A fantastic performance from trombonist George Lewis and saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell – two AACM masters working together here in classic formation, but with a few great surprises along the way! One of those surprises is the Voyager – a computer-driven piano that was taught improvisation, based on software developed by Lewis – which was initially used on keyboards in previous incarnations, but which here gets a tremendous acoustic debut! Rather than sound like a gimmick, the Voyager comes across with a beautifully rich sound – improvising freely on the piano at the long start of one number, before Mitchell joins in on alto and Lewis adds more on trombone! Lewis also handles a bit of electronics on one long track too – creating waves of sonic textures which are balanced by very human, organic elements from Mitchel on sopranino sax – and the album's shorter final track features a more 70s-sounding duo between trombone and soprano sax. Titles include "Quanta", "Voyager", and "Homecoming". CD

A beautiful large ensemble project from flautist Nicole Mitchell – and a set that shows just how far she's come in her music over the years! Mitchell has always been wonderful, but there's something especially visionary in this project – as there seem to be larger ideas at play informing the different tones and textures of the musicians, yet still the unified spirituality that always marks Nicole's music – that special blend that really sets her apart from so many of her contemporaries, and which makes her one of the few forces to still carry on the rich legacy of Chicago's AACM, and groups like Art Ensemble Of Chicago or 8 Bold Souls! The songs here come together in this really fantastic way – sometimes feeling improvised at their initial moments, but soon taking flight in these amazing colors that come from the mix of harp, vibes, cello, violin, flute, and saxophone sounds – a tonal depth we've never heard in Nicole's music before, and which marks a huge step forward for her as a composer. Yet the music also has all the core organic energy of other Mitchell recordings – thanks to a collaborative lineup that includes David Boykin on tenor, Aruan Ortiz on piano, Benjamin Duboc on bass, Helene Breschand on harp, Sylvain Kassap on clarinets, Renee Baker on violin, Cesar Carcopino on drums and vibes, and Anais Moreau on cello. Titles include "Only One Like Him", "Building Stuff", "Cold Hard Facts", "Explorers", "Listening", "A Piece Of Advice", and "Towards Excellence". CD

One of the sharpest sessions we've heard from Nicole Mitchell in years – a record that still holds onto the spiritual depth she's developed strongly over the past decade, yet one that also returns to some of the bolder avant modes of her roots! The group here is nice and lean – Mitchell on flutes, alongside David Boykin on tenor, Craig Taborn on piano, and Chad Taylor on drums and percussion – a Chicago group recorded in a comfortable local setting, one that really allows them to stretch out and hit new heights! It's great to hear Mitchell hitting so many voices with her instrument – and there's a broad range of tones and moods that really reminds us of the early AACM tradition. Titles include "Surface Of Syrius", "Visitations", "Ritual & Rebellion", "Chocolate Chips", "Wild Life", "Wishes", and "Affirmations". CD

A really great setting for the piano of Matthew Shipp – a set of duets with bassist Mark Helias, a player who brings out some very different qualities in Shipp's music than his more frequent bass partner, William Parker! Parker actually provides the notes this time around, and has a great understanding of the special magic that's coming from both players, improvising freely in the studio – especially at moments when Helias is very open and spacious with his approach, which also includes some beautiful moments of bowed bass as well. Titles include "Bridge To Loka", "We Sing The Body Jazz", "Sonic Swing Particles", "Mystic Rubber Band", and "Psychic Ladder". CD

A very hip trio, one that features three of the greatest female improvisers of the past 30 years – Joelle Leandre on bass, Myra Melford on piano, and Nicole Mitchell on flute, alto flute, and piccolo! The work is maybe more often in the territory of Leandre and Melford's earlier material – tied more strongly to a legacy of European free jazz – but the presence of Mitchell really opens up the sound with a lot of spiritual vibes, and unlocks a quality that's always there in Joelle's basswork, but doesn't always come to the forefront this beautifully! Melford brings some subtle darkness to the record – in keeping with her beautifully understated approach, and strong sense of space – and titles include "Compassion", "Emptiness", "Welcome", "Patience", "Humility", "Honesty", and "Courage". CD

Twin saxes, coming together here with a really wonderful sound – the tenor of Ingrid Laubrock and straight alto sax of Stephane Payen – criss-crossing beautifully next to the drums of Tom Rainey and bass of Chris Tordini! There's a really special sort of sound going on here – the reed interplay never sounds too cold or academic, as can sometimes happen – and both players have a very intuitive sense of energy – rising and cresting together, breaking off in individual explorations – and often having this sort of inherent swing, even when things get pretty wild. Titles include "Knock Whack", "Dice", "Evaporating Dew", "The Chant", "Out Of Thin Air", and "Harmonization" – the last of which might be a good title for the album! CD

Loads of beautiful lines from Taylor Ho Bynum – working here on cornet, flugelhorn, bass trumpet, and trombone – all deep-toned brass instruments that are used to carve out some thoughtfully-constructed sounds! Other instrumentation includes bass from John Hebert and drums and percussion from Gerald Cleaver – used sparingly in some passages, which leaves even more room for Bynum's creatively blown horns! Titles include "Meat Cleaver", "Sevens First Edition", "Death Star", "White Birch", and "Digging For Clams". CD

We always love the basswork of Joelle Leandre, and finds that she can really bring something special to a session – which is definitely the case here in a double-length set of trio recordings with Matt Maneri on viola and Gerald Cleaver on drums and percussion! It's a bit hard to describe in words, but Leandre has this way of soundshaping on her instrument that's always very human and personal, even when moving into more abstract territory – something we can't always say for Maneri, but which is definitely part of his performance here – as the three musicians work on these spacious tracks that really take their time to find the right mode, with all sorts of unusual sonic elements that bubble through the improvisations in a wonderful way! CD1 features eight live tracks, all numbered titles of "Wild Lightness" – and CD2 features ten studio numbers, all numbered as "Bright Dance". CD

We always love the basswork of Joelle Leandre, and finds that she can really bring something special to a session – which is definitely the case here in a double-length set of trio recordings with Matt Maneri on viola and Gerald Cleaver on drums and percussion! It's a bit hard to describe in words, but Leandre has this way of soundshaping on her instrument that's always very human and personal, even when moving into more abstract territory – something we can't always say for Maneri, but which is definitely part of his performance here – as the three musicians work on these spacious tracks that really take their time to find the right mode, with all sorts of unusual sonic elements that bubble through the improvisations in a wonderful way! CD1 features eight live tracks, all numbered titles of "Wild Lightness" – and CD2 features ten studio numbers, all numbered as "Bright Dance". CD

A quartet of musicians that we're not sure we've heard together before, but who instantly seem to find a great way to relate – effortlessly exploring similar sonic territory together, with a sense of sympathy that often makes it difficult to hear what instrument is contributing what sound to the mix! By that, we don't mean that the whole thing is an overly-bombastic, noisy affair – just that the blend of sounds here comes together in really wonderful ways, especially the use of violin by Mark Feldman and the tenor and soprano sax of Ingrid Laubrock – the latter a player we're growing to love more and more with each passing year. Tom Rainey is on drums, and nicely restrained in all the best ways – and Sylvie Courvoisier handles piano, again with a really compelling sense of sound – on titles that include "Tism", "Spectral Sound", "Tooth & Nail", and "Maisons Fragiles". CD

A fiercely fluid outing from saxophonist Tony Malaby – a player who always seems to work with a very dexterous spirit, but who really unlocks a special sort of magic here in the company of pianist Angelica Sanchez and drummer Tom Rainey! Tony himself plays tenor and soprano, and Angelica adds in some occasional Wurlitzer electric piano as well – and the group have this way of coming across with different feelings and flavors on every different track – very different than some improvising combos, who might deliver slight variations on the same idea throughout a single album. Instead, it's as if these guys are recasting the mold with each new track – both from a sonic and ideological perspective – on titles that include "Lava Painting", "Lift Off The Sun", "Pie In The Face", "Bird People", "Huapango", "Jump Cliff", and "Water Flowing Flying Stones". CD

Really dark work from the later years of Roscoe Mitchell – a session that has Mitchell's reeds set up beautifully with a few players from a younger generation in jazz! At some points, the record has the personal, introspective qualities you might hear in Mitchell's solo work – almost brooding with its own quiet fire – but at other points, the record pushes off more strongly with the united energy of the group – using horn formations that are complicated, yet still always with a sense of swing – a lot more personal than some of Mitchell's too-serious work in the compositional realm. Players include Corey Wilkes on trumpet and flugelhorn, Craig Taborn on piano, Jaribu Shahid on bass, and Tani Tabbal on drums and percussion – and titles include "Quintet One", "For Cynthia", "March 2004", "In Six", "Turn", "Take One", "After", "That's Finished", and "Horner Mac". CD

A great reunion of the Jeff Parker/Rob Mazurek duo – a pair who've only continued to grow strongly in the years since their Chicago Underground classics – and who bring all that sense of energy to play in their music! The sounds here represent the deeper, more mature styles that both musicians have hit – a way of almost being more powerful by being less aggressive – especially from Mazurek, who's got this wonderfully gentle touch on his horn at times – wrapped up in these waves of sound that come from Jeff's guitar. Parker also contributes some other effects, which really map out a creative collage of electric shades – but again, without ever being too overpowering – and Rob responds with some very interesting acoustic shades of his own. Titles include "Proton Stolons", "Water Flower Medusa", "T Dorhnii", and "Beauty Hydroid". CD

Bassist William Parker and pianist Matthew Shipp are no musical strangers to each other – as they've been recording together for many decades, even on more contemporary albums that make the title here a bit misleading! And yet, there's definitely something special about the set – wide-open tracks that really have the duo coming together with energy that's all their own – almost as if Shipp and Parker are saying "yeah, we've played together with others recently, but let's save all the good stuff for a time when we can make a record like this!" The recording quality is superb – not a subtle moment of Parker's basswork is lost, and Shipp's balanced perfectly, both in his approach to the piano, and the way he comes across in the mix – a sublime presentation of the magical improvisational work between both players, on titles that include "Further DNA", "Song Of Two", "Re-Union", and "The New Zo". CD

A really great setting for the piano of Matthew Shipp – a set of duets with bassist Mark Helias, a player who brings out some very different qualities in Shipp's music than his more frequent bass partner, William Parker! Parker actually provides the notes this time around, and has a great understanding of the special magic that's coming from both players, improvising freely in the studio – especially at moments when Helias is very open and spacious with his approach, which also includes some beautiful moments of bowed bass as well. Titles include "Bridge To Loka", "We Sing The Body Jazz", "Sonic Swing Particles", "Mystic Rubber Band", and "Psychic Ladder". CD

A very hip trio, one that features three of the greatest female improvisers of the past 30 years – Joelle Leandre on bass, Myra Melford on piano, and Nicole Mitchell on flute, alto flute, and piccolo! CD