Saxophone Summit
Seraphic Light
(Telarc)
Repertory and tribute bands abound, but few sound as heartfelt as Saxophone Summit, a three-saxophone sextet adopting the autumnal music of John Coltrane as its touchstone. Dave Liebman leads this all-star entourage with fellow saxophonists Joe Lovano and Ravi Coltrane, John’s duly talented son. But democracy rules Saxophone [...]

Mary Lou Williams
A Grand Night for Swinging
(HighNote)
Pianist Mary Lou Williams is one of those geniuses who gets overlooked because she’s simply too hard to classify. A hard swinging composer-arranger in Kansas City big bands, she was a strong influence on bebop, and late in life, when this CD was recorded, [...]

Bill Carrothers
Home Row
(Pirouet)
It doesn’t seem right that a record could sit on the shelf for 16 years then sound so fresh when it finally becomes available. But that’s the case with this superb disc from pianist Bill Carrothers. The approach may be standard piano trio, but the results are top-flight [...]

Pete Rodríguez
El Alquimista – The Alchemist
(Conde)
The volcanic opening track of Pete Rodríguez’s third album as a leader barely hints at what’s to come on this alluring showcase of the young trumpeter and composer’s broad range of talents. Drummer Henry Cole’s thunderous introduction on “Who Do I Trust,” the first of [...]

Mostly Other People Do the Killing
This is Our Moosic
(Hot Cup)
The packaging of This is Our Moosic could hardly be more referential. The jacket’s design and photos specifically recall the Ornette Coleman Quartet’s epochal 1960 release This is Our Music, and in his liner notes, Moppa Elliott, double bassist for Mostly [...]

Anthony Braxton
Quartet (Moscow) 2008
(Leo)
One of the more exciting and encouraging developments in jazz during the past few years has been the re-emergence of improvisational legend and theorist Anthony Braxton. After spending years relatively out of sight and sound in academia, Braxton is again putting his ideas into vibrant practice at [...]