On "Enduring Sonance," saxophonist and flutist Steve Wilson reflects on a lifetime of lyrical, deeply felt songs drawn from jazz, pop, and film brought to life by an all-star ensemble featuring Renee Rosnes, Joe Locke, Jay Anderson, and Kendrick Scott.

Kurz nachdem die Jazz-Legende Herbie Hancock im Februar 2008 für The Joni Letters den Grammy für das Album des Jahres erhalten hatte, begann eine stellare, swingende Vierer-Crew ein einwöchiges Engagement im Iridium in Midtown Manhattan, wo sie sich daran machte, klassische Hancock-Kompositionen zu interpretieren.

Trombonist/composer Steve Davis offers a master class on his new release, "Think Ahead", in art of reacting to the unpredictable with an elite group of jazz all-stars whose ability to create spontaneously borders on the clairvoyant. To render these new compositions, Davis assembled a stellar group of masters: the trombonist is joined by saxophonists Steve Wilson and Jimmy Greene, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash, each deserving the title of B“jazz giant” in their own right.

Prayer for What Remains is pianist/composer, Leslie Pintchik’s eighth album. In a personal note that follows the liner notes of her new album, Pintchik writes that the title track “was inspired by a photo taken by the war photographer Joseph Eid. In it, a man smoking a pipe in Aleppo, Syria sits in his bombed-out bedroom, listening to music on a manual gramophone that operates without electricity. A tragic image of war, yes, but one that Eid said ‘talks about life’ as well.” When she listened in the studio to the playback of “Prayer for What Remains”, Pintchik says she was especially moved by the performance of the musicians who played “so true to the tune’s emotional core.”

Trombonist Michael Dease delivers a unifying message about the Jazz diaspora and the impassioned assistance of "All These Hands". The program's message is carefully constructed to provide listeners with a musical narrative about the evolution of the jazz art form as it spread through the different regions and localities of America. To provide assistance in bringing his vision to fruition, Dease assembled an all-star lineup of musicians including trumpeter Etienne Charles, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Gerald Cannon, and powerhouse drummer Lewis Nash, along with a number of special guests like Rodney Whitaker, Randy Napoleon and Rufus Reid.

Claire Martin has been a driving force behind the UK jazz scene for the past 25 years and has won many accolades, including a British Jazz Award no less than six times. Her massive contribution to UK jazz was noted in 2011 when she was the proud recipient of an O.B.E. in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to music. ‘Too Much in Love to Care' is a collection of classic romantic songs and beautiful ballads from The Great American Songbook with many of the tracks recorded in just one take, remarkable as it was the first time Claire and Kenny had played together.

The Grammy-winning American pianist and composer Billy Childs is a contemporary-classical composer as much as a jazz artist, but "Rebirth" means exactly what it says. Much of this scintillating set is a return to the snaking quickfire hard-bop Childs played in the 70s, albeit infused with all the musics he has visited so intelligently since, and his partners here include alto saxist Steve Wilson, Charles Lloyd drummer Eric Harland, and Chilean singer Claudia Acuña.

For The Music is Blackfield’s most ambitious and expansive album to date, melding their psychedelic sonics to a perfect pop sensibility whilst, simultaneously, carrying a serious, and at times, dark, undertone. As with previous album ‘Blackfield V’, Aviv has once again taken a central role as producer, lyricist, composer and instrumentalist, but Steven is still very much involved, playing guitar on several tracks and singing lead vocals on 3 songs. For The Music’s ten tracks move from psyche tinged melodies to exquisite balladry; a compact and fully realised expression of modern pop.

Throughout his illustrious career, the legendary Ron Carter has played it all jumping in headlong as an integral member of Miles Davis' classic 60s quintet, anchoring the groove for almost every CTI Records session in the 70s, then launching into multifarious new projects, including his cello-infused, chamber-jazz nonet and his piano-guitar-bass trio. But in his lifelong calling to find the right notes, Carter had never recorded a big-band album. So, the time was ripe for the 73-year-old maestro of the upright bass to break new ground. The result is the delightful and swinging album "Ron Carter's Great Big Band", set into motion by esteemed arranger Bob Freedman and Somerled Charitable Foundation trustee Wendy Macdonald (who serves as producer) and featuring an all-star cast of supporting musicians.