This time, the all-star sextet One for All is captured live on two burning nights at Smoke, a swinging new jazz club in uptown New York. The band features regulars Eric Alexander on tenor sax, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Peter Washington & drummer Joe Farnsworth.

Baritone saxophonist's quartet w. Tommy Flanagan on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums, recorded Dec. 18, 1991.

Quartet with Kevin O'Connell on piano, Ed Howard on Vernell Fournier on drums, recorded December 23, 1986.

The Rob Bargad Sextet w. Rob Bargad-pno, Eddie Henderson-tpt, Steve Wilson-as & ss, Peter Washington-bs, Daniel Sadownick-percussion+, a mixture of hardbop & Latin jazz.

Drummer Clarence Penn presents his 2nd Criss Cross Jazz album, augmented by two horns, played by tenor sax man Ron Blake and trumpeter John Swana, as well as bassist Rodney Whitaker & Dutch guitarist Jesse Van Ruller, who won the Thelonious Monk award. Together the quintet matches the level of their previous record, traversing incessant swing with a broad range of tempos, textures & emotions. (Previously deleted:4/1/12. Original release date:5/4/01)

Virtuoso trombonist Herwig limns the outer partials of consonance on an unrelentingly swingin' sextet date, propelled by pianist David Kikoski, bassist James Genus & the turbo-charged drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts - also features tenor sax man Seamus Blake & Russian trumpet sensation Alexander Sipiagin.

Fellow saxophonists Seamus Blake and Chris Cheek have thrived as leaders,sidemen, big band soloists and much else, contributing to the creative health of the jazz scene over the last 20 years. As a pair they worked on the exploratory groove-oriented project The Bloomdaddies (CRC 1110) back in 1995. But with Reeds Ramble Blake and Cheek reunite in an acoustic setting, buoyed by the extraordinary Ethan Iverson of the Bad Plus onpiano, making his first Criss Cross appearance. Drummer Jochen Rueckert, too makes his first label appearance, teaming-up with in-demand bassist Matt Penman, a valued presence on Criss Cross sessions led by Jonathan Kreisberg, John Ellis and Zach Brock.

Debut release from young, highly talented trumpet player on the New York jazz scene with Vincent Herring-alto, Kevin Hays-piano, Billy Drummond-drums.

Pianist's trio w. Buster William on bass, and Ben Riley on drums, recorded July 9, 1983 & Dec. 31, 1987.

Recorded December 19, 1991, alto saxophonist's qui Tom Williams, Mulgrew Miller, James Genus and Carl Allen.

Tenor saxophonist is joined by Levy on piano, Jesper Lundgaard on bass and James Martin on drums, recorded April 7, 1983.

See the Pyramid marks only the third occasion in Walt Weiskopf's eleven-album relationship with Criss Cross (it began with the 1992 dateSimplicity (CRC 1075) on which the tenor saxophonist-composer presents his musical vision in the quartet format. As he has done in his various nonet, octet, sextet, and quintet outings, all executed at the highest level, Weiskopf conjures challenging twists and turns to frame his improvisations on five originals and five off-the-beaten-path standards. The results are consistently virtuosic and soulful. His band mates in the quartet are: Peter Zak (piano), Doug Weiss (bass), and Quincy Davis (drums).

For his second Criss Cross release, Spring Feelings, pianist Misha Tsiganov presents a program containing five originals and four standards, each bearing Tsiganov's sui generis arranging stamp, tailored to the tonal personalities of his world-class personnel. Returning from his successful debut, Artistry of the Standard, are trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake and drummer Donald Edwards, with bassist Hans Glawischnig joining the team.

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."

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.

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.

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.

Seamus Blake-ts & ss (Victor Lewis, Kevin Hays, Billy Drummond), Kurt Rosenwinkel-guitar, Kevin Hayes-piano, Larry Grenadier-bass, Bill Stewart-drums.