This was the first and last time Pepper worked with Jordan, and came about as a result of Pepper's usual pianist, George Cables, being unable to make the dates at Club Montmartre in Copenhagen. To Pepper's dismay, Danmarks Radio decided to record the first gig of the Montmartre series. Pepper need not have worried – the show was a rousing success, with the band tackling a set of standards (and a couple of Pepper originals) with such verve and determination that relatively simple tunes turned into astounding solo workouts (there are several drum and bass solos to be heard on this record), the amazing highlight of which is a shot at "Besame Mucho" that rounds out to twenty-two minutes. Art Pepper was in the process of dying at the time this recording was made, but there's no lack of energy, no loss of vitality. A two-CD live jazz set that's well worth having and should not be overlooked.

Since it's billed as "Directions in Music by Miles Davis," it should come as little surprise that Filles de Kilimanjaro is the beginning of a new phase for Miles, the place that he begins to dive headfirst into jazz-rock fusion. It also happens to be the swan song for his second classic quintet, arguably the finest collective of musicians he ever worked with, and what makes this album so fascinating is that it's possible to hear the breaking point – though his quintet all followed him into fusion (three of his supporting players were on In a Silent Way), it's possible to hear them all break with the conventional notions of what constituted even adventurous jazz, turning into something new. According to Miles, the change in "direction" was as much inspired by a desire to return to something earthy and bluesy as it was to find new musical territory, and Filles de Kilimanjaro bears him out.

With 2021's sparkling duets album Mirror Mirror, pianist Eliane Elias joins two of her biggest influences, legendary jazz keyboardist Chick Corea and acclaimed Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés. Co-produced by Elias, her husband bassist Marc Johnson, and longtime collaborator Steve Rodby, Mirror Mirror is a bold contrast to the Brazilian-born artist's more vocal-centric albums like 2019's Love Stories and 2017's Latin Grammy-winning Dance of Time. Here, she spotlights her deep jazz, classical, and Afro-Latin musical roots as she spars in friendly musical conversation with these two piano masters: literally going head-to-head with Corea and Valdés as she recorded each track live in the studio facing her guests. Adding to the album's timely atmosphere is the loss of Corea, who passed away in 2021 soon after the album was recorded. Mirror Mirror is an album of effortless virtuosity rife with a vibrant, in-the-moment energy.