Streamnotes: December 31, 2024

Most of these are short notes/reviews based on streaming records from Napster (formerly Rhapsody; other sources are noted in brackets). They are snap judgments, usually based on one or two plays, accumulated since my last post along these lines, back on November 28. Past reviews and more information are available here (24416+ records).

Recent Releases

AALY Trio [Mats Gustafsson/Peter Janson/Kjell Nordeson]: Sustain (2024, Silkheart): Free jazz sax-bass-drums trio, founded earlier, but their discography was limited to 5 1997-2002 albums with Ken Vandermark (the last as DKV Trio, his group with Hamid Drake and Kent Kessler). By then, Gustafsson had moved to a new trio, the Thing. Still harsher than most, but they've settled down enough to let you make sense of what they're doing, which is quite a lot. A- [bc]

Sakina Abdou/Toma Gouband/Maria Warelis: Hammer, Roll and Leaf (2024, Relative Pitch): Alto/tenor saxophonist, has a couple previous albums, here in a trio with drums and piano. B+(***) [sp]

ADHD: ADHD 9 (2024, Enja/Yellowbird): Jazz group from Iceland, ninth album since 2009, all neatly numbered, four members: Magnús Trygvason Eliassen (drums), Ómar Guðjónsson (guitar/pedal steel/bass guitar), Óskar Guðjónsson (tenor/soprano sax), and Tómas Jónsson (keyboards, who replaced Davíð Þór Jónsson on ADHD 7. First impression is that they're an ultra-chill Weather Report. B+(*) [sp]

Ricky Alexander: Just Found Joy (2024, Turtle Bay): Soprano sax/clarinet player, trad jazz-oriented, first album as leader, Discogs gives him three credits but two are on 2012 heavy metal albums. He also sings a bit, but turns most of that over to Vanisha Gould. B+(**) [sp]

Alfa Mist & Amika Quartet: Recurring: Live at King's Place (2024, Sekito): Group and/or alias for British keyboardist Alfa Sekitoleko, four previous albums since 2017, unclear on credits and recording date, but the string quartet makes its presence felt. B+(**) [sp]

Lina Allemano's Ohrenschmaus: Flip Side (2023 [2024], Lumo): Canadian trumpet player, Discogs lists one 1998 album but nothing else until 2018, after which there is quite a bit. Based in Toronto, but has a connection to Berlin, reflected in this trio with Dan Peter Sundland (electric bass) and Michael Griener (drums), joined on 3 (of 7) tracks here by Andrea Parkins (accordion, objects, electronics). B+(**) [bc]

Pedro Melo Alves: Conundrum Vol. 1: Itself Through Disappearance (2019-23 [2024], Clean Feed): Portuguese drummer, several albums since 2017, thirteen duos here (73:52) with names on cover: João Barradas (MIDI accordion), Audrey Chen (voice/electronics), Ignaz Schick (turntable/electronics), Nuno Rebelo (guitar), Marta Warelis (piano), Violeta Garcia (cello/electronics), Jacqueline Kerrod (harp), Carlos Barretto (bass), Sara Serpa (voice), Rafael Toral (electronics), Grillo (prepared piano), Gil Dionisio (voice/electronics), Ece Canli (voice/electronics). They offer a range of sonic textures, with the drums as a common point of interest. B+(**) [bc]

Angles + Elle-Kari With Strings: The Death of Kalypso (2022 [2024], Thanatosis Produktion): Swedish saxophonist Martin Küchen's flagship group, first appeared in 2007, many albums since, scaled up or down, deployed her as an octet plus a string quartet and a singer, Elle-Kari Sander, who renders Küchen's libretto as some kind of opera. B+(**) [sp]

Mulatu Astatke and Hoodna Orchestra: Tension (2023 [2024], Batov): Ethio-jazz pioneer, active since the 1969, but his rediscovery c. 2008 kicked off a remarkable second career spurt. He plays vibraphone, piano, and percussion. The 12-piece Hoodna Ensemble is described as "Tel Aviv's number one Afro funk collective." This was recorded in March, before the Gaza genocide kicked off, when tension may have still seemed like an interesting concept. B+(**) [sp]

The Bad Plus: Complex Emotions (2023 [2024], Mack Avenue): Originally a piano-bass-drums trio (2000-17), had some crossover success with their Nirvana cover, auditioned a new pianist after Ethan Iverson left, but founder Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) are exploring their options: here (as with their 2022 album) with Ben Monder (guitar) and Chris Speed (reeds). They seem to have settled into something merely nice. B+(**) [sp]

Dmitry Baevsky: Roller Coaster (2024, Fresh Sound New Talent): Russian alto saxophonist, based in New York, sought out Cedar Walton and Jimmy Cobb for his 2004 Introducing, third album for Jordi Pujols' label, a quartet with Peter Bernstein (guitar), bass, and drums. B+(**) [sp]

Bark Culture: Warm Wisdom (2023 [2024], Temperphantom): Philadelphia group, a trio led by composer-vibraphonist (Victor Vieira-Branco), with bass (John Moran), and drums (Joey Sullivan). First album. B+(*) [sp]

Nik Bärtsch's Ronin: Spin (2023 [2024], Ronin Rhythm): Swiss pianist, mostly produces extremely enticing rhythm tracks -- an early album was called Ritual Groove Music, before this became his primary group in 2002, with Sha on alto sax and bass clarinet, plus bass and drums. B+(***) [sp]

Lakecia Benjamin: Phoenix Reimagined (Live) (2024, Ropeadope): Alto saxophonist, from New York, debut 2012, fourth album was Phoenix (2023) had a number of guest spots, including Dianne Reeves (vocals), Sonia Sanchez (poetry), and Angela Davis (spoken word). Fewer vocal options here, so she heats the sax up. B+(***) [sp]

John Blum Quartet Featuring Marshall Allen: Deep Space (2024, Astral Spirits): Pianist, first album 2002, not a lot of records but he's made some interesting rounds lately, with a very good 2023 album with David Murray, and now this one with Marshall Allen -- who is counted in this superb quartet, along with Elliott Levin (tenor sax/flute) and Chad Taylor (drums). A- [bc]

Body Meπa: Prayer in Dub (2024, Hausu Mountain): New York-based fusion group -- Greg Fox (drums), Sasha Frere-Jones (owl guitar), Melvin Gibbs (bass), Grey McMurray (deer guitar) -- second album, all rich textures and glimmering sufaces. B+(***) [sp]

Silvia Bolognesi/Dudú Kouate/Griffin Rodriguez: Timing Birds (2021 [2024], Astral Spirits): Italian bassist, first album 2005, mostly shares credit line with others like these: Kouate on percussion (ngoni, kalimba), Rodriguez with electronics, all three credited for voice -- some African chant, some spoken word, various bits that play off nicely against the fascinating groove and ambiance. A- [bc]

Willi Bopp/Camille Émaille/Gianni Gebbia/Heiner Goebbels/Cécile Lartigau/Nicolas Perrin: The Mayfield (2022 [2024], Intakt): Many names above and below the title, the sort alphabetical but Bopp's credit (sound design) seems foundational. As for the others: percussion, saxophones, piano, ondes martenot, guitar/electronics. B+(**) [sp]

Karen Borca/Paul Murphy: Entwined (2024, Relative Pitch): Bassoon player, from Wisconsin, studied with Cecil Taylor there, and became his assistant at Antioch, in 1974 marrying his saxophonist, Jimmy Lyons, who she played with until his death in 1986 -- Murphy was the drummer in that same group. Though fairly well known for her side credits, Borca never had an album under her own name until 2024, when NoBusiness collected a couple Vision Festival group sets as Good News Blues. Now comes "her first proper album," an improv duo with drums. B+(***) [sp]

Sarah Buechi/Franz Hellmüller/Rafael Jerjen: Pink Mountain Sagas (2024, Intakt): Swiss jazz singer, sixth album since 2014 on Intakt, second to share credit line with guitarist and bassist, this time adding a "feat." cover credit for Kristina Brunner (Schwyzerörgeli [an accordion]) and Andreas Gabriel (violin). B+(**) [sp]

John Butcher/Florian Stoffner/Chris Corsano: The Glass Changes Shape (2023 [2024], Relative Pitch): Sax/guitar/drums trio, Corsano also credited with "half clarinet." B+(**) [sp]

Anna Butterss: Mighty Vertebrate (2024, International Anthem): Bassist, member of Jeff Parker's IVtet, same concept here with Josh Johnson (alto sax/effects), but different guitarist (Gregory Uhlmann) and drummer (Ben Lumsdaine), with the leader also contributing some guitar, synths, flute, and drum machine, which can add a bit of bounce. Parker guests on one (of ten) tracks. I like the lead track even more than the Parker album, but it loses a step later on. B+(***) [sp]

C6Fe2RN6: C6Fe2RN6 (2023 [2024], Astral Spirits): Duo of Nick Terry (electric guitar, kalimba, music box) and Rob Mazurek (trumpet, piano, mbira, flutes, bells, synth, electronics), group/album name "is almost all of the elements that make up the color Milori Blue," both musicians also being visual artists (and, evidently, chemists). I'd slot this as ambient, but holds one's interest. B+(***) [bc]

Summer Camargo: To Whom I Love (2022 [2024], Blue Engine): Trumpet player, first album, at least two cuts recorded in 2022 because they feature the late organ player Joey DeFrancesco. Mostly a sextet, with Veronica Leahy (reeds), Jeffery Miller (trombone), Esteban Castro (piano), bass, and drums, plus extra percussion (James Haddad) on 5 tracks. B+(**) [sp]

Daniel Carter/Leo Genovese/William Parker/Francisco Mela: Shine Hear Vol. 2 (2021 [2024], 577): A second session, recorded 4 days after Vol. 1 but held back an extra year. Carter plays saxophones, trumpet, and flute, backed by piano, bass, and drums, with Parker also deploying his shakuhachi. Mela's voice credit is more exhortation than singing. B+(**) [bc]

Adriano Clemente: The Coltrane Suite and Other Impressions (2021-22 [2023], Dodicilune, 2CD): Italian composer, plays many instruments -- harp and pocket trumpet seem most common here, at least for his solos -- leads Akashmani Ensemble, their first album was The Mingus Suite in 2016. "The Coltrane Suite" fills the first disc here, with 12 parts, 49:39. Second disc offers "Other Impressions" and "New Orleans Portrait." Many Italians in the Ensemble I don't recognize, but two ringers really stand out: David Murray and Hamid Drake. B+(***) [sp]

Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few: The World Is on Fire (2023 [2024], Division 81): Saxophonist (tenor, I think), from Chicago, started out as one of Ernest Dawkins' Young Masters, fifth group album, album credits break into three tiers, with a core quartet (piano-bass-drums), extras -- Corey Wilkes (trumpet), Ed Wilkerson Jr. (alto clarinet), plus harp, cello, flutes -- and vocals (also a Collier credit). The latter aren't the point, but sometimes the world impinges on your art, and you have to fight back. A- [sp]

Sylvie Courvoisier: To Be Other-Wise (2024, Intakt): Swiss pianist, based in New York since 1998, shortly after her long string of records begins. This one is solo. B+(***) [sp]

Devon Daniels Quintet: LesGo! (2024, Sam First): Alto saxophonist, debut album 2020, quintet with Julien Knowles (trumpet), Chris Fishman (piano), bass, and drums, playing five originals plus covers of Charlie Parker, Monk, and Coltrane. A pretty good example of postbop not far removed from its roots. B+(***) [sp]

Jacqui Dankworth: Windmills (2024, Perdido): British jazz singer, daughter of saxophonist John Dankworth and singer Cleo Laine, started in theatre, at least eight albums since 1994. Standards, in orchestral arrangements, does offer a quite nice "Send in the Clowns." B+(*) [sp]

Josephine Davies: Satori: Weatherwards (2024, Whirlwind): British tenor saxophonist, originally from the Shetland Islands, debut 2006, released Satori in 2017, initially a trio with bass (Dave Whitford) and drums (later James Maddren), adding Alcyona Mick on piano for this fourth album. Very poised, albeit with a couple of tentative spots. B+(***) [sp]

Caroline Davis: Portals Vol. 2: Returning (2022 [2024], Intakt): Alto saxophonist, based in New York, several albums since 2011, including a Portals Vol. 1: Mourning (2020). Interesting music, guest vocals a mixed bag. B+(**) [sp]

Djrum: Meaning's Edge (2024, Houndstooth, EP): British electronica producer Felix Manuel, has mostly singles and EPs since 2010 (Discogs lists 2 albums, from 2013 and 2018, but counts this 5 tracks, 31:59 as an EP). B+(**) [sp]

Taylor Eigsti: Plot Armor (2024, GroundUP Music): Pianist, ninth album since 1999, won a Grammy last time out, Tree Falls (2021). Many guest spots here, including trumpet (Terence Blanchard), sax (Ben Wendel, Dayna Stephens), and vocals (Lisa Fischer, Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens), plus "many appearances by a layered string section." B- [sp]

Elephant9 With Terje Rypdal: Catching Fire (2017 [2024], Rune Grammofon): Norwegian fusion trio -- keyboards (Ståle Storløkken), bass (Nikolai Hængsle), drums (Torstein Lofthus) -- 11th album since 2008, in a live set with the guitarist. Starts tentative, but they do finally catch fire, which is something to behold. B+(***) [sp]

Eliane Elias: Time and Again (2024, Candid): From Brazil, initially established herself as a postbop pianist, married her bassist (Marc Johnson), first significantly Brazilian album was an instrumental Jobim tribute in 1990, then finally sang Jobim in 1998 (quite well). Since then she has mostly gravitated toward playing and singing Brazilian standards, as she does here, with the guitar finally overshadowing the piano. B+(**) [sp]

Peter Evans: Extra (2023 [2024], We Jazz): Trumpet player, started out in Mostly Other People Do the Killing, own albums start in 2004, including many collaborations with various European free jazz figures. Trio here with Petter Eldh (bass) and Jim Black (drums), both electronics, while he plays piccolo trumpet, flugelhorn, and piano. B+(***) [sp]

Ezra Collective: Dance, No One's Watching (2024, Partisan): British jazz-funk group, third album, led by brothers Femi Koleoso (drums) and TJ Koleoso (electric bass), with Joe Armon-Jones (keyboards), with trumpet (Ife Ogunjobi), tenor sax (James Mollison), with a guest vocal by Yazmin Lacey (the catchy "God Gave Me Feet for Dancing"). B+(*) [sp]

Fictional Souvenirs [Pat Thomas/John Butcher/Ståle Liavik Solberg]: Volatile Object (2023 [2024], Trost): Avant piano-sax-drums trio, group name from their 2019 album together, live set at Café Oto in London. B+(***) [sp]

Floros Floridis/Matthias Bauer/Joe Hertenstein: Temporal Driftness (2023 [2024], Evil Rabbit): Greek clarinet player (mostly bass clarinet here, also alto sax), studied physics and math before choosing music, first albums 1979-80, has a fairly steady stream of albums (not huge, but Discogs places him on five 2024 releases), seems to be based in Berlin now. Free improv trio with bass and drums, working their way through 11 numbered "Drift" pieces, nothing spectacular but a fine example of how it's done. A- [sp]

Joe Fonda Quartet: Eyes on the Horizon (2024 [2024], Long Song): Free jazz bassist, many albums since 1981, Discogs counts 43 under his own name, but that skips many groups he led or co-led -- e.g., the Fonda/Stevens group, and FAB Trio (with Billy Bang). (Discogs has 182 album performance credits). He draws on longtime collaborators here: Satoko Fujii (piano, 5 duo albums since 2015), Tiziano Tononi (drums, 7 albums since 2018), and (going way back) Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet). Exemplary work all around. A- [cd]

Mabe Fratti: Sentir Que No Sabes (2024, Tin Angel/Unheard of Hope): Singer-songwriter from Guatemala, based in Mexico City, plays cello and synthesizer, fourth album since 2019, got a jazz vote but also reviewed in Pitchfork. B+(**) [sp]

David Friesen: A Light Shining Through (2021 [2024], Origin): Bassist-composer, steady stream of albums ever since 1976, approaching 80 when he took his quartet -- Joe Manis (saxes), Alex Fantaev (percussion), and Charlie Doggett (more percussion) -- to pre-invasion (but not pre-war) Ukraine to record with the Kyiv Mozart String Quartet. B+(***) [cd]

The Fury: Live in Brooklyn (2023 [2024], Giant Step Arts): First outing for all-star group of Mark Turner (tenor sax), Lage Lund (guitar), Matt Brewer (bass), and Tyshawn Sorey (drums), with the first three contributing songs (Lund 3, Turner 2, Brewer 1, plus a cover from Myron Walden). Group name comes from a Faulkner novel, a reference I don't get, as Turner and especially Lund seem about as far from furious as one can get. B+(**) [cd]

Asher Gamedze & the Black Lungs: Constitution (2023 [2024], International Anthem): Jazz drummer from Capetown, South Africa, with several albums since 2020, this an octet plus vocals (Tina Mene) and words (Fred Moten). The latter are engaging, but the former veer toward opera. B+(*) [sp]

Ganavya: Like the Sky I've Been Too Quiet (2024, Native Rebel): Singer-songwriter, born in New York but raised in India (Tamil Nadu) and based in California, second album, has a jazz following but this is something else, possibly rooted in Indian classical music but transcendental in ways that terms like "ambient," "spiritual," "new age," and "exotic" only hint at. B+(**) [sp]

Ganavya: Daughter of a Temple (2024, Leiter): Third album, more obviously pitched to her jazz audience, built around the works of Swamini Turiyasangitananda (aka Alice Coltrane) and her spouse, including an abbreviated but still four-part version of his masterwork, "A Love Supreme," with guest spots for Esperanza Spalding, Vijay Iyer, Immanuel Wilkins, and Shabaka Hutchings. Interesting ideas, but I can't say it particularly works. B+(*) [sp]

Kate Gentile/International Contemporary Ensemble: B i o m e i.i (2021 [2023], Obliquity): Drummer, albums since 2015, composed these pieces for a small chamber orchestra -- a group of 7 drawn from the venerable (since 2001) and much larger (34 is the number I keep running across) artist collective, so: flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, bassoon, violin, vibraphone, piano, and the leader's drums. B+(***) [bc]

Ginetta's Vendetta: Fun Size (2024, Kickin' Wiccan Music): Group led by Ginetta M. (for Minichiello), who plays pocket trumpet and sings, sixth album, wrote a couple songs while covering tunes like "Moon River" and "Misty." Band includes tenor/soprano sax (Danny Walsh, piano (Jon Davis), bass, and drums. B+(*) [cd]

GloRilla: Glorious (2024, CMG/Interscope): Crunk rapper Gloria Hallejuah Woods, from Memphis, first proper album after a well-received mixtape (Ehhthang hhthang) and two compilations of Gangsta Art. Hard trap beats. B+(**) [sp]

Ben Goldberg/Todd Sickafoose/Scott Amendola: Here to There (2024, Secret Hatch): Clarinet player, including bass clarinet, backed by bass and drums/electronics, offers new tunes based on Thelonious Monk "bridges." B+(**) [cd]

Vanisha Gould: She's Not Shiny, She's Not Smooth (2024, Cellar Live): Jazz singer, seems to write her own material on this second album, following Life's a Gig in January -- recorded in 2022, and co-credited to pianist Chris McCarthy, who returns in a piano-bass-drums here. B+(**) [sp]

Mats Gustafsson & Liudas Mockūnas: Watching a Dog. Smiling (2022 [2024], NoBusiness): Avant-sax duo, one from Norway, the other from Lithuania, together they cover all the variants, from flute (and slide flute) to bass sax and contrabass clarinet, dropping in some live electronics. B+(*) [bc]

Tord Gustavsen Trio: Seeing (2023 [2024], ECM): Norwegian pianist, steady stream of albums since joining ECM in 2003, mostly trios, here with Steinar Raknes (bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums). I've usuallyl been impressed by his albums, but this one barely registers. B [sp]

Mickey Guyton: House on Fire (2024, Capitol Nashville): Nashville singer-songwriter, second album after several EPs and the breakout single "Black Like Me." Sounds more pop than country. B+(*) [sp]

Caity Gyorgy: Hello! How Are You? (2024, La Reserve): Canadian "swing and bebop singer and songwriter," several albums since 2022. Presumably writes her own songs. Title one is snappy, only to be followed by something torchy, then a load of scat. I can't read the white-on-pink text on her Bandcamp page, so remain ignorant of explications. B+(**) [sp]

Tom Harrell: Alternate Summer (2022 [2024], HighNote): Trumper player, debut 1976, by which time he had played with Kenton, Herman, and Horace Silver. Postbop group, all original pieces, with either Mark Turner or Dayna Stephens on tenor sax, Charles Altura on guitar (4 tracks, of 10), backed by a rhythm section of Luis Perdomo, Ugonna Okegwo, and Adam Cruz. B+(**) [sp]

Louis Hayes: Artform Revisited (2024, Savant): Drummer, from Detroit, played with Horace Silver, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley in the late 1950s, has a 1960 album but emerged as a leader in the late 1970s, and again in the early 1990s. Last heard on his 2017 Serenade for Horace, back here at 86 with a vibrant quintet -- Abraham Burton (tenor sax), Steve Nelson (vibes), David Hazeltine (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) -- adding a couple originals (and "A Flower Is Lovesome Thing") to a program of bop-era standards. B+(***) [sp]

Steve Hirsh/Steve Swell/Jim Clouse/William Parker: Out on a Limb (2024, Soul City Sounds): Drums, trombone, saxophones, bass. Three long pieces, 73:50, high quality free jazz, especially the trombone. A- [bc]

Jasper Høiby's 3 Elements: Like Water (2024, Edition): Danish bassist, side credits start 2000, Phronesis in 2007, Kairos 4Tet in 2011, solo work from 2016. This one complements his 2023 Earthness: both are trios with Noah Stoneman (piano) and Luca Caruso (bass). B+(***) [sp]

Susie Ibarra/Jeffrey Zeigler/Graham Reynolds: Insectum (2024, Golden Hornet): Percussionist, born in Anaheim, raised in Houston, in New York since 1989, this piece a commission as "a sonic exploration of the world of arthropods," with all three listed as "composer/performer": Zeigler is a cellist from Kronos Quartet; Reynolds mostly seems to have done soundtracks since 2001. B+(**) [sp]

Ayumi Ishito: Roboquarians Vol. 1 (2022 [2024], 577): Japanese saxophonist, based in Brooklyn, several albums since 2015, this an "avant-punk" trio with George Draguns on guitar and Kevin Shea on drums. Evidently, Draguns goes back to the 1980s: Discogs calls him a bassist, and locates him in groups like Form and Mess, Storm and Stress, and Slag. The hard edges I associate with punk give way to synth effects here, credited to Ishito, whose horn is less evident. B+(**) [bc]

The Jazz Passengers: Big Large: In Memory of Curtis Fowlkes (2023 [2024], FOOD): Recorded "shortly before [the trombonist's] death," the octet he co-led with saxophonist Roy Nathanson still sounds fabulous ranging "from the wistful and tragic to the vaudevillian and absurd, . . . a living memory, a yearning we all have for something just out of reach," although their vocals rarely approach the same level of craft. B+(***) [sp]

Joaju Cuarteto: Avy' a Jave (2023 [2024], Polka Blue): Group from Paraguay, "with predominant Paraguayan rhythms, such as polkas and guaranias in a language that converges with improvisation and jazz aesthetics with their own identities," or so goes the machine translation of one of the few pieces I've found on them/this, even in Spanish. B+(**) [sp]

Josh Johnson: Unusual Object (2024, Northern Spy): Mostly a saxophonist, from Chicago, but plays keyboards and possibly much more -- credit on this solo album is simply "sounds," with the sax reprocessed and subtle beats dubbed in. B+(**) [sp]

Cliff Korman Trio: Urban Tracks (2021 [2024], SS): Pianist, from New York, has side credits back to 1984, many with Brazilian connections. Trio with bass and drums. B+(*) [cd] [12-06]

Marie Krüttli Trio: Scoria (2023 [2024], Intakt): Swiss pianist, several albums since her first trio in 2015, this one with Lukas Traxel (bass) and Gautier Garrigue (drums). B+(*) [sp]

Rolf Kühn: Fearless (2022 [2024], MPS): German clarinetist (1929-2022), brother of pianist Joachim Kühn, first album 1957, this is his last, when he was 92, leading a tight quartet of piano (Frank Chastenier), bass (Lisa Wulff), and drums (Túpac Mantilla). B+(**) [sp]

Kendrick Lamar: GNX (2024, PGLang/Interscope): Los Angeles rapper, started as K.Dot, sixth studio album after a widely admired 2010 mixtape (Overly Dedicated), this one came with no advance hype, and no overarching concept. Some good bits here, but not much I'm connecting with. B+(***) [sp]

Emiliano Lasansky: The Optimist (2024, Outside In Music): Bassist, from Iowa, studied in Rochester, moved to New York, released an album with the group Kin (2019), moved on to Los Angeles, this counts as his debut, a quartet with Devin Daniels (alto sax), Javier Santiago (piano), and Benjamin Ring (drums), with vocals (Genevieve Artadi) on 4 tracks. B+(***) [sp]

Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey: Brink (2024, Intakt): German saxophonist (tenor/soprano), based in New York, has been playing with the drummer at least since 2008, with several duo albums (especially during the 2020 lockdown). B+(**) [r]

Jeff Lederer: Guilty! (2024, Little (i) Music): Saxophonist (tenor/alto), has several albums under his own name but also works under group names (Brooklyn Blowhards, Shakers n' Bakers) and side credits. Here he revives his "post-modern Traditional Jazz band" Swing n' Dix -- Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Bob Stewart (tuba), and Matt Wilson (drums), with guest spots for Curtis Hasselbring (trombone/electronics) and Mary LaRose (vocals) -- for another round of old-timey sounds wracked by modernist maelstrom. B+(**) [sp]

Mike LeDonne/Eric Alexander [Heavy Hitters []: That's What's Up! (2023 [2024], Cellar Music): No clean way to parse this cover: Top line (large white type on black, all caps throughout: "That's What's Up!" Second line, medium brown type: "Mike LeDonne Eric Alexander." Third line, big type again, but light blue: "Heavy Hitters." Fourth line, small white type: "Jeremy Pelt Vincent Herring Alexander Clafty Kenny Washington." Background is the group's previous (2023) album, titled The Heavy Hitters, under six small print names (LeDonne, Alexander, Pelt, Herring, Washington, Peter Washington). Mainstream, aptly named. B+(***) [sp]

Luis Lopes Humanization 4tet: Saarbrücken (2021 [2024], Clean Feed): Portuguese electric guitarist, fifth album since 2008 with this group, with tenor sax great Rodrigo Amado and two sons of the American trumpet player Dennis Gonzalez -- Aaron on bass, Stefan on drums. While the saxophonist is always impressive, the guitar is especially distinctive here. A- [bc]

Luis Lopes: Dark Narcissus: Stereo Guitar Solo (2024, Shhpuma): Not sure what the technical gimmick is here, but the tone is metallic, a collage of sound that retains its interest. B+(**) [bc]

Alex LoRe: Motivity (2022 [2024], Weirdear): Alto saxophonist, also plays C-melody sax here, from Florida, based in Brooklyn, several albums since his 2014 debut trio, label name started off as group name (2019). Trio here with Thomas Morgan (bass) and Johnathan Blake (drums). This has a nice, airy feel to it. B+(***) [sp]

Hayoung Lyou: The Myth of Katabasis (2024, Endectomorph Music): Pianist from Korea, studied at Berklee and New England Conservatory, based in New York. Second album, trio with Thomas Morgan (bass) and Steven Crammer (drums). The focus is very much on the piano, wending its way from "syrupy Russian piano music" to the "hard-fought freedom into jazz." B+(**) [cd]

Roberto Magris: Europlane for Jazz: Freedom Is Peace (2024, JMood): Italian pianist, led Gruppo Jazz Marca in the 1980s, solo albums start from 1990. This revives his Europlane group, which had recorded three albums 1998-2005: currently a sextet with Tony Lakatos (tenor/soprano sax), Florian Bramböck (alto/baritone sax), Lukás Oravec (trumpet/fluegelhorn), bass, and drums, for a long and often delightful (75:50) live set. B+(***) [cd]

Rob Mazurek Quartet: Color Systems (2022 [2024], RogueArt): Trumpet player (+ piccolo trumpet, bells, electronics), many albums since 1995, practically trademarked the idea of Chicago Underground, and has expanded on that in various directions (even developing a Sao Paulo franchise). Stellar quartet here with Angelica Sanchez (piano), Tomeka Reid (cello), and Chad Taylor (drums). B+(***) [cdr]

Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra: Live at the Adler Planetarium (2023 [2024], International Anthem): Trumpet player, groups started with Chicago Underground and eventually led to this Exploding Star Orchestra (debut 2007, this is their 10th album). Fitting, at least to anyone who remembers Sun Ra, that the latter (now 9-piece) group should wind up performing in the Grainger Sky Theater. B+(**) [sp]

Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra/Small Unit: Spectral Fiction (2023 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): The "compact version" of the trumpeter's big band is slimmed down to six, each well known: Damon Locks (voice/electronics), Tomeka Reid (cello), Angelica Sanchez (Wurlitzer), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), and Chad Taylor (drums). The music is interesting, but how good the album really is will turn on Locks' words, which I haven't been able to really focus on yet. But my first impression is they may be a plus. B+(***) [bc]

Francisco Mela/Zoh Amba: Causa y Efecto (Vol. 2) (2021 [2024], 577): Drums and tenor sax duo, some voice from Mela, some flute from Amba. Label like to split its sessions into paired volumes then delay the second part. B+(**) [bc]

Matt Mitchell: Illimitable (2023 [2024], Obliquity): Pianist, has made a name for himself since 2006, and is clearly an exceptional pianist. Still, takes a lot to focus through 110 minutes (4 tracks) of solo improv. B+(***) [bc]

MTB [Brad Mehldau/Mark Turner/Peter Bernstein]: Solid Jackson (2023 [2024], Criss Cross Jazz): Group name from initials, playing piano/tenor sax/guitar, with a second line of names that are nearly as prominent: Larry Grenadier (bass) and Bill Stewart (drums). For the first four, this is a reunion of a 1994 quintet on the Dutch mainstream label, also credited to MTB, the only change the drummer (Leon Parker in 1994). While everyone is quite capable, the one who really carries the album is Bernstein. B+(***) [sp]

Demetrio Muñiz: Tromboneando con Demetrio Muñiz (2024, Egrem): Cuban trombonist, former musical director of Buena Vista Social Club, Discogs doesn't show many albums under his own name, but he has a fair number of side credits going back to 1982. Fairly wide range of sounds and styles here. B+(**) [sp]

Milton Nascimento/Esperanza Spalding: Milton + Esperanza (2024, Concord): Legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter, active since the late 1960s, holds home court in these duets with the young American bassist-turned-singer, who complements him nicely, much as you'd expect. B+(**) [sp]

Camila Nebbia/Sofia Salvo/Lara Alarcón/Alfred Vogel: Pnkstrasse53 (2023 [2024], Boomslang): Three musicians from Buenos Aires -- tenor sax, baritone sax, vocals + fx -- plus a drummer from Austria, recording in Berlin, promise "free improvisation with a punk jazz attitude." One thing punk is that the 9 pieces are short: 25:38. B+(**) [bc]

New Regency Orchestra: New Regency Orchestra (2024, Mr Bongo): "An 18-piece Afro-Cuban jazz big band, inspired by the musical melting pot of NYC in the 1950s, but with the punch and power of a whole host of London's best Latin and jazz musicians." I'm not seeing a roster of musicians, but the musical director is Lex Blondin. They offer a pretty fair echo of Mario Bauza and Tito Puente, which may be all you need. B+(**) [sp]

Eva Novoa: Novoa/Carter/Mela Trio, Vol. 1 (2021 [2024], 577): Spanish pianist, debut 2016, third different trio she's assembled for this label, this with Daniel Carter (tenor sax, trumpet, flute, clarinet) and Francisco Mela (drums). Long first-side piece is beautifully balanced. Second side drops in a bit of vocal (Mela) on one piece, some electric keyb on the other, but Carter is again superb. A- [os]

Eva Novoa: Novoa/Gress/Gray Trio, Volume 1 (2019 [2024], 577): Earlier, more conventional piano-bass-drums trio, although Gress is also credited with modular synthesizer, and the leader with Chinese gongs. B+(**) [os]

Adam O'Farrill: Hueso (2024, FOOD): Trumpet player, from New York, father and grandfather are famous Latin Jazz masters, but he's more likely to show up in free jazz contexts. Quartet here with Xavier Del Castillo (tenor sax), Walter Stinson (bass), and brother Zack O'Farrill (drums). B+(***) [sp]

Kresten Osgood Quintet: Live at H15 Studio (2017 [2024], ILK Music): Danish drummer, 120 performance credits since 2000, organized this group for a 2018 album, Kresten Osgood Quintet Plays Jazz, with this a live set from the same month (but repeating no songs). With Erik Kimestad Pedersen (trumpet), Mads Egetoft (sax), Jeppe Zeeberg (piano), and Matthias Petri (bass). B+(**) [sp]

Margaux Oswald Collateral Damage: In Time, Hollow Oaks Become Chapels (2021 [2024], Clean Feed): Pianist, "of French-Filipina origin, both in Geneva, and currently based in Copenhagen." Half-dozen albums since 2021, this group lists two guitarists, three bassists, and a drummer. B+(**) [bc]

Out Of/Into [Joel Ross/Gerald Clayton/Kendrick Scott/Matt Brewer/Immanuel Wilkins]: Motion I (2024, Blue Note): One of the label's occasional ad hoc supergroup projects, where Wilkins (alto sax) and Ross (vibes) are their latest generation of stars, backed here by well established piano-bass-drums players. They're all superb players, and this could easily pass as a fine album, if you didn't listen to much else that's been coming out. B+(**) [sp]

Berke Can Özcan & Jonah Parzen-Johnson: It Was Always Time (2024, We Jazz): Turkish drummer/sound designer, in a duo with a New York-based baritone saxophonist, both also credited with "instruments." B+(**) [bc]

Jason Palmer: The Cross Over: Live in Brooklyn (2023 [2024], Giant Step Arts): Trumpet player, from North Carolina, steady stream of albums since 2007, his recent live ones generally a step up from his studio efforts (mostly on SteepleChase). Strong quartet here, with Mark Turner (tenor sax), Larry Grenadier (bass), and Marcus Gilmore (drums). A- [cd]

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet: The Way Out of Easy (2023 [2024], International Anthem): Guitarist, long associated with Chicago but seems to be based in Los Angeles these days, started in post-rock group Tortoise while working with Chicago Underground, Hamid Drake, Joshua Abrams, and others. ETA refers to Enfield Tennis Academy, the site of this quartet's breakout 2022 live album. With better PR/distribution, this album has already [by the day it appeared on streaming platforms] been reviewed by Guardian (4 stars) and Pitchfork (8.4!). Another live album, with Jeff Johnson (alto sax/electronics) riffing over immensely appealing grooves -- Anna Butterss (bass), Jay Bellerose (drums), and the leader's guitar. Perhaps a bit more focused on the landing than on the takeoff. A- [sp]

Aaron Parks: Little Big III (2024, Blue Note): Pianist, albums since 2000, recorded one for Blue Note in 2008, returns here after two previous Little Big albums on Ropeadope. Quartet with guitar (Greg Tuchey), bass (David Ginyard), and drums (Jongkuk Kim). More little than big. B+(*) [sp]

Ivo Perelman/Fay Victor/Jim Morris/Ramon Lopez: Messa Di Voce (2018 [2024], Mahakala Music): Avant-saxophonist from Brazil, first albums date from 1989, and he's become more and more prolific over the years: this is the 6th I've heard of 9 2024 albums in my tracking file, which I'm pretty sure is incomplete. Victor is a vocalist who is up to the challenge of a horn joust, with the others filling and driving on bass and drums. B+(***) [bc]

Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley: Polarity 3 (2024, Burning Ambulance): Tenor sax and trumpet duo, their third since 2020. A fairly limited sonic pallette, especially without a rhythm section to move them along. B [bc]

Ivo Perelman/Aruán Ortiz/Ramón López: Ephemeral Shapes (2024, Fundacja Słuchaj): Tenor sax, piano, and drums trio, improv, seven numbered "Shape" pieces, plus one called "Ephemeral." B+(***) [dl]

Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp: Magical Incantations (2024, Soul City Sounds): Tenor sax and piano duo, a partnership which goes back at least to 1996's Bendito of Santa Cruz, intensified after 2011, peaking with the multi-volume The Art of Perelman-Shipp (2017), and continuing -- this is the 11th Shipp co-credit I have filed under Perelman since 2018. Impossible to make fine distinctions, but this does seem to merit its title. A- [sp]

Ivo Perelman/Gabby Fluke-Mogul: Duologues 2: Joy (2024, Ibeji Music): Tenor sax and violin duo. Part of a series that started with Nate Wooley, although there must have been dozens of prior Perelman duos, with many more to come. B+(**) [sp]

Ivo Perelman/Ingrid Laubrock: Duologues 3: Crystal Clear (2024, Ibeji Music): Duo, both play tenor sax. This reminds me that I still haven't listened to Perelman's Reed Rapture in Brooklyn (2022): 11 two-sax duos, each given a full CD. Laubrock would have made sense in that company. B+(***) [sp]

Ivo Perelman's São Paulo Creative 4: Supernova (2024, self-released): Brazil's most famous avant-saxophonist, who seems to have played with every peer in America and Europe, returns home for a sax quartet, with Lívio Tragtenberg (bass clarinet/alto sax), Rogério Costa (soprano/alto sax), and Manu Falleiros (soprano/baritone sax). B+(**) [sp]

Marek Pospieszalski Octet & Zoh Amba: Now! (Instant Classics): Polish saxophonist, side credits go back to 1993, own albums start around 2014, plays soprano & tenor sax, clarinet, flute & tape here, and takes all of the composition credits. Amba adds an extra tenor sax into the mix. B+(*) [sp]

Neta Raanan: Unforeseen Blossom (2024, Giant Step Arts): Tenor saxophonist, from New Jersey, quartet where Joel Ross (vibes) is very prominent, especially at first. Eventually the group settles down, and gets better for it. B+(***) [bc]

Reut Regev's R*Time: It's Now: R*Time Plays Doug Hammond (2023 [2024], ESP-Disk): Trombonist, also plays "flugabone," based in New York, introduced R*Time band in 2009, plays some fusion of gutbucket blues and free jazz, married to drummer Igal Foni -- present here, along with Jean-Paul Bourelly (guitar) and Eric Revis (bass), with Hammond writing the songs and singing most of them. As usual, the vocals are the weak spot, but not without interest. B+(***) [cd]

Troy Roberts: Green Lights (2021 [2024], Toy Robot Music): Tenor saxophonist, from Australia, Bandcamp page says this is his "16th release as a leader," but Discogs only counts five (plus 36 side credits since 2000, including several with Van Morrison). Quartet with Paul Bollenback (guitar), John Pattitucci (bass), and Jimmy MacBride (drums). B+(**) [sp]

Jamie Saft Trio: Plays Monk (2022 [2024], Oystertones): Pianist, albums start 1996, many side credits (especially with Bobby Previte and John Zorn), plays a lot of electric and organ but sticks to piano here, backed by Brad Jones (bass) and Hamid Drake (drums). B+(*) [sp]

Joe Sanders: Parallels (2021 [2024], Whirlwind): Bassist, based in New York, credits also include "drums, piano, voice, programming." Has a 2012 debut on Criss Cross, mostly side credits after that. Opens with four live tracks from 2021, with two saxes (Logan Richardson and Seamus Blake) and drums (Greg Hutchinson), followed by six undated studio tracks with only two guest spots. Each interesting in different ways, which don't add up. B [sp]

Jenny Scheinman: All Species Parade (2024, Royal Potato Family): Violinist, a dozen or so albums since 2000, plus quite a few side credits. Reflects on her roots in Humboldt County, California, which she returned to after making a name for herself in New York. Carmen Stief (piano) and Bill Frisell (guitar) blend into the countryside, with bass (Tony Scherr), drums (Kenny Wollesen), and additional guitar spots for Julian Lage or Nels Cline. Sprawls over 2-LP, but the 72 minutes fits a single CD. B+(***) [sp]

Jörg A. Schneider/Luis Lopes: Schneider/Lopes (2023 [2024], Schneidercollaboration): Drums and guitar duo. B+(**) [bc]

Sara Serpa: Encounters & Collisions (2023 [2024], Biophilia): Jazz singer, from Portugal, studied in Boston, based in New York since her 2008 debut, dozen albums, some kind of art song, a style (slow, articulate, contorted) I've never cared for. The singing alternates with spoken word stories I have trouble hearing and instrumental backing -- Ingrid Laubrock (sax), Angelica Sanchez (piano), and Erik Friedlander (cello) -- I do enjoy. B+(*) [cd]

Shabaka: Possession (2024, Impulse!, EP): One of the most imposing saxophonist to come out of the UK ever, Shabaka Hutchings swore off his instrument last time out, opting for flute and a more ambient/spiritual flow. He continues here, with five songs, 23:37, drawing on hip-hop guests (like Billy Woods, Elucid, and fellow flute devotee André 3000), as well as Esperanza Spalding and Nduduzo Makhathini. B [sp]

Linda Sikhakhane: Iladi (2024, Blue Note): Tenor saxophonist from South Africa, based in New York, he has a couple self-released albums, one on Ropeadope, then this one on his pianist Nduduzo Makhathini's major label. With bass (Zwelakhe-Duma Bell Le Pere) and drums (Kweku Sumbry), and a strong sonic (sounds like spiritual) debt to Coltrane. B+(***) [sp]

Tom Skinner: Voices of Bishara Live at "mu" (2023 [2024], International Anthem): British drummer, mostly jazz credits since 1998, including Sons of Kemet, but also plays in post-Radiohead Britpop The Smile, led his first album in 2022, Voices of Bishara, and here takes them on the road, with two tenor saxophonists (Robert Stillman and Chelea Carmichael, the latter also on flute), cello, and bass I thought the album was pretty great, so I'm not surprised that this is pretty good, but it lacks that extra wallop you hope for in live albums. B+(**) [sp]

Skyzoo: Keep Me Company (2024, Old Soul Music): New York rapper Gregory Taylor, still underground after twenty years. "The only thing that sounds better muted is trumpet." B+(***) [sp]

Margaret Slovak & Chris Maresh: A Star's Light Does Fall (2024, Slovak Music): Nylon string guitar for that delicate touch, duets with acoustic bass, nicely ambient. B+(*) [cd]

Ben Solomon: Echolocation (2023 [2024], Giant Step Arts): Tenor saxophonist, based in New York, this got some votes for Debut album, but while Discogs doesn't list anything, his Bandcamp has two previous albums (one from 2023). Quartet with piano (Davis Whitfield), bass (Rahsaan Carter), and drums (Kush Abadey). Includes tributes to Coltrane and Shorter, whose influence is evident. B+(***) [sp]

Kavain Wayne Space & XT: Yesyespeakersyes (2024, Feedback Moves): The former is a Chicago footwork DJ, active since 1997, much better known as RP Boo, teamed up here with the English duo of Paul Abbott and Seymour Wright, with albums as XT since 2016. B [bc]

Colin Stetson: The Love It Took to Leave You (2024, Invada): Not really in the jazz tradition, but plays a wide range of saxophones (especially bass saxophone), as well as other horns. Debut 2003, moved into soundtracks c. 2013, now the majority of his output. This isn't, but could be. B+(**) [sp]

Sun Ra Arkestra [Under the Direction of Marshall Allen]: Lights on a Satellite (2024, In+Out): Sun Ra's ghost band, still under the steady leadership of long-time alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, who had just passed 100 when he brought the 24-piece band to New York's Power Station to record this double-LP, starting with a 10-minut run through the title song (from 1961), before going earlier and later. After all the space talk, they wind up "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans." A- [sp]

Sweet Megg: Bluer Than Blue (2024, Turtle Bay): Singer Megg Farrell, had a 2000 album as Sweet Megg, a 2009 album under her own name (Dig a Pony: The Beatles Complete on Ukulele), then nothing until 2021, when she landed on Turtle Bay with Ricky Alexander. Two or three (if you count Santa Baby) albums later, she's basically running a western swing combo, mixing Ellington with Bob Wills and Moon Mullican. Alexander has shifted more from sax to clarinet, and you get a lot of lap steel (Chris Scruggs) and fiddle (Billy Contreras) to go with the horns and rhythm. B+(**) [sp]

Sweet Megg: Live at Honky Tonk Tuesday July 2024 (2024, self-released): Fan bait, a quickie digital album where she heads to Nashville, loses the horns, picks up an acoustic guitar, and a batch of hard drinking country standards. The steel and fiddle don't swing like they do our west, not that you can tell much with the weak sound. B [bc]

Steve Swell's Imbued With Light: Hommage à Galina Ustvolskaya (2024, Silkheart): Fourth in the avant-trombonist's series of hommages to modern-classical composers, first one I've never heard of, a Russian (1919-2006), per Wikipedia: "Known as 'the lady with the hammer,' her music has been described as demanding 'everything from the performer,' uncompromising in her trademark textured homophonic blocks of sound." Septet here, with trumpet, tuba, bassoon, cello, piano, and drums. B+(***) [bc]

Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: Secret Message (2023 [2024], Circle 9): Drummer, presumably from Detroit although this second group album was recorded in Paramus, has a swishy, big band feel but not the body count, swinging eight standards -- from Porter into Lennon-McCartney, Leon Russell, and Stevie Wonder. B+(**) [cd]

Christian Tamburr/Dominick Farinacci/Michael Ward-Bergeman: Triad (2024, Ropeadope): Trio of vibraphone/marimba, trumpet, and accordion, the first two Americans, but Ward-Bergeman's bio is cagier, with study at Berklee and stops in New Orleans and Vancouver. The accordion is more common in European jazz, but also explains the Astor Piazzolla opener. The trumpet is more at home in New Orleans, which gives us a cover of "St. James Infirmary" -- one of three guest vocal spots for Shenel Johns, starting with a gutsy "I Put a Spell on You" and ending with a torchy ballad. The other guest is Jamey Haddad, on percussion (6 of 10 tracks). Album title will no doubt carry on as the group name. A- [sp]

Natsuki Tamura/Satoko Fujii/Ramón López: Yama Kawa Umi (2023 [2024], Not Two): Trumpet, piano, drums trio, fifth album as a trio, the first two having shared billing dozens of times. B+(***) [cd]

Teiku: Teiku (2022 [2024], 577): Group led by Josh Harlow (piano/electronics) and Jonathan Barahal Taylor (drums), composers who based this on Passover songs, offered as "liberation music . . . a call for justice for all oppressed peoples," noting that "as Jews, we decry the senseless violence, displacement, and killing perpetrated in our name." Group adds Peter Formanek (tenor/alto sax/clarinet), Rafael Leafar (bass clarinet/bass flute/tenor/soprano sax), and Jaribu Shahid (bass/percussion). B+(***) [sp]

Pat Thomas: The Solar Model of Ibn Al-Shatir (2024, Otoroku): Avant-pianist, based in London, early albums with Lol Coxhill (1993) and Derek Bailey (1997), has drawn on Arabic models, especially for his solo work (starting with Nur in 1999, and most impressively in his Ahmed group). B+(**) [sp]

Thumbscrew: Wingbeats (2024, Cuneiform): Trio of Tomas Fujiwara (drums/vibraphone), Michael Formanek (bass), and Mary Halvorson (guitar), with three song credits each (plus a Mingus cover), eighth group album since 2014. Each brings real talent, and they mesh well enough, but the album slips past without leaving enough of an impression. B+(***) [dl]

Tomin: Flores Para Verene/Cantos Para Caramina (2020-24 [2024], International Anthem): First name, last is Perea-Chamblee, based in New York, plays reeds (clarinets) and brass (cornet). This "debut album" is a compilation from singles and EPs (as far as I can tell), 24 short pieces adding up to 36:43. Feels a little sketchy. B+(*) [sp]

Tomin: A Willed and Conscious Balance (2024, International Anthem): This is billed as his "debut full-length work," 10 songs, 35:49, where Tomin Perea-Chamblee plays "flute, alto and bass clarinets, trombone, euphonium, bells, sine waves (Casio MT-70) and additional trumpet" -- Linton Smith II is the main trumpet player, with keyboards (Telana Davis), bass (Luke Stewart), two cellos, and drums. B+(**) [sp]

Trance Map (Evan Parker and Matthew Wright): Horizons Held Close (2024, Relative Pitch): Wright is a British "sound artist," using electronics, turntables, and various other contraptions. He released a duo album with the avant-saxophonist in 2011 called Trance Map, and they've had several more group collaborations since, including two albums on Intakt. Back to a duo here, with Parker playing soprano. B+(**) [sp]

Transatlantic Trance Map: Marconi's Drift (2022 [2024], False Walls): Trance Map was a 2011 duo album of "sound designer" Matthew Wright and avant-saxophonist Evan Parker. They've collaborated several times since, including a recent duo, two mixed group albums on Intakt, and this their most complex endeavor: "two ensembles playing simultaneously on either side of the Atlantic ocean, connected through the internet and improvising through the airwaves." B+(**) [bc]

Andromeda Turre: From the Earth (2024, Starbilt): Singer/composer, debut 2008, daughter of trombonist Steve Turre, presents this as "a jazz suite." B+(*) [sp]

Unionen: Unionen (2024, We Jazz): Two stars each from Norway and Sweden -- Per "Texas" Johansson (reeds), Ståle Storløkken (keyboards), Petter Eldh (basses), and Gard Nilssen (drums) -- their name referring back to the 1814-1905 United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway (and not to the Swedish trade union, which was Google's first suggestion). B+(***) [sp]

Chucho Valdés/Royal Quartet: Cuba and Beyond (2024, InterCat Music Group): Cuban pianist, father was a major bandleader, founded and led the group Irakere, still impressive in his 80s, his group a quartet with bass, drums, and percussion. B+(**) [sp]

Village of the Sun: Live in Tokyo (2023 [2024], Gearbox): This is Simon Ratledge, who is half of the British electronic duo Basement Jaxx, working with jazz musicians Binker Golding (sax) and Moses Boyd (drums), themselves the notable duo Binker & Moses. Live set, follows their eponymous 2020 album, for three tracks, 32:14. B+(**) [bc]

Liba Villavecchia Trio + Luis Vicente: Muracik (2022 [2024], Clean Feed): Spanish alto saxophonist, has credits going back to 1999 but his own groups really pick up around 2020, trio here with bass (Alex Reviriego) and drums (Vasco Trilla), with trumpet on the side. B+(**) [sp]

Terry Waldo & the Gotham City Band: Treasury Volume 1 (2024, Turtle Bay): Pianist, b. 1944, an interest in ragtime drew him to Eubie Blake, called his first group Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators, formed his Gotham City Band after moving to New York in 1980. Unclear when or where this was recorded: his releases seem to thin out after 2010, but this is largely the same band as on the 2021 album, and the singer there has nothing before 2019, so the guess here is that this is a fairly recent recording, even if they're direct-cutting 78s and sending them off to Archeophone for restoration. A- [sp]

Anna Webber: Simpletrio2000 (2023 [2024], Intakt): Canadian tenor saxophonist, also plays flute, born in Vancouver, studied in Montreal, moved to New York, steady stream of albums since 2010, this as advertised with below-the-title cover credit for Matt Mitchell (piano) and John Hollenbeck (drums), who are nobody's idea of simple. The fast stretches are exceptional, but the flute can slow them down. B+(***) [bc]

Cory Weeds Meets Champian Fulton: Every Now and Then: Live at OCL Studios (2024, Cellar Music): Alto saxophonist, albums since 2010, runs the mainstream-oriented label, duets with the pianist-singer. She's a fine singer, but my favorite track is the opener, just sax and piano. Oh, and this isn't their first meeting. B+(***) [sp]

Lucy Wijnands/John Di Martino: Call Me Irresponsible: The Songs of Jimmy Van Heusen (2022 [2023], Night Is Alive): Jazz singer, from Kansas City, father is stride pianist Bram Wijnands, album is sometimes just credited to the pianist (I've seen covers with both names, just his, or none with no subtitle), as well as references to the Night Is Right Band -- with Harry Allen (tenor sax), Dave Stryker (guitar), Peter Washington (bass), and Willie Jones III (drums) -- and no clear release date. The songs earned their standards status, the headliners are well suited, and Allen is better still. B+(***) [sp]

Lucy Wijnands: Something Awaits (2023, 4605843 DK2, EP): Jazz singer, father a stride pianist, neither this nor the album with John Di Martino above appear on Discogs or other discographies, but Will Friedwald, Michael Steinman, and Francis Davis are fans, and not without reason. Six songs, 24:55. B+(*) [sp]

Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O: Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come (2024, Palmetto): I think this is the first year since I started getting promos that I haven't had to deal with a single album of Christmas music. Still, I had reason to suspect there might be more to this reunion of the drummer's 2010 holiday trio ("Tree-O"), with Jeff Lederer (reeds) and Paul Skivie (bass), especially with the cover playing on two classic Ornette Coleman albums, and working "Up on the Rooftop" into the canon. B+(***) [sp]

Ben Wolfe: The Understated (2023 [2024], Resident Arts): Bassist, tenth album since 1998, composed all pieces, most with Nicole Glover (tenor sax), Orrin Evans (piano), and Aaron Kimmel (drums), with guest spots (two tracks each) for Russell Malone (guitar) and Sullivan Fortner (piano). B+(*) [sp]

Andrea Wolper: Wanderlust (2024, Moonflower Music): Jazz singer, only her fourth album since 1998, writes most of her own material, but opens with a Ray Charles tune here, and returns for Carole King and Sting. Band is first-rate, with John Di Martino (piano), Ken Filiano (bass), Michael TA Thompson (drums), Charles Burnham (violin), and co-producer Jeff Lederer (clarinet/flute), and she is masterful. A- [sp]

John Zorn & Jesse Harris: Love Songs Live (2023 [2024], Tzadik): Songwriters, music and lyrics respectively, Harris best known for his 2001-09 work with Norah Jones (although he has done much more since). The singer here is Petra Haden, backed by Brian Marsella (piano), Jorge Roeder (bass), and Ches Smith (drums). B+(**) [sp]

John Zorn: New Masada Quartet, Volume 3: Live at Roulette (2024, Tzadik): Zorn puts his name on so many albums he doesn't play on that it's surprising not to see it here -- not that there's no precedent for attributing it as I did (and as I've done for both previous volumes) -- where he plays his usual alto sax on his book of well-rehearsed tunes, backed by Julian Lage (guitar), Jorge Roeder (bass), and Kenny Wollesen (drums). Great to hear him cut loose, but this adds a whole other dimension to Lage's guitar. A- [sp]

Recent Reissues, Compilations, Vault Discoveries

John Abercrombie/Dave Holland/Jack DeJohnette: Gateway (1975 [2024], ECM): American guitarist (1944-2017), second album (after Timeless), a trio with bass and drums which led to Gateway 2 in 1978, and two more 1995-96 albums with Gateway the group name. Straight reissue of the 1975 album, shows his distinctive guitar style already well-formed, enhanced by an already superb rhythm duo. B+(***) [sp]

Louis Armstrong All Stars: Lausanne 1952 [Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series, Vol. 48] (1952 [2024], TCB): No real surprises here, as the set list is familiar from other live shots from the period, when the legitimately named "All Stars" that in 1947 featured Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Jack Teagarden, and Big Sid Catlett, were down to Bob McCracken (clarinet), Trummy Young (trombone), Marty Napoleon (piano), Arvell Shaw (bass), and Cozy Cole (drums). They make for a very hot five, although the program becomes more varied when Velma Middleton enters, followed by features for the various "stars." B+(***) [bc]

Duck Baker: Breakdown Lane: Free Jazz Guitar 1976-1998 (1976-98 [2024], ESP-Disk): Guitarist, acoustic fingerstyle, straddles folk and jazz, first album 1975, scattered solos and duos with Eugene Chadbourne. B+(**) [cd]

Tim Berne/Michael Formanek: Parlour Games (1991 [2024], Relative Pitch): Sax and bass duo, Berne playing alto and baritone, in a previously unreleased session that predates their 1998 duo, Ornery People. This is terrific all the way through. A- [sp]

Jakob Bro/Lee Konitz/Bill Frisell/Jason Moran/Thomas Morgan/Andrew Cyrille: Taking Turns (2014 [2024], ECM): Danish guitarist, debut album 2003, recorded his first ECM album in Oslo in 2013, a few months before this shelved studio session in New York. Bro original compositions, everyone lays back, though at this point anything by Konitz is welcome. B+(*) [sp]

Brian Calvin and Devin Johnston: Some Hours (1999 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey, EP): Short album (5 songs, 22:53), recorded by Jim O'Rourke, with Calvin (guitar/vocals) evidently writing the music to poet Johnston's words (who also plays guitar and offer backing vocals). B+(**) [bc]

Johnny Cash: Songwriter (1993 [2024], Mercury Nashville): Just his vocals, scraped from a demo tape from the void between Cash's Mercury albums (1987-91) and his 1994 work with Rick Rubin, with new instrumentals constructed by John Carter Cash and his crew. A couple of new songs appeared later (like "Drive On"), and some go way back (like "Sing It Pretty, Sue"). Short (11 songs in 30:53), very nicely done. A- [sp]

Children of the Sun: Ofamfa (1971 [2024], Moved-by-Sound): Basically the same St. Louis group that also recorded as Black Artist Group and Human Arts Ensemble, the most famous alumnus of which is saxophonist Oliver Lake. This particular recording is build around the poems of Bruce Rutlin (aka Ajule). The poetry itself is fairly marginal, but the music, and especially the saxophone, can really take off. B+(***) [sp]

Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (1963-64 [2024], Columbia/Legacy, 6CD): Another treasure trove of live quintet sets, with the young Herbie Hancock-Ron Carter-Tony Williams rhythm section, plus George Coleman (tenor sax) on the 1963 Juan-Les-Pins festival sessions, replaced by Wayne Shorter for the 1964 sets at Salle Pleyel. The 7/27/1963 set mostly appeared in Miles Davis in Europe (1964), but everything else was previously unreleased, with the extra focus on Coleman most appreciated. Overall, sounds about par for live Davis from the period -- which is to say, instantly recognizable and often sublime -- like The Complete Concert 1964 (with Coleman), Miles in Berlin (with Shorter), and the most intriguing path not taken, Miles in Tokyo (with Sam Rivers). [CD packaging is remarkably compact, unlike the earlier Bootleg Series vaults, or the pricey 8-LP.] A- [cd]

Miles Davis: Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings (1954 [2024], Craft, 2CD): Or 4-LP, which is probably the point, but the label takes their remastering seriously, and offers a range of formats. This collects four sessions from the pivotal year in Davis's 1951-56 tenure at Prestige, starting with three tracks (including "Four") from the back half of a 10-inch LP, followed by star-laden sessions eventually released as Walkin', Bags Groove, and Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants -- some with Sonny Rollins (tenor sax) or Milt Jackson (vibes), with Horace Silver or Thelonious Monk on piano, Percy Heath (bass), and Kenny Clarke (drums), with two tracks each for Jay Jay Johnson (trombone), Lucky Thompson (tenor sax), and Dave Schildkraut (alto sax). A- [sp]

Iancu Dumitrescu: Ansamblul Hyperion (1980 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): Romanian composer, reissue of his first album, originally relesed in 1981, his Ensemble including clarinet, flute, bassoon, viola, cello, double bass, trombone, and percussion, with his piano on one track, and there's certainly some uncredited electronics in the mix. The first piece doesn't go far beyond surveying the sound pallette, but the later pieces are often quite remarkable. A- [bc]

Bill Evans: In Norway: The Kongsberg Concert (1970 [2024], Elemental Music): Pianist (1929-80), legend enough he has quite a bit of newly discovered archival work out. This is a trio with Eddie Gomez (bass) and Marty Morell (drums), from a strong year. CD runs 79:33, 2-LP runs €49.98. B+(***) [cd]

Bobby Hutcherson: Total Eclipse (1068 [2024], Blue Note Tone Poet): Vibraphonist, recorded for Blue Note 1963-77. This a quintet with Harold Land (tenor sax/flute), Chick Corea (piano), Reggie Johnson (bass), and Joe Chambers (drums). B [sp]

Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra: L'Intercommunal (1976-78 [2024], Souffle Continu): French group, released four numbered volumes 1974-82, plus a fifth album in 1983 listing its composer-leaders François Tusques (piano) and Carlos Andreu (voice) on the credit line. B+(**) [bc]

Al Jarreau: Wow! Live at the Childe Harold (1976 [2024], Resonance): Jazz singer (1940-2017), enjoyed some vogue in the late 1970s as a semipop crossover (five Grammys 1978-82, 5 more in 1986, 1993, and 2007; albums in 1981 and 1983 charted 9 and 13). Christgau dismissed him, "maybe because he neither writes nor interprets songs with the soul to match his freeze-dried facility." I checked him out, didn't care for what I heard, and forgot all but his name. But this newly discovered live tape does attest to his "facility," and largely justifies its title. B+(***) [cd]

Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: The Old Country: More From the Deer Head Inn (1992 [2024], ECM): The pianist is still alive, but was knocked out of action by a stroke in 2018, so his label has ever since been scrounging around old tapes for more work by their best-selling-ever artist, as if the market for his wares is inexhaustible. This picks up where his trio's 1994 At the Deer Head Inn left off, with a set of 8 standards running 73:29, with the Nat Adderely title piece the longest. B+(*) [sp]

The Jazzmen: Nineteen Sixty-Six (1966 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): Previously unreleased tape by a Poughkeepsie group led by bassist Tyrone Crabb, with the first recording of Joe McPhee on trumpet -- his sax debut, Underground Railroad came in 1969 -- with two saxophonists (Harry Hall and Reggie Marks), with Mike Kull on piano and Charlie Benjamin on drums. Opens with 9:56 wrapped around "One Mint Julep," then a 34:05 piece called "Killed in Vietnam/Milestones." The former is possibly over-constrained by an irresistible melody, while the latter can go off the rails, but that's not such a bad thing. B+(**) [bc]

Louis Jordan: World Broadcast Recordings 1944/45 (1944-45 [2024], Circle, 2CD): Radio shots, recorded for World Broadcasting System (WBS), 48 tracks "including previously unissued alternate takes." Terrific ditties, half familiar, all enjoyable, sound a bit less than ideal. B+(***) [sp]

B.B. King: In France: Live at the 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival (1977 [2024], Deep Digs/Elemental Music): Memphis blues guitarist-singer (1925-2015), his classic singles date from the early 1950s, but with 1964's Live at the Regal he started to gain a rock audience, as well as hitting up a few jazz festivals, and he remained a popular figure past 2000. He rolls out the horns here, and puts on a good show, with the flagship 2-LP product squeezing neatly in to one 79:17 CD. B+(**) [cd]

Byard Lancaster/Steve McCall/Sylvain Marc: Us (1973 [2024], Souffle Continu): Avant-alto saxophonist (1942-2012), from Philadelphia, first album (1968) was called It's Not Up to Us, his early 1970s recordings were released by Palm in France -- except for the group Sounds of Liberation (1972), which came out on the even more obscure Dogtown label, and is one of the best examples of the early 1970s underground. Trio with drums and electric bass, a bit too much flute. B+(***) [bc]

Byard Lancaster: Mother Africa (1974 [2024], Souffle Continu): A second album for the French label palm, sparring with Clint Jackson III (trumpet), backed by Jean-François Caloire (bass), Keno Speller (percussion) and Jonathan Dickinson (drums), for two side-long free jazz bashes, with an extra 15:18 bonus for the CD reissue. Second cut shows some cognizance of South African jazz. B+(***) [bc]

Byard Lancaster/Keno Speller: Exactement (1974 [2024], Souffle Continu, 2CD): Opens with Lancaster on piano solo, before he moves on to flute, alto sax, bass clarinet, and more flute, joined for most of that with Speller on percussion. Originally released as 2-LP, could have fit on one 79:40 CD. B+(**) [bc]

Byard Lancaster: Funny Funky Rib Crib (1974 [2024], Souffle Continu): Pulled from several sessions, and only released in 1979, some afro-funk groove (notably guitar from François Nyombo), with a couple of weak but bluesy vocals from the leader. Not quite as good as it should have been. B+(**) [bc]

Byard Lancaster: The Complete Palm Recordings 1973-1974 (1973-74 [2024], Souffle Continu): Four albums, from a period when this little-recognized avant-saxophonist was just finding himself, working in France where the African connection was vibrant. Musically, this recapitulates the albums above. I can't speak to the packaging, which includes 5 LPs (Exactement was a double), a one-sided 12-inch EP, a 7-inch single, and a 20-page booklet. B+(***) [bc]

Lee Morgan: Taru (1968 [2024], Blue Note): Major trumpet player (1938-72), played in what was perhaps Art Blakey's most famous lineup 1959-61, while leading a mixed bag of sessions for Blue Note that included several hard bop classics -- the label recorded many masterpieces in the early 1960s, but seemed to lose the thread later in the decade, one result being that this session with younger players -- sure, you know them now: Bennie Maupin (tenor sax), John Hicks (piano), George Benson (guitar), Reggie Workman (bass), and Billy Higgins (drums) -- got locked away until some housecleaning in 1980. B+(**) [sp]

Nature's Consort: Nature's Consort (1969 [2024], Aguirre): One-shot quintet album, four of five songs written by pianist Robert Naughton (aka Bobby Naughton, 1944-2022, mostly played vibraphone later on, was involved in Creative Improvisers Orchestra and related groups led by Leo Smith and Roscoe Mitchell), the other a Carla Bley cover, with James Duboise (brass), Mark Whitecage (reeds), Mario Pavone (bass), and Laurence Cook (percussion). B+(***) [yt]

NRG Ensemble: Hold That Thought (1996 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): Group originally founded by avant-saxophonist Hal Russell (1926-92), with Mars Williams continuing the group for a few years after his death, notably recruiting young saxophonist Ken Vandermark, who would shortly bring Williams and bassist Kent Kessler into his Vandermark 5. (I didn't realize this until just now, but Russell's original name was Luttenbacher, hence he was the inspiration as well as a founding member of Weasel Walter's no-wave post-rock band, the Flying Luttenbachers.) Williams died last year, and this live set, from Utrecht, was found among his archives. It's an extraordinary piece of work, not just a tribute to past Russell but a harbinger of future Vandermark. A- [bc]

Elvis Presley: Memphis (1956-76 [2024], RCA/Legacy, 5CD): Theme is recordings made in his home town, which means the first disc collects the Sun masters, then one disc each for concerts in 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1976, before he died in 1977 -- a total of 111 tracks, "88 of which are newly mixed versions of the select recordings, pure and without overdubs." The early stuff is great, as you know, but no better here than elsewhere. I'm not about to do comparisons, but most of the live stuff sounds a bit thin. But the fifth disc, with the 1976 Graceland set, is magnificent. By this point, his rocking days are past, and he's just a standards singer, but he leaves his own mark on everything he touches. [PS: After some bootlegs, the 1976 Graceland sessions got an official release in 2016 as Way Down in the Jungle Room, with a second disc of outtakes. I don't remember the details, but gave that set a B+(*), so perhaps today's reaction should be taken with a grain of salt, or maybe the sound and/or the selection is better.] B+(***) [sp]

Nisse Sandström Group: Öppet Ett (1965-67 [2023], Caprice): Swedish saxophonist (1942-2021), also plays bass clarinet, three early tracks, adds up to 40 minutes, some psychedelic rock influence with scattered chatter but eventually hits its mark. Mats Gustafsson curated the reissue series and wrote the liner notes -- I haven't read them, but recognize the influence. B+(***) [sp]

Soft Machine: Høvikkoden 1971 (1971 [2024], Cuneiform): British prog rock group from Canterbury, started 1968 with a set of odd ditties dominated by singer-songwriter Kevin Ayres. After Ayres split, the rest -- Mike Rutledge (keyboards), Hugh Hopper (bass), and Robert Wyatt (drums), joined by avant-saxophonist Elton Dean (curiously, the source of half of Reginald Dwight's stage name, the other bit taken from Long John Baldry) -- stretched out, with Wyatt the only vocalist, and an odd duck at that. (Wyatt's "The Moon in June" side on Third is my favorite Soft Machine track. After a fall left him paralyzed from the waist down, he went solo, working with Eno and Carla Bley -- high points include his vocals on Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports and Michael Mantler's The Hapless Child -- and ultimately releasing some notable agitprop.) While the group's studio albums, at least through Seven in 1974 (I missed three more through 1981, including one with Allan Holdsworth), tended toward pleasant noodling, several interesting live tapes have surfaced recently, as well as periodic revivals (starting with Soft Machine Legacy in 2005). The live albums, especially the Dean years (1970-72), are much more jazz-oriented, contributing to the burgeoning fusion tide. The best example remains Grides, released in 2006 along with the Legacy disc. This at best is comparable, but two long sets unedited can seem redundant and meander a bit. B+(***) [dl]

Omar Sosa: Omar Sosa's 88 Well Tuned Drums (1996-2018 [2024], Otá): Cuban pianist, moved to Ecuador in the 1990s, passed through California before settling in Barcelona. This is a soundtrack to a feature documentary, so it appears to pick up a range of pieces across his career, ranging from solo piano to big band. All are quite striking. A- [sp]

Splat!: And Yeah So (1981-1985) (1981-85 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): UK post-punk band, Discogs lists two EPs from 1983-84, tracks 8-14 in this 19-track compilation, the early adds starting off with "Jugular Blowjob" and "The Sleaze," with a demo and two alternates at the end. The music is subtler and trickier than you'd expect from punks, almost like they're into improv. B+(***) [bc]

Sun Ra: Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (1978 [2024], Resonance, 2CD): Confusing to have this reissue share the same title as the new album by the ghost Arkestra -- song title goes back at least as far as 1961's Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow. This was a prime period for the big band, with their consummate knack of making a circus out of their imagined cosmos: while they can fall into schtick, or break down in chaos, their flights of fantasy are as primal as they are astonishing. A- [cd]

Charles Tolliver Music Inc: Live at the Captain's Cabin (1973 [2024], Cellar Music): Trumpet player, from Florida, started working with Jackie McLean in 1964 (e.g., It's Time!), produced a number of striking albums from 1968 well into the 1970s, many on the Strata-East label which he co-founded with Stanley Cowell. Sizzling live set here with John Hicks (piano), Clint Houston (bass), and Clifford Barbaro (drums). A- [sp]

Old Music

Hazel Dickens: A Few Old Memories (1976-87 [1987], Rounder): Her 1965 and 1973 albums with Alice Girard (Pioneering Women of Bluegrass and Hazel and Alice) are essentials for anyone even vaguely interested in the form. This compilation starts later, with one song from their slightly lesser 1976 reunion, selections from three good solo albums, plus a couple stray tracks. This isn't significantly better than its constituent albums, but stands fine on its own. A- [sp]

The Byard Lancaster Unit: Live at MacAlester College (1970-73 [2008], Porter): The original Dogtown release (1972) was credited to "the J.R. Mitchell/Bayard Lancaster experience," with the title Live at Mac Alester College '72. Mitchell was the drummer ("percussionist"), but it's the saxophonist ("horns") you notice first and remember longest. The reissue also moves the three live quartet tracks back a year, to 1971, with the first track on both from 1970, and two later bonus tracks credited to "The J. R. Mitchel Experimental Unit," which is Lancaster, Mitchell, Calvin Hill, and "unfortunately unknown." A- [sp]

Byard Lancaster: Soul Unity (2005 [2022], Komos): "Recorded one sunny afternoon in March 2005," "a devotional journey through jazz history from Africa to Coltrane, from Spirituals to Now, Searching for the Source behind the forms," released on CD in 2006 and 2-LP in 2022 -- reordered with a new cover, but that's what I'm streaming. Reverend Joe Craddock helps the the vocals. B+(**) [sp]

Sun Ra & His Arkestra: Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (1961 [2014], Enterplanetary Koncepts): Two New York sessions, shortly after the band moved from Chicago, including their first take on "Lights on a Satellite," the title of two prominent 2024 releases (one a 1978 live shot, the other a celebration of Marshall Allen's 100th birthday). Some early sonic experiments, but the underlying swing is strong, and a bonus track reminds you how hard John Gilmore could play. A- [bc]

Sweet Megg and Ricky Alexander: I'm in Love Again (2020 [2021], Turtle Bay): Singer Megg Farrell had two previous albums, a Beatles-on-ukulele under her own name, and a debut as Sweet Megg way back in 2002. Alexander, who plays sax and clarinet, had self released Strike Up the Band in 2018. Mostly swing standards, with a "Ragged but Right" dragged in from the country. B+(**) [sp]

Sweet Megg: My Window Faces the South (2022, Turtle Bay): Here's where she dons her cowboy hat, rejiggers her band around steel guitar and fiddle, and swings west, drawing several times on Bob Wills, with other songs like "Tennessee Waltz" and even "Stardust" not so far removed. B+(***) [sp]

Steve Swell's Systems for Total Immersion: Hommage à Luciano Berio (2021 [2022], Silkheart): Free jazz trombonist, many albums since 1996, most relevant here are a series of "hommage" albums to modern composers, starting with Bartók and Messaien. I'm not very knowledgeable about any of these subjects, and this one is especially tricky. Ellen Christi sings, which is often a problem for me. Swell plays some pocket trumpet, with Marty Ehrlich on flute and reeds, Sam Newsome on soprano sax, Jim Pugliese on marimba, and Gerald Cleaver on drums, plus odd sounds I can't quite account for. Very tricky, but it never quite turned me off, and started to grow on me. B+(***) [bc]

Terry Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators: Hot House Rag (1971 [2001], Delmark): Ragtime pianist, started out in Ohio and sought out Eubie Blake. His first album was released as Jazz in the Afternoon by Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators, as part of Blackbird's "Jazz From Ohio Series." Those eight standards form the core of this 13-track reissue, with ragtime piano at the heart of a classic Hot Seven, the horns brilliant, the rhythm sustained by Bob Sundstrom's banjo and Mike Walbridge's tuba. B+(***) [r]

Terry Waldo: The Soul of Ragtime ([2014], Tompkins Square): Ragtime pianist from Ohio, b. 1944, learned his craft in the 1970s, when Eubie Blake was still around to mentor him. Sixteen tunes, not clear when they were recorded -- there's an earlier, undated album cover, showing a much younger man -- but it was certainly long after the tunes were first punched into rolls. B+(**) [r]

Terry Waldo/Tatiana Eva-Marie: I Double Dare You (2021, Turtle Bay): The singer started with the trad-oriented Avalon Jazz Band c. 2019. Trad/swing band led by the pianist, where Nick Russo's banjo is prominent. Nice duet to close. B+(*) [r]

Grade (or other) Changes

Sometimes further listening leads me to change an initial grade, usually either because I move on to a real copy, or because someone else's review or list makes me want to check it again. Also some old albums extracted from further listening:

John Abercrombie: Timeless (1974 [1975], ECM): First album, one I definitely had the LP of and possibly could have graded from memory, but I figured it was worth another spin. Another trio, with Jan Hammer (keyboards) and Jack De Johnette (drums) just below the title line. [PS: Later found I had graded it, but the refresher bumped it up a notch.] [was: B] B+(*) [sp]

Music Weeks

Music: Current count 36534 [36534] rated (+0), 149 [149] unrated (+0).

Excerpts from this month's Music Week posts:

Notes

Sources noted as follows:

• [cd] based on physical cd
• [cdr] based on an advance or promo cd or cdr
• [lp] based on physical lp (vinyl)
• [dvd] based on physical dvd (rated more for music than video)
• [bc] available at bandcamp.com
• [r] available at napster.com (formerly Rhapsody)
• [sc] available at soundcloud.com
• [sp] available at spotify.com
• [yt] available at youtube.com
• [os] some other stream source
• [dl] something I was able to download from the web; may be freely available, may be a bootleg someone made available, or may be a publicist promo

Grades are probably self-explanatory, aside from B+, which is subdivided 1-2-3 stars, because most records that come my way are pretty good, but they're not all that good.