Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound from the original master tapes to vinyl and PCM. It is undeniable that Billie Holiday's singing changed in her later years. Her voice darkened and shifted to a lower range. Her economy of means distilled her sound to its expressive essence - a kind of heightened speech. The classic LP Songs For Distingue Lovers has also deepened and become burnished with time. Maybe it's that still-arresting word, "distingue"; maybe it's that iconic, tinted image of Lady Day on the cover. But now that legendary LP, with the singer's best studio work of the Fifties, is available as a Hybrid SACD!

Tenor-saxophonist Dave Van Kreidt, a former member of Dave Brubeck's octet in the late '40s, had a reunion with the pianist, altoist Paul Desmond and bassist Bob Bates for this unusual session; Brubeck's new drummer Joe Morello made the group a quintet. Van Kreidt supplied all of the compositions (some of which are fairly complex), giving this set a sound very much different than the usual Brubeck Quartet outing. Interesting if not essential classical-influenced music that predates the Third Stream movement.

Charles Pasi's new Zebra album is a musical UFO, a nugget. Listen to Happy Single or Warm Embrace or the sublime ballad Silence and we immediately think of the mythical albums Nightfly by Donald Fagen or Aja by Steely Dan. Blues, soul, pop, right off the bat, we don't know, we don't know anymore and we understand that labels don't matter here. Charles Pasi is not making a record, no, he is just continuing to write his diary. A poetry with a fragile balance, which tells of a world that is both beautiful and frightening, immense and tiny, past and future, adorable and to be burnt.

The Big Band Legends is a 3CD compilation by jazz legend Artie Shaw. This was released by GSC Music/RCA Special Products/BMG Direct Marketing.

Polish born jazz violinist Michal Urbaniak needs no introduction. Even before he moved to New York 20 years ago, he was already one of the hippest jazz stars performing with his own band at the major clubs and festivals in Europe. This is Michal’s 4th leader CD for SteepleChase. Here in the company of splendid rhythm section of Kikoski, Peter and Kenny Washington, Urbaniak’s violin swings freely.

From the brooding opening title track to the closing Chet Baker homage, "I Fall in Love Too Easily," Dark Nights unapologetically embraces the heart of jazz. Every aspect of the album—from the cover photo, to Cohen's precise trumpet inflections, to the trio's dedication to immediacy and collective improvisation (and even the album's forays into electronic affects)—is saturated with the emblematic textures, rhythms, and imagery of jazz. This is achieved with professionalism, creativity, and skill, without a wit of irony or cliche, while avoiding both navel-gazing insularity and crowd-pleasing revivalism.

Fusion isn't as plentiful as it was back in the 1970s, which was the golden age of fusion just as the '30s and early '40s were the golden age of swing and the mid- to late '40s and '50s were the golden age of bop. But noteworthy fusion can still be found if you know where to look for it, and Gary Husband's Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1 is an example of noteworthy 21st century fusion. An impressive cast of fusion icons joins the British keyboardist/drummer/composer on this 2010 release, including guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin and keyboardist Jan Hammer; guitarist Robin Trower, who is best known for hard rock and blues-rock, is also on board.

Al di Meola's fifth of seven fusion albums as a leader for Columbia is a typically fiery effort, with di Meola joined by keyboardist Jan Hammer, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Gadd, percussionist Mingo Lewis, and guest spots for flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía ("Passion, Grace & Fire") and keyboardist Philippe Saisse. This lesser-known effort is easily recommended to fans of rock-ish jazz guitar.

It's patently obvious for everyone that Martial SOLAL is virtuosity itself. Even with an unlimited technical skill he never lets himself be content with this utmost proficiency. Because music can never confine itself to such a necessary mastery, he set himself other goals. Throughout the constant clinch with the piano, forever trying to progress - even beyond what is possible - towards that horizon of the ideal where the improviser, free from any technical concern, can at least reach the unbelievable. With such a degree of perfection, even improvisation becomes obvious.

Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1991, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley). Honi Gordon's obscurity (this was her only recording as a solo singer) is a mystery for she displays a great deal of talent on this date. Her father George Gordon wrote some of the tricky lyrics (which are phrased like a horn) and Honi (who is given stimulating support by pianist Jaki Byard, Ken McIntyre on flute and alto, guitarist Wally Richardson, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Ed Shaughnessy) is up to the job. Her version of Charles Mingus's "Strollin'" is definitive, she finds something new to say on "Ill Wind" and really digs into the originals. This is bop-based jazz singing at its best.

That Coleman Hawkins jumped on the jazz/bossa nova bandwagon craze initiated by Stan Getz in 1962 was a bit of a surprise to his fans, but that he was comfortable in the idiom should not be off-putting. Able to adapt to any style over his lengthy career, the legendary tenor saxophonist chose classic standards adapted to Brazilian rhythms, music from masters like Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto, and a Manny Albam original. Producer Bob Thiele and music director Albam were strong in their resolve directing Hawkins to do this project, and the results are fairly predictable, especially considering that every single track is played in midtempo.

The research by Stefano Battaglia and that of Michele Rabbia share training ( classical for both) , the sensual attraction for jazz , a love of classical music of the ' 900 , which extend in particular to two of the big issues which moves the musical evolution : I'm referring to the world of sound , the quest for its expansion and the theme of improvisation.

Once the curious listener digs into the music on Bow Shoulder it becomes difficult not to ask why it’s taken a decade for its impeccable contents to see the light of day. The recording was made in Chicago at the Loft—the studio and rehearsal space of Wilco, the exploratory rock combo, whose members Nels Cline (guitar) and Glenn Kotche (percussion) contributed to this album—the day after Huntsville performed in the city’s Millennium Park, sharing a bill with On Fillmore, Kotche’s duo with bassist Darin Gray. That evening Cline and Kotche joined Huntsville for the final part of its set. In the studio Huntsville’s Ivar Grydeland, Ingar Zach, and Tonny Kluften were joined at the Loft by Cline, Kotche, Gray and keyboardist Yuka Honda (co-founder of Cibo Matto and an accomplished composer) for a fully improvised session.

Having grown a bit weary of playing loud fusion, Al DiMeola recorded a largely acoustic set on his debut for Manhattan. DiMeola, who augments his acoustic guitar with the orchestral Synclavier guitar, plays five unaccompanied solos and is joined on the other four numbers by percussionist Airto Moreira. Other than Keith Jarrett's "Coral," all of the moody selections are by the guitarist.

This 1985 album from Al Di Meola followed on the heels of Pat Metheny's accomplished masterpiece, THE FIRST CIRCLE, and it bears a close resemblance. It's full of smooth, latin-flavored jazz complementing Di Meola's incomparable speed and technical excellence on guitar. "Capoeira" is worth the price of this CD alone – gorgeous and breezy Brazilian style with Portuguese vocals by percussionist Airto Moreira. It's what Jobim could have sounded like had he been younger and actively writing in the 80's.