On his Criss Cross debut, tenor saxophonist Brice Winston, an integral member of Terence Blanchard's ensembles since 1998, follows his long-time employer's policy of convening a band from the best and brightest of the generation following his, and giving them ample room to feed his imagination through their personal creativity. Guitarist Mike Moreno, pianist David Virelles, bassist Joe Sanders and drummerMarcus Gilmore join Winston for a stimulating program, comprising five originals notable for their harmonic depth and melodic orientation, as well as two freshly reimagined Wayne Shorter classics, and the standard "I Thought About You."

Trumpet/flugelhorn player's quintet w. Billy Pierce, Benny Green, Peter Washington, Kenny Washington, recorded December 28, 1990.

This time the exceptional pianist Luis Perdomo reaches back to the earliest influences he grew up listening to: South American and Afro Caribbean Rhythms, on this, his second outing for Criss Cross Jazz: The Infancia Project. Luis has handpicked a well balanced and stellar band to back him up: two players of the new generation with fresh ideas and concepts, Mark Shim on tenor saxophone and virtuoso percussionist Mauricio Herrera, plus two very influential legends deeply rooted in the tradition: bassist Andy Gonzalez and drummer Ignacio Berroa.

Winner of the Louis Armstrong International Trumpet Competition at 17, he has been working steadily for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra ever since.

Alto saxophonist's quintet w. Shaw on trumpet, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Tony Reedus on drums, recorded December 28, 1984.

For his Criss Cross debut, 28-year-old trumpeter Philip Dizack presents a suite of seven originals, an a cappella reading of Duke Ellington's I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good, and a trumpet bass duo of Lionel Loueke's Benny's Tune, that displays his exceptional maturity as a composer and facilitator of memorable improvisations. Providing the latter are multi-woodwindist-composer Ben Wendel on tenor saxophone, pianist Eden Ladin, and the kinetic bass-drum tandem of Joe Sanders and Eric Harland. Dizack himself enhances his ascendant reputation as a master of his instrument, displaying enviable range and consistent melodic invention, projecting deep emotion, and always telling a story.

Quartet w. Dale Barlow on tenor saxophone, and Dav Williams on bass and Billy Higgins on drums, recorded April 21, 1985.

On his eighth Criss Cross leader date, Wycliffe Gordon (awarded 2012 Trombonist of the Year by both the DownBeat Critics Poll and the Jazz Journalists' Asssociation) distills his exhaustive knowledge of the oeuvre of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on a wellcrafted, ten-piece program spanning a timeline from 1927 (Creole Love Call) to 1967 (The Intimacy of the Blues).

After 13 Criss Cross sideman appearances, including four with the all-star collective Opus 5, Boris Kozlov, one of New York's busiest and most respected bassists in a multiplicity of genres, makes his leader debut for the label with Conversations At The Well. Joined by the distinguished guitarist David Gilmore of Steve Coleman and Five Elements fame, and the increasingly prominent drummer Rudy Royston, Kozlov guides and grounds their creative navigation of repertoire by Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, Duke Ellington, Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman and Thelonious Monk, concluding the proceedings with a vivid, spontaneously generated blues.

On his ninth Criss Cross date as a leader (and 22nd label appearance overall), pianist David Kikoski convenes an extraordinary trio with two famed and longstanding allies, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. It's no stretch to say that a lineup like this is guaranteed to swing - and it does, on a set of finely wrought Kikoski originals, including the two-part title track Consequences. Watts' own uptempo Mr. JJ and slow-grooving Blue Tain round out the set, and Kikoski ends with a poetic solo-piano take of Never Let Me Go.

Violinist Zach Brock follows up his 1212 Criss Cross debut Almost Never Was (CRC 1349) with the remarkable Purple Sounds heartfelt and virtuosic homage to the great violin-guitar partnerships of jazz history. Shifting from the piano-based quartet setting of the previous disc, Brock opts this time to showcase guitarist and fellow Criss Cross artist Lage Lund, whose effortless contrapuntal approach and beyond-belief soloing chops elevate the session from note one. They're joined by an energized first-rate rhythm section with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Obed Calvaire.

For his fourth Criss Cross outing as a leader, trumpeter Jim Rotondi has chosen the two-horns-plus rhythm format, presenting a program of compositions by Cedar Walton, Joe Henderson, Jimmy Rowles, Walter Davis Jr., Carole King & others, including one of his own works. Joining Jim are some of the finest players of the New York jazz scene - fellow Criss Cross artists Mike DiRubbo, Anthony Wonsey, John Webber & Willie Jones III.

Tenor saxophonist's quartet w. Jones on piano, George Mraz on bass and Mel Lewis on drums, recorded April 14, 1982.

On Reflections, a co-led sextet recital comprising two charts from Russian tenor saxophonist-bandleader Igor Butman and six from trombonist Conrad Herwig. For the tenth CD that Herwig has either led or co-led for Criss Cross since 1997, he recruits trumpeter (and Criss Cross veteran) Alex Sipiagin to round out the front line, and a killer rhythm section comprising pianist David Kikoski, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Well-known as the leader and guiding intelligence of the Moscow State Jazz Orchestra, Butman, in a rare sideman appearance with a combo of New York A-listers, brings his A-game, improvising with heat and logic that his partners match throughout.

State of the Art is not only singer Dee Daniel's debut leader date for Criss Cross, but the label's first-ever release by a vocalist after three decades and hundreds of recordings by Jazz' best and brightest. It's a worthy addition-the Seattle-born vocalist, who sang two numbers on Wycliffe Gordon's recent Criss Cross date the intimate Ellington, brings her richly textured multi-octave voice, instrumentally-flexible phrasing, and keen interpretative abilities to a program comprising 13 gems from various corners of the American Songbook. Enhancing the swinging, soulful, old-master flavor and 21st century feel are tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, who contributes apropos testifying solos and obligatos throughout, and a synchronously grooving rhythm section with pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Paul Beaudry, and drummer Alvester Garnett.