Jazz

With six concerts spread over eight discs, Wood Flute Songs documents the bassist's exhaustive and creative live output.

Down-home and majestic, the tenor saxophonist's sound was like a cane stalk shooting up out of rich earth. His 1960 album The Book Cooks features fellow sax-man Zoot Sims in a friendly square-off.

Alchemy is a step forward in defining and refining the trumpeter's mix of jazz and Iraqi rhythms.

The jazz pianist uses his new record to recall works of yesteryear and simultaneously illustrate his new sense of direction. Jamal isn't playing the way he did 60 years ago, now that he's finished warming up.

Prism features one of the loudest bands of the bassist's career. The pleasures of the groove here are complex and deep — it's not just about moving feet.
Listen

The jazz pianist's powerful 1976 album I Remember Bessie conveys a profound sense of loss.

Duke Ellington's piece for Queen Elizabeth II is included in a new collection of late-period suites.

Evans can be a heavy hitter at the keyboard, but on his new album, he reins himself in a bit.

The English trio S.O.S. — saxophonists John Surman, Mike Osborne and Alan Skidmore — was formed in 1973, and made only one LP for the Ogun label a couple years later. They didn't last long, but they were the first of many horn choirs born in the '70s and '80s, mostly saxophone quartets.

Oregon saxophonist Rich Halley takes inspiration from the Wallowa mountain range on his new album Crossing the Passes. On Boss of the Plains, Chicago-based trio Wheelhouse makes music that evokes the Great Plains and wind chimes on a porch when the weather changes.