A month after losing Wayne Shorter to the beginnings of Weather Report, Miles Davis added young saxophonist Steve Grossman to the fold that included drummer Jack DeJohnette, bassist Dave Holland, electric pianist Chick Corea, and percussionist Airto Moreira. Just in time, too, since Bitches Brew had just been released. What is most interesting about this performance is how abstract it is, even by the standards exacted on In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. Opening with Joe Zawinul's "Directions," with a small three-note vamp, Davis creates a spaciousness for Grossman to hit the stratosphere and for both Holland and DeJohnette to literally fall freely as a rhythm section as long as they could find a groove. The band seems to open too far; they can't seem to find each other in the maelstrom. Davis lays out, watching it all, directing from the sidelines…

Elementary is the debut solo release by legendary guitarist Wah Wah Watson, a musician widely recognized for his influential work across soul, funk, and jazz recordings of the 1970s. The album showcases his distinctive approach to rhythm, melody, and expressive guitar techniques while blending smooth soul textures with deep funk grooves and jazz-inspired musicianship. Rich arrangements and sophisticated instrumental interplay define the record, creating a sound that feels both relaxed and rhythmically engaging. Throughout the album, Watson balances emotional vocal elements with strong instrumental foundations and layered production. The release reflects the musical creativity of its era while highlighting his individual artistic identity beyond session work and collaborations. Elementary stands as a well-crafted fusion of groove and melody, offering listeners an immersive experience built around musicianship, warmth, and classic soul-funk sensibilities.

As part of Verve's Standards: Great Songs/Great Performances series, pianist Oscar Peterson is spotlighted on eight tracks recorded in the ‘50s. This set is aimed at the casual listener and includes top-notch performances of "Cheek to Cheek," "That Old Black Magic," and "Georgia on My Mind." The shifting Peterson trio includes guitarists Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Ed Thigpen. Trumpeter Clark Terry shares solo space with Peterson on “Mack the Knife.”

Father and son duos are relatively rare in jazz but there's no generation gap apparent between Bucky and John Pizzarelli. The two have made a number of strong LPs and CDs together (and individually as well), although it is tough to lavish sufficient praise on this duo-guitar date, played primarily on seven-string electric guitars. Each man adapts equally well, whether in the lead, providing rhythmic support for the other, or matching his partner's lyricism while playing the head of a song. An invigorating "Three Little Words" introduces the two masterful guitarists with a flourish, followed by a lightly swinging take of "Jersey Bounce," the bluesy "Two Funky People," and the strutting acoustic duet "Test Pilot." Bucky is featured on two unaccompanied miniatures, "My Romance" and the rarely heard "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Very highly recommended.

Diana Krall is an attractive lady with a good voice who plays decent piano, but this somewhat ridiculously packaged Verve CD seems like an obvious attempt to turn her into a pop icon and sex symbol to boot. The bland arrangements by Claus Ogerman (who conducts the London Symphony Orchestra on each track) border on easy listening, while Krall and her various supporting musicians – including John Pisano, Russell Malone, Christian McBride, and Peter Erskine (among others) – clearly seem stifled by their respective roles.

A rare solo performance by one of jazz’s great originals, Canadian pianist Paul Bley, recorded live at the Oslo Jazz Festival in 2008 by Jan Erik Kongshaug and Manfred Eicher. There is nothing else quite like a Paul Bley concert. As the New York Times noted, “Mr. Bley long ago found a way to express his long, elegant, voluminous thoughts in a manner that implies complete autonomy from its given setting but isn’t quite free jazz. The music runs on a mixture of deep historical knowledge and its own inviolable principles." Here Bley, encouraged by an attentive and enthusiastic Norwegian audience shapes music in the moment, plays his own compositions, and brings the music to a fine conclusion in a performance of Sonny Rollins’s “Pent-Up House”.

A new classic of contemporary Japanese spiritual/modal jazz is born. Here unfolds a stunning soundscape painted with overflowing emotion and a quiet, powerful inner energy.

Although in 1957 some listeners considered swing and cool jazz to be at the extreme poles of the jazz world, this LP, recorded at that year's Newport Jazz Festival, shows just how similar the two idioms were. The Teddy Wilson Trio (with bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Specs Powell) plays lightly swinging versions of four swing era standards and welcomes baritonist Gerry Mulligan to sit in on a spirited rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown," and then Jeru's quartet (with trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, bassist Joe Benjamin, and drummer Dave Bailey) plays cooly exciting versions of "My Funny Valentine" and "Utter Chaos"; one could easily imagine Wilson helping out on those two songs. Strangely enough, this LP reissue of the original set also contains three standards by the Don Elliott Quartet with pianist Bill Evans, but never lists the full personnel (mellophonist Elliott, bassist Ernie Furtado, and drummer Al Beldini)…

Originally released in 1973 on Encounter Records, Profile's Sands of Time was produced by Bernard Purdie (a living, walking definition of soul-jazz drumming), and the album bears his signature sound. With Don Sands on organ, Dave Barron on guitar, Seldon Powell on tenor sax, Garnett Brown on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Paul Martinez on bass, and Purdie and Butchman Bateman sharing the drum kit, with help from percussionist Norman Pride, the album catches an easy, gently funky shuffle tone from the opening track, Barron's "99 Baseball," and then never lets go. Instrumental versions of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," Isaac Hayes' "Shaft," and Jimmy Webb's (via Isaac Hayes) "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" all fall into a delightful rainy-day groove, making Sands of Time somewhat of a lost classic.

John Pizzarelli takes his nifty little act over to the folks at Telarc, and in fact, little has changed at all; if anything, the act has gotten better. The good news is that Pizzarelli shows continued improvement as a vocalist; the nasal, callow, youthful sound slowly gives way to a less naive, more rhythmically hip style in the manner of early Nat Cole. Pizzarelli was a fine, versatile guitarist from the start, and he continues to astonish at lightning tempos here. His airtight longtime trio (brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass, Ray Kennedy on piano) keeps right up, switching tempos on a dime.

Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was at the peak of his popularity after his featured role as one of the "Four Brothers" in Woody Herman's band of the late 1940s. His breathy, post-Lester Young ballad style would go on to become one of the most recognizable sounds of 1950s jazz. The Best of the Roost Years shows Getz in the starring role with great sidemen, including the exceptionally sympathetic guitarist Jimmy Raney, pianists Horace Silver, Al Haig, and Duke Jordan, and various rhythm section components including bassist Tommy Potter and drummer Roy Haynes. "Autumn Leaves" sums up the Getz appeal.

Slow Drag finds Donald Byrd at the top of his form, leading a nimble and expressive quintet through a set of swinging originals and vibrant interpretations. Recorded in 1967, the album pairs Byrd’s warm tone and melodic invention with the soulful alto saxophone of Sonny Red and the inventive rhythm section of Cedar Walton, Walter Booker, and Billy Higgins. This edition is part of the Blue Note Japan 85th Anniversary UHQ-CD reissue series. Remastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, this UHQ-CD is packaged in a jewel case with obi-strip and features faithfully reproduced sleeve artwork and notes.

Here's what is known about Ornette Coleman's first recorded orchestral symphonic work (he had written others previously and had them performed but never put on tape): After hiring conductor David Measham and the London Symphony Orchestra, British musicians' union rules prohibited Coleman from using his own quartet to play on the record. As a result, he had to re-examine the work without the concerto grosso form and, to fit the work on a single LP, he had to cut many of the recurrent themes of the work. It is also known that the recording quality isn't the greatest. So what? The bottom line is this: In the 21st century, Skies of America, which was Ornette's first attempt at employing his newly developed harmolodic theory (whereby using modulation many players could solo at once using different keys), still sounds ahead of its time…

Sparkling live work from Miles Davis - and a set that captures both sides of his talents on Columbia at the time! Half the material features a smoking quintet - with Hank Mobley on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums - and the other half of the date features a larger orchestra led by Gil Evans - in the modern mode that make the Miles/Evans collaborations sound so great on some of the pair's studio records! Together, the material offers up a beautiful live portrait of Davis' early 60s genius - allowed a bit more space to roam in the live setting, on titles that include "So What", "New Rhumba", "Lament", and "No Blues" - all taken at a bit of a faster clip than in the studio, as Miles was wont to do in a live performance.

Ellington Between Strings is a collaborative jazz album by Danish guitarist Niclas Knudsen and bassist Jesper Bodilsen, released on May 15, 2026, through Mingus Records. The project is an intimate string-based exploration of classic compositions by Duke Ellington.