She may rarely perform live in this context, but Yelena Eckemoff has managed to build, over just seven years and a mammoth eleven releases—including her second release of 2017, In the Shadow of a Cloud—a loyal and growing following in the jazz world. It's all the more remarkable for a multi-talented expat Russian pianist who began life in the classical world, and only entered the jazz world in 2010 with Cold Sun. But there's even more to marvel at when it comes to Eckemoff, who relocated to the USA a little over a quarter century ago. Consider her accomplishments over the past seven years: she has released the entire body of jazz work on her own L&H Productions imprint, with only the help of publicists to help get the word out; has produced all of her recordings; and, since 2014's A Touch of Radiance, also contributed original paintings, as well as corresponding poetry to each composition.

"The Sirens" is acclaimed saxophonist Chris Potter’s ECM debut as a leader. It is an album of mood and melody, inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey, both with its epic atmosphere and timeless humanity. Potter has previously contributed on several ECM albums with Dave Holland, Paul Motian and Jason Moran. Joining Potter are virtuosic musicians Craig Taborn, David Virelles, Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland. Potter declaims lyrical lines over the dynamically inventive rhythm section, as coloristic keyboards shimmer like stars in the night sky.

When Billy Childs was 11 years old, his older sister introduced him to the work of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter Laura Nyro. Her blend of Broadway inspired melodies, jazz improvisation and socially conscious lyrics have stayed with him. Now Billy has returned to his early source of inspiration, conceiving and orchestrating the new album, "Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro", which features an incredible range of musicians who join him in interpreting her narratives.

The core quartet, Chris Potter, Antonio Sanchez, Ben Williams and I, played over 100 concerts over the year that followed the release of our Unity Band record. Over the course of that period, the band became one of those rare combinations of players where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - it gelled in every way, and that just seemed to beg for expansion and further research. – Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny - The Unity Sessions finds the 20 time Grammy winning guitarist and the youngest member of the Downbeat Hall of Fame at the helm of one of his best bands ever as they wrap up a 150 date world tour with an intimate studio performance filmed in a small New York City theatre. Featuring new performances of music from the Grammy winning Unity Band record, the expansive Unity Group KIN recording, and touchstones from the entirety of Metheny's illustrious career, these are essential performances that serve as a rare visual documentation of some of the best music of Metheny's ever expanding career.

2012 Grammy Award Winner: Best Jazz Instrumental Album: For the first time since his 1980 release 80/81, guitarist Pat Metheny has recorded with a band that features tenor saxophone. Unity Band, due from Nonesuch on June 12, 2012, introduces a new Metheny ensemble with Chris Potter on sax and bass clarinet, longtime collaborator Antonio Sanchez on drums, and the up-and-coming Ben Williams on bass. The album features nine new Metheny compositions.

The sensational child prodigy jazz pianist's second studio album. Joey Alexander's jaw-dropping ability and beyond-his-years artistry brought him to some of the grandest stages, from performing at the GRAMMYs and the White House, to appearing on the TODAY Show and 60 Minutes. Just over a year removed from his debut, the same maturity and dedication to his craft that made him a phenomenon is evident in his remarkable evolution on his sophomore release, COUNTDOWN. Now stepping forward as a composer, while still paying tribute to the jazz greats, Joey is poised to continue his ascent to becoming one of the biggest names in jazz.

For his third ECM release as a leader, Chris Potter presents a new acoustic quartet that naturally blends melodic rhapsody with rhythmic muscle. The group includes superlative musicians well known to followers of ECM’s many recordings from New York over the past decade: keyboardist David Virelles, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Marcus Gilmore, who each shine in addition to the leader on multiple horns. "The Dreamer Is the Dream" features Potter on tenor saxophone - the instrument that has made him one of the most admired players of his generation.

"Imaginary Cities", an album of great power and expressive range, is the recording premiere of saxophonist Chris Potter’s new Underground Orchestra. At the core of this larger ensemble is the personnel of his long-established Underground quartet – with Adam Rogers, Craig Taborn and Nate Smith – now joined by two bassists, a string quartet, and Potter’s old comrade from Dave Holland Quintet days, vibes and marimba virtuoso Steve Nelson.

Bassist Jim Ferguson does something on Deep Summer Music and his 1999 debut, Not Just Another Pretty Bass, that few on his instrument can muster. And it's so simple, so dynamic. He sings. Well, he not only sings, but he offers up a pliable voice that can wrap around a lyric like a hug (try the lovely title tune here), and then morph into a playful, sardonic, jab-rich vehicle that shows off how much style he has. A most important follow-up to Ferguson's auspicious debut.