Since gaining fame as a member of Charlie Haden's excellent Quartet West, Alan Broadbent has seen his own catalog rise in stature. A welcome development, since a wider audience should check out the many fine recordings this unique pianist/composer/arranger has made. And in spite of the admission that his highly lyrical bent and soft touch come out of the work of Bill Evans, Red Garland, and Nat "King" Cole, among others, Broadbent is able to produce fresh solo conceptions and plenty of original material of his own. In fact, as the title implies, Personal Standards consists almost entirely of self-penned cuts, save for one by bassist Putter Smith. (This seamless piano trio is rounded out by drummer Joe LaBarbera.) Along with material also heard on various Quartet West recordings like "The Long Goodbye" and "Song of Home," the disc features a nice mix of ballads ("Ballad Impromptu"), mid- to up-tempo swingers ("Consolation"), as well as some blues ("Uncertain Terms").

Tania Maria's debut is a mix of hushed bossa numbers and up-tempo, jazz-inflected sambas that show off the prowess of her nine-piece band. "Zé," which belongs to the latter category, is an original tune that begins with Maria's slightly over-the-top scatting and builds into a kickin' samba jam; on "Para Chick," a Tom Jobim instrumental, the group is at its most improvisational, with Maria herself (on piano) dishing out some fine solos; and on the tempo-shifting "Ideias E Ideias," Maria manages to sound like Astrud Gilberto and Ella Fitzgerald within the span of a few chord changes. Though it's heavy on the standard bossa/samba fare, it's also a uniformly solid album and a fine introduction to Maria's catalog.

Many highlights of Scofield's work from his late 1980s-early 1990s tenure on Blue Note are included in this collection, which features cameos from Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, and Bill Frisell among many other all stars. Also included is material from Hand Jive, Scofield's collaboration with Eddie Harris, and an unreleased take on Wayne Shorter's "Tom Thumb".

A Sip Of Your Touch, My Chet My Song ! 25 ans se sont écoulés entre ces deux albums, inspirés par le grand trompettiste Chet Baker que Riccardo Del Fra a accompagné pendant près de neuf ans. Une aventure musicale et existentielle qui aura marqué sa vie de musicien.

Il ne s'agit pas d'un album solo mais bien en trio. Avec Darryll Hall à la contrebasse et Lukmil Perez Herrera, Alain Jean-Marie a choisi des partenaires de dialogue à son niveau. Légers, subtils, inventifs, dansants, caressants, émouvants sans jamais être mièvres, énergiques sans jamais être envahissants.

The new record features ten compositions by Metheny, who is joined by long-time drummer, Antonio Sanchez, Malaysian/Australian bassist Linda May Han Oh, and British pianist Gwilym Simcock as well as the Hollywood Studio Symphony conducted by Joel McNeely. Meshell Ndegeocello (vocals), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), and Luis Conte (percussion) are special guests on From This Place, Metheny’s first album of new material since 2014’s Kin (←→). Expanding on the strength of his touring quartet with pianist Gwilym Simcock, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Antonio Sanchez on From This Place, guitar master Pat Metheny adds the lush yet never overpowering sound of the Hollywood Studio Symphony led by Joel McNeely, as well as Luis Conte on additional percussion.

A great choice of tunes and an outstanding supporting cast mark this album from the outset. With performers of the caliber of Steve Swell and Dominic Duval behind her, vocalist Mary LaRose (not to be confused with the equally impressive jazz vocalist Dena de Rose) spins a tight yet expansive story, one that goes deep into the belly of the melodies, distorting them just enough to make them feel fresh. LaRose is a modernist, yet she values old-fashioned tunefulness and emotion. Trombone, sax, and acoustic bass may at first blush seem like an odd combination to back a jazz singer, but with her elastic vocal chords, the mix is nearly perfect…

The Chihiro Yamanaka album, Somethin' Blue, is her Blue Note Records debut. Ms. Yamanaka, who most often performs and records in trio format, assembled a sextet for these sessions and created a new compositional universe that places Somethin’ Blue in the lineage of classic Blue Note recordings. Chihiro Yamanaka’s music pivots between her strikingly original compositions and her unique arrangements in which she accomplishes the impressive feat of introducing the element of surprise into some of the most famous songs in the jazz repertoire, contemporary popular music, and even the works of classical composers.

Vibraphonist Gary Burton and bassist Steve Swallow had played together on a regular basis since 1967. This duet outing finds Burton switching between vibes, organ and marimba while Swallow doubles on occasional piano. As expected, the music is introverted, quiet, and occasionally swinging, but mostly floating. Burton and Swallow perform group originals (generally by Swallow), plus Carla Bley's "Vashkar" and Mike Gibbs' "Inside In." Thoughtful background music with no real surprises or excitement.

A solo piano performance by the acclaimed master of the flamenco/jazz piano. Chano Dominguez (born Sebastian Dominguez Lozano; 29 March 1960, Cadiz) is a Spanish Latin jazz, post bop and flamenco pianist. He began in the progressive rock group CAI before moving on to jazz.Dominguez's initial interest in jazz came from jazz fusion groups like Mahavishnu Orchestra or Weather Report, but later he became interested in Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk.

Pablo Held’s new album, Ascent, his second for Edition Records, is a collaboration between his long-running trio (with bassist, Robert Landfermann and drummer, Jonas Burgwinkel) and the great Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras. Regarded as one of the most talented and adventurous pianists and improvisors in Europe, Pablo Held is building a formidable reputation, not only as a pianist of outstanding ability but also for his considerable musicality, energy and risk-taking. Ascent is highly anticipated new album, following their 10th album Investigations, praised internationally for its remarkable quality, deep communication and lyrical elegance, prompting All About Jazz to describe the group as “a world-class trio of exceptional talent”. The new album is a deeply satisfying fusion of the powerful and expressive music associated with Pablo Held’s trio and the fluid invention of Nelson Veras’s guitar stylings.

This is a rather different Chano from the one who first enthralled me with Hecho a Mano (Hand-made), his blazing flamenco/jazz mix recorded in Madrid in 1996 and released on Sunnyside a few years ago. On Con Alma he's replaced the handclaps and multilayered percussion with a traditional jazz trio, bringing on world-class band mates George Mraz and Jeff Ballard. But his roots are still very much in evidence from the first track, a dynamic take on a traditional song—my dictionary tells me "La Tatara" means "sound of a trumpet as a signal for action."

Every once in a while, a Cuban Jazz album emerges that is so beautiful and profound that I feel that nothing I can write could possibly do justice to the music. Cu-Bop is one of those recordings. It is mostly in the genre responsible for the title and may possibly be the best recording of that style ever made, including the classic recordings by the original creators. Cesar Lopez accomplishes what Bird was striving for but never fully achieved; Rolando Luna's piano takes the melody lines far beyond what you normally hear, Jorge Reyes is sublime on bass, Alejandro Gonzalez contributes some stunningly beautiful cello work in slower pieces like La Tarde, and the vocals and percussion are wonderful. But Cesar and Rolando are the two elements that place this recording so far above so many others.

Michel Petrucciani was a French jazz pianist. From birth he had osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disease that causes brittle bones and, in his case, short stature. He became one of the most accomplished jazz pianists of his generation despite having arms that caused him pain.

Jeff Parker is arguably the most exciting and thoughtful jazz guitarist of the past two decades, a masterful free improviser who's also fluent in everything from postbop to postrock. Considering his busy schedule, it’s no surprise Bright Light in Winter is only Parker’s third album as a leader. Bassist Chris Lopes and drummer Chad Taylor have almost as much input on this session as their leader, since they wrote two and three pieces, respectively, for the album. The equal participation can be felt throughout their performances, which feel engaging whether Parker is strumming warm jazz chords or bordering on harmolodics.