD

With Ray Drummond on bass, Marvin "Smitty" Smith and Victor Lewis on drums, Craig Handy and Alex Foster on flutes and saxophones, George Adams on tenor saxophone, and Jack Walrath on trumpet. CD

With Steve Narahara on guitar, Dan Siegel on keyboards and synthesizers, Keith Rouster on bass, Moyes Lucas Jr on drums, Rich Cole, Richard Elliot, and Jerry Peterson on saxophones, Steve Watson, Carl Verheyen, and Richard Smith on guitars, and Steve Reid on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

Native Colours is Ralph Moore on saxophones, Renee Rosnes on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. CD

New Deal Rhythm band is Rico Royale on saxophones, Elfo P Fuggins on tenor, Bob A Rebob on algo and clarinet, Tiny Sforzando on trumpet, Tommy Brone on trombone, Honkey Falters on guitar, Ludwig Of Hollywood on drums, Steve The Reefer Man on bass, and Cheryl Bentyne on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal early album from Ian Carr's legendary Nucleus group – playing here in a version that includes Karl Jenkins and Brian Smith on reeds, and Chris Spedding on guitar! The band has a landmark sound that mixes progressive jazz and tight full-on rock fusion into a style that's sometimes funky, sometimes avant, and often pretty darn exciting! This album has lots of nice electric piano lines, and plenty of choppy sax parts that hit a nice groove in the manner that would later be taken up by a lot of European reed players. Tracks include "Torrid Zone", "Stonescape", "Striation", "1916 – The Battle Of Boogaloo", "Persephones Jive", and "Earth Mother". LP, Vinyl record album

Kevin O' Connell on piano, Adam Brenner on alto and tenor saxophones, Paul Gill on bass, and Mark Taylor on drums. CD

Oscar Penas on guitars, Dan Blake on saxophones, Moto Fukushima on bass, and Richie Barshay on drums and percussion. CD

Features David Sanchez on saxophones, Larry Grenadier on bass and Ignacio Berroa on drums. CD

Features Joshua Redman on saxophones, Aaron Goldberg on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Gregory Hutchinson on drums. CD

Features Joshua Redman on saxophones, Peter Martin on piano, Christopher Thomas on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. CD

Cameron Pfiffner and Pat Millinger on saxophones and flutes, Pete Benson on Hammond B3, and Ted Sirota on drums. Tracks include "Mary Anne", "Odd Couple", "China Cat Sunflower", the originals "Dr. Midnight" and "Tetemetearri". CD

A hip little record – produced by Bob Thiele as pre-Flying Dutchman effort, and with some of the great vibe of the blues records on that label! The set's got an unusual lineup – with jazzman Richard Williams on trumpet, plus Ed Davis on tenor, Marshall Hooks on guitar, Curtis Tillman on bass, Robert Schedel on piano, and Big Jim Wynn on saxophones. One track also features guitar from Art Adams and harmonica from Lightnin Rod – and titles include "Blues For Reverend King", "Ode To Billie Joe", "If You Were A Rabbit", "Juicy Harmonica", "Help Me", and "A Letter To The President". CD

A hip little record – produced by Bob Thiele as pre-Flying Dutchman effort, and with some of the great vibe of the blues records on that label! The set's got an unusual lineup – with jazzman Richard Williams on trumpet, plus Ed Davis on tenor, Marshall Hooks on guitar, Curtis Tillman on bass, Robert Schedel on piano, and Big Jim Wynn on saxophones. One track also features guitar from Art Adams and harmonica from Lightnin Rod – and titles include "Blues For Reverend King", "Ode To Billie Joe", "If You Were A Rabbit", "Juicy Harmonica", "Help Me", and "A Letter To The President". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Chris Cheek on saxophones, Bruce Barth on piano, John Lockwood on bass, and Marlon Browden on drums. CD

John Stowell on guitars, Michael Zilber on saxophones, John Shifflet on bass, and Jazon Lewis on drums. CD

A live meeting between Ken Vandermark on saxophones and clarinets and Paal Nilssen Love playing drums and percussion. Album features three tracks – the lengthy " Clean Sweep", along with "Cause Of Action", and "Cut And Thrust". CD

A well done book about the continuing importance of soul and R&B in black culture over the decades – one that begins its journey in the 70s, and moves right up to the present with a key chapter on the music in the post-George Floyd landscape in America! Author Alexander Ghedi Weheliye has a very particular bent at times – and the chapters work together more almost like related essays, instead of an exhaustive whole – a format that allows him to shift topics easily – between cellphones, new wave, remix technology, and diaspora – while still also bringing everything together through continuing themes, and copious notes that accompany the writings. The book also features two interviews, and directions to an accompanying playlist on Spotify – and this softcover edition is almost 300 pages, with some black and white images. Book

Kirk Whalum on tenor and soprano saxophones and keyboards, Garry Goin on guitar and keyboards, John Stoddart on keyboards, Luis Conte on percussion, and Blair Cunningham on drums. CD

Features Wallace Roney on trumpet, Bill Pierce on tenor and soprano saxophones, Mulgrew Miller on piano, and Ira Coleman on bass. CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Olive Lake, David Murray, and John Purcell – on saxophones, clarinets, flutes, and bells! CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and David Murray on a multitude of saxophones, clarinets – even a bit of flute. Titles include "Ming", "David's Tune", "I Heard That", "Quinn Chapel AME Church", "Affairs Of The Heart", and "Little Samba". CD

With Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, David Murray, and Oliver Lake – each playing a variety saxophones. Titles include "R&B", "Hearts", "PO In Cairo", "Steppin", and "Ra Ta Ta". CD

The Detroit soul scene at the start of the 60s – music from a time before Motown was dominating the city's reputation, and a whole host of other great labels brought the motor city sound to the masses! The work here is quite a surprise if you're only thinking in terms of Northern Soul and some of the more uptempo Detroit groovers – as the work here burns on so many different levels – often with a style that reflects some of the nascent soul coming out of Chicago on labels like Chess and Vee Jay, the latter of whom is featured here amidst a range of other imprints that include Wand, Atlantic, Scepter, Time, Old Town, and Brent – all of whom released some of these early Detroit soul tracks as singles back in the day. In true Ace/Kent fashion, the set also features a few unreleased gems, plus a wonderful set of notes on the city's soul scene – alongside tracks that include "Nosey Folk" by The Del-Phis, "Answer Me" by Vivian Collins, "Can't We Get Together" by Harry Reid, "Here I Am" by Betty Lavette, "Shakin Fit" by The Pyramids, "That's No Way To Spend My Time" by The Pen Ettes, "Wedding Bells" by Melvin Davis, "You Lied" by Marva Josie, "Think A Little Sugar" by Barbara Lewis, "Just One More Time" by JJ Barnes, "My Letter" by Priscilla Page, "I Know How It Feels" by Laura Johnson, "I'm A Lonely Guy" by Timmy Shaw & The Sternphones, "Come Back To Me" by La Wanda William, "I Cried For My Last Time" by The Sonnettes, and "Tears Running & Falling From My Eyes" by James Lately. CD

The alto and tenor of Peter Brotzmann get some fantastic accompaniment here – work from Heather Leigh on pedal steel and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello – two instruments that really create this amazing sonic space next to the saxophones! Although Brotzmann recorded these performances as part of a series of 80th birthday concerts, he's got an incredibly powerful, youthful sound throughout – really barreling past the more spacious sounds of the other two instruments – not in a way that shrugs them aside, but which instead seems to use them for sonic springboards as new inspiration. Titles include the very long title track, "Naked Nudes" – plus "Flower Flaps" and "Johnny Anaconda". CD

Daniel Carter on saxophones, flute, trumpet, and clarinet – with Djibril Toure on bass, Fererico Ughi on drums, and Tobias Wilner on electronics, synthesizers, piano, and guitar. CD

Daniel Carter on saxophones, clarinet, trumpet, and flute – with Steve Swell on trombone, Tom Abbs on bass and tuba, and David Brandt on drums. CD

Features Don Cherry on trumpet, Lennar Aberg on saxophones and flute, Bob Stenson on piano, Anders Jormin on bas, Anders Kjellberg on drums, and Okay Temiz on percussion. CD

Features Barbara Dennerlein on Hammond and synth – plus Ray Anderson on trombone and tuba, Antonio Hart and Craig Handy on saxophones, Steve Nelson on marimba and vibes, Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums, and Don Alias on percussion. CD

Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums – with Zane Massey on saxophones, David Gordon and Henry Scott on trumpet, Vernon Reid on guitar, banjo, and synth, and Melvin Gibbs on electric bass. CD

Features Tony Malaby on saxophones, Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet, William Parker on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. CD

Tisziji Munoz on guitars, Dave Liebman on saxophones, John Medeski on piano, and others. CD

A nice overview of work by Bird and Diz – includes recordings from 1947 in New York City with sidemen that include John Lewis, Mles Davis, Duke Jordan, JJ Johnson, and Max Roach; plus a Gillespie session from 1953 in Paris with Bill Graham on saxophones, Wade Legge on piano, Lou Hackney on bass, Al Jones on drums, and Joe Carroll on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

Chris Parker on piano with John Nastos on alto & soprano saxophones, Rob Thomas on violin, Tony Marino on acoustic & electric bass & Marko Marcinko on drums & percussion. CD

Roxy Music's third album, and a record that really shows that the group have found a tremendous voice of their own – quite a thing to do, given the heady brew of records that were coming out in the year of 1973! There's a style here that's familiar enough to draw the listener in – maybe some echoes of territory you might hear in work from David Bowie, Lou Reed, John Cale, or the now-solo Brian Eno – but once inside, you find yourself in a completely different world – a mad blend of guitars and strings, saxophones and electronics, all used in these ways that are tuneful enough to be catchy, but also deeply unsettling too – as are the lead vocals of Bryan Ferry, who comes across like some older European singer who's been let out of the madhouse for the sessions. This isn't a singles-heavy record, but instead an album-length journey that never gets old, even as the years move on – and which is as powerful to new ears discovering the record for the first time as to longtime fans. Titles include "Street Life", "Just Like You", "Amazona", "Psalm", "Serenade", "A Song For Europe", "Mother Of Pearl", and "Sunset". CD

With Dino and Celso Saluzzi on bandoneon, percussion, and voice; Felix "Cuchara" Saluzzi on saxophones and clarinet, Armando Alonso on guitar, Guillermo Vadala on bass, Jose Maria Saluzzi on drums and percussion, and Arto Tuncboyaci on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

Colin Stetson on saxophones and bass clarinet; Sarah Neufeld violin and voice. CD

Features Steve Wilson on saxophones and Mulgrew Miller on piano and Fender Rhodes. CD

Features Taylor Ho Bynum on brass, Dan Peck on tuba, Stephanie Richards on trumpet, Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones,Tomeka Reid on cello, and Jacqui Kerrod, Shelley Burgon, Miriam Overlach, and Brandee Younger on harp. CD

Anthony Braxton on sopranino, soprano, alto, baritone, bass, and contrabass saxophones, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, flugelhorn, piccolo and bass trumpets, and trumpbone, Nels Cline on electric guitar, and Greg Saunier on drums. CD

Features Michael Brecker on saxophones, electronic wind instruments, and keys – with Joey Calderazzo on piano, Jim Beard on synths, Victor Bailey on bass, Adam Nussbaum on drums, and Don Alias and Milton Cardona on percussion. CD

Features John Butcher on saxophones, John Edwards on bass, and Mark Sanders on drums. CD

With Red Callendar on bass, John "Ironman" Harris on drums, Dinky Morris on saxophones, Jimmie Noone on tenor and clarinet, Curtis Peagler on alto, Snooky Young on trumpet, and special guest Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on tenor. Titles include "Big Fat Daddy", "Piney Brown", "Finance Company Blues", "How Long Blues", and "Reel Ya Deel Ya Dee Dee Dee". LP, Vinyl record album

With Don Davis and Tim Moran on saxophones, Tom Schmidt on bow harp, synthesizer, and bass, Karma Sonam Targee on trumpet, and Stephen Walt on bassoon. LP, Vinyl record album

Miles Davis in the early 80s – but still sounding pretty darn great, and somehow managing to take some of his best elements from the 70s and refine them into a slightly more focused groove! The tracks here are shorter than before – no side-long jams at all – but they definitely bristle with slight undercurrents of noise, and have some unbridled rhythms that make for a good sense of energy. Added to these are a few more (then) contemporary touches – a very slight update of Miles' older funk, but never in a slick or commercial way – and still cerebral enough to show the world that Davis wasn't selling out late in the day. Miles plays a bit of keyboards in addition to trumpet – and other players include Bill Evans on saxophones, John Scofield on guitar, Marcus Miller on bass, and Al Foster on drums. Titles include "Come Get It", "It Gets Better", "Speak", "Star People", "U N I", and "Star On Cicely". CD

A pre-punk bit of charged, hard grooving Motor City rock from Death – a lost record that takes a tightly coiled, blazing approach to their influences of garage rock and psychedelia – and a record that's all the better in that it was recorded way back in 1975! To put it bluntly, music didn't really sound like this in '75 – and it would be as easy to label the sound as something like, "mid 70s Detroit African American precursor to Husker Du", etc, but this is a honestly a pretty remarkable album for its time that we don't want to trivialize it with a lazy nutshell description. The group does distill their influences in a way that's reminiscent of some midwestern post punk, but Death is pre-punk, making it a really fascinating record, and a blast to crank up in your headphones! Titles include "Keep On Knocking", "Rock-N-Roll Victim", the longer, seemingly Arthur Lee influenced "Let The World Turn" (eventually nailing a fiercer sound the likes of which Love never messed with), "You're A Prisoner", "Freakin Out", "Where Do We Go From Here???" and "Politicians In My Eyes". 7 songs, 27 minutes, and pretty awesome. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Pierre Dorge on guitar and Tibetan conch trumpet–with Kasaper Transberg and Gunnar Halle on trumpet, Morten Carlsen and Jakob Mygind onsaxophones, Kenneth Agerholm on trombone, Irene Becker on piano and synthesizer, Thommy Andersson on bass, Martin Andersen on drums, and Ayi Solomon on percussion. CD

Douglas Ewart on saxophones, flutes, percussion, and vocals; Ignaz Schick on turntables, sampler, and electronics. CD

The legendary debut of Fear – a landmark in the LA punk scene of the early 80s, and a set that's maybe also showing some of the key shifts that were happening at the time! There's still plenty of hard and fast work going on here, and that undercurrent of wit that marked so much of the best Cali punk – but there's also a sense of evil, darkness, and relentless energy that really gets at the way the heat was really turning up, almost as a competition for intensity that just kept on pushing the whole scene forward in a tremendous way. Titles include "We Destroy The Family", "I Love Livin In The City", "Let's Have A War", "Camarillo", "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones", "Gimme Some Action", "Foreign Policy", and "Beef Boloney". LP, Vinyl record album

Rosario Giuliano on saxophones, Pietro Lusso on piano, Dario Rosciglione on bass, and Marcello Di Leonardo on drums. CD

A really great record from the Melbourne scene – a record that's got kind of a "jazz plus" vibe – in that it mixes live jazz instrumentation with some work on edits and a few electric touches – all in a style that's very much like some of our favorite London work in recent years! Don Glori heads the group on bass and keyboards – but the sound is served up in a really well-crafted blend of saxophones, Fender Rhodes, and lots of great percussion – sometimes with vocals, but often used more like an instrument than a lyrical delivery system – on tracks that are nice and long, and resonate with a mix of soulful and spiritual touches! Titles include "Voyager", "Fly Low, "Dawn Calling", "Pachinko King", and "After Hours". LP, Vinyl record album

With Liebman on soprano and tenor saxophones an flute, Ben Monder on guitar, and John Herbert on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible piece of percussive work by the always-enigmatic Liquid Liquid! The record is one of their sparest, and has more hard drumming than others – less of a dance-oriented groove, and a very experimental vibe that reminds us of the group's unique role on the New York scene! There's lots of New York downtown elements running through here – from percussion breaks, to ESG-like jamming, to bits of post-prog, Can-like drumming – which stretches out in this really cool, really dark way. Instrumentation includes marimba, roto toms, sawblades, metalphones, berimbau, and even a bit of bass clarinet from Elliott Sharp. Possibly the best of their records – with the cuts "Push", "Eyes Sharp", "Zero Leg", and the 2-part "Lock Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

With Mangione on flugelhorn and Rhodes, Gerry Niewood on saxophones and flute, Joe La Barbera on drums and percussion, and Chip Jackson on electric bass. Coordinated by Kai Winding, with Lew Soloff on lead and concert master Gerald Vinci. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Tony Malaby on saxophones! CD

Features Joe Lovano and David Sanches on saxophones, Santi Debriano on bass, Jack Dejohnette on drums, and Ruben Blades on vocals. CD

Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophones, John Scofield on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack Dejohnette on drums. CD

Zoot Sims on tenor and soprano saxophones, Richard Wyands on piano, Frank Tate on bass and Akira Tana on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Joe Ford on alto saxophone, Doug Harris on flute and alto saxophone, Avery Sharpe on bass, Aaron Scott on drums, John Clark on french horn, Jerry Gonzalez on trumpet and percussion, Billy Harper and John Stubblefield on tenor saxophones, Frank Lucy and Steve Turre on trombones, Earl Gardner, Eddie Henderson and Virgil Jones on trumpets, and Tony Underwood on tuba. CD

Featuring Manuel Valera, Yosvany Terry on saxaphones and chekere, Tom Guarna on guitar, Hans Glawischnig on bass, Ludwig Afonso on drums and Mauricio Herrera on percussion. CD

Features Ken Vandermark on saxophones, Daniel Scanlan on violin and guitar, Kent Kessler on bass, and Michael Zerang on drums. CD

Nat Adderley on cornet, Antonia Hart on alto and soprano saxophones, Rob Bargad on piano, Waltr Booker on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. CD

Features Billy Drewes on saxophones and special guest Toots Thielemans on harmonica. CD