Johnathan Blake, one of the most in-demand drummers of his generation, hasdone stellar work as a member of the Tom Harrell Quintet, the Mingus Big Band, the Kenny Barron Trio and many others. Having brought his fire and agility to two Criss Cross sessions by trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, Blake now offers his first Criss Cross album as a leader, Gone, But Not Forgotten.The lineup is sparse but tremendously explosive - how could it not be, with evolving tenor saxophone masters Mark Turner and Chris Potter paired alongside Ben Street on bass.As the title suggests, Gone, But Not Forgotten takes inspiration from greats in the jazz world who are no longer with us. That can be a somber subject, but Blake and his quartet convey a sense of the unbridled joy and invention that marks jazz improvisation at his highest levels. Such is the lesson taught by the departed players Blake has chosen to honor: Charles Fambrough, Trudy Pitts, Sid Simmons, Cedar Walton, Jim Hall, Mulgrew Miller, Paul Motian, Frank Foster, Frank Wess and Eddie Harris.

Saxophonist plays originals & homages to 2 composers, Leonard Bernstein & Ornette Coleman, joined by his quintet feat. Scott Wendholt, Ben Monder, Scott Colley & Billy Drummond.

Jazz trumpet player offering modern cross sections of today's sound in acoustic jazz ranging from hard swing to melodic & pretty.

Pianist is joined in a trio setting by Sean Smith-bass & Bill Stewart-drms, performing originals & standards.

Tenor saxophonist with his quartet featuring Peter Bernstein-guitar, Peter Washington-bass, Billy Drummond-drums.

Donald Edwards Quintet with Donald Edwards on drums, Anthony Wonsey on piano, Ben Wolfe on bass, David Gilmore on guitar and Abraham Burtonon tenor saxophone. Guest appearances by Sophia Edwards (vocals on track1 and Frank Lacy (vocals on tracks 2 - 8). All compositions and arrangements by Donald Edwards. The album was recorded january 31, 2020 at the Samurai Holtel Recording Studio and mixed and mastered by Mike Marciano at the Systems Two Recording Studios. The album The Color of US Suite is the second Criss Cross Jazz release after the death of former owner Gerry Teekens Sr.

Gifted young guitarist is joined by pianist Ron Perillo, bassist Peter Washington & drummer Lewis Nash.

Tenor saxophonist's quartet w. David Kikoski on piano, Buster Williams on bass and Billy Hart on drums, recorded Feb. 27 & Dec. 31, 1987.

Sensitive & swinging pianist plays with trio including Bassist Scott Colley & drummer Dennis Mackrel.

Impressive debut of emerging tenor saxophonist playing w. individuality & emotional fervor.

For his third Criss Cross album, pianist Misha Tsiganov presents a nine-tune program of four original compositions and kaleidoscopic arrangements of two Wayne Shorter classics, two Great American Songbook standards, and a Russian folk song. As on Artistry of the Standard (CRC 1367) and Spring Feelings (CRC 1384), the St. Petersburg native, a U.S resident since 1993, teams with trumpeter Alex Sipiagin and tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, both leaders of multiple Criss Cross dates and internationally renowned practitioners of their respective instruments.Joining Tsiganov for the first time on Playing with the Wind are bassist Matt Brewer (Mythology, CRC 1373, and Unspoken, CRC 1390) and drummer Dan Weiss, who apply their virtuosic chops to Tsiganov's elegant charts with an open, poetic attitude.

Wycliffe Gordon's fourth Criss Cross release features tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake and drummer Bill Stewart, who appeared also on the trombonist's critically acclaimed 2002 recording, "United Soul Experience" (CRC #1224), plus Hammond B3 organist Sam Yahel and guitarist Peter Bernstein. The mixture of familiar and new company fuels Gordon's prodigious talents as a composer, arranger, and soloist. Utilizing various combinations of instruments, he creates an eclectic yet coherent program out of funky jazz grooves, blues, and ballads.

Seldom heard since the days of Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin, saxophonist Jimmy Greene joins forces with Marcus Strickland for a two tenor line on his fourth set as a leader for Criss Cross. Easily his best album to date, Gifts and Givers crackles with excitement on a program of originals and iconic standards such as Sonny Stitt's Eternal Triangle, John Coltrane's 26-2 and Kenny Dorham's Blue Bossa, taken here in 7/4. Supported by veterans Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland, the horn men are also joined by two-up-and-coming talents, guitarist Mike Moreno and pianist Danny Grissett.

Following up his chordless quartet outing of 2013 Overlooking Moments (CRC 1354), trumpeter Alex Sipiagin returns with a compelling sextet lineup featuring David Binney, Adam Rogers, John Escreet and Matt Brewer, every one of them an esteemed bandleader in the Criss Cross fold. Eric Harland leader of his own Voyager group and a valued presence on 10 prior Criss Cross releases (including two by Sipiagin), rounds out the ensemble on drums. The dense yet flowing, counter point, knotty lyricism and effortless groove anchoring these original pieces make Balance 38-58, a vital addition to Sipiagin's catalog.

Lifted Land, David Binney's sixth recording for Criss Cross, is also his third wholly original program for the label (after Cities and Desire (CRC 1285) and Barefooted Town (CRC 1325). One of the most gripping and distinctive alto players and composers of his generation, Binney leads a powerfully expressive quartet with longtime allies Craig Taborn on piano and Eivind Opsvik on bass. Drummer Tyshawn Sorey, an acclaimed leader and composer in his own right, makes his first Criss Cross appearance here, in place of Binney's go-to drummer for previous releases, Dan Weiss.

Still on the shy side of 30, Ulysses Owens Jr.. has garnered an international reputation as drummer of choice for Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, and Kurt Elling, three very different personalities who are very particular in what they want to hear from the kit. On his Criss Cross leader debut, Owens Jr.. convenes McBride and Payton, as well as pianist Christian Sands (even more visible for his work in McBride's year-old-trio), rising star alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw (Roy Haynes' main sax voice for the last five years), and trombonist Mike Dease. The leader finds fresh approaches to various flavors of the swing timeline - Art Blakey and the refraction's of Buhaina established by Mulgrew Miller and Bobby Watson (each a one-time employer); Tony Williams' two phases with the Miles Davis Quintet; Ed Thigpen's crispness with the Oscar Peterson Trio - within a 21st century context.

Jonathan Kreisberg's second outing for Criss Cross features the versatile guitarist's working organ trio with Gary Versace at the Hammond B3 and Mark Ferber on drums. The forward looking group demonstrates it's considerable knowledge of the jazz tradition while subtly stretching melody, harmony, rhythm and texture to push the music into the future. The date delivers fresh, inspired interpretations of three Great American Songbook classics along with Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now" and four impressive originals, that demonstrate the leader's prowess as a composer of intelligent songs that swing in a new direction.

A working unit since 2002, The Rodriguez Brothers - trumpeter Michael Rodriguez (Reverence - CRC 1356) and pianist Robert Rodriguez - present their kinetic, masterfully rendered concept of 'Jazz Latin, 'incorporating traditional and modern Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, bolero and hardcore jazz flavors. The brothers, each in their mid-thirties, are virtuoso storytellers on their respective instruments, as are their generational peer group bandmates Carlos Henriquez (the bassist with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra since the early '00s after several years with Gonzalo Rubalcaba), Cuban traps drummer Ludwig Afonso, and the eminent Columbian-born percussionist Samuel Torres.

Guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg offers up an intriguing ballad session with Night Songs, his third Criss Cross release since 2004's Nine Stories Wide. The mood is decidedly lush and spacious, and features truly unique takes on a range of familiar items as well as less played tunes such as Warm Valley and Nefertiti. The disc features his current trio with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Mark Ferber, and adds pianist Gary Versace for some quartet cuts as well as a haunting duo version of Laura.

On his sophomore leader CD and Criss Cross debut, pianist Victor Gould joined throughout by bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Eric McPherson, with guest appearances by Tim Warfield on soprano saxophone, Godwin Louis on alto saxophone, and percussionist Khalil Kwame Bell presents a diverse, well-paced program comprised of originals and a cohort off-the-beaten-track numbers from the Great Jazz Songbook. Gould has spent consequential time apprenticing in groups led by such modern masters as Donald Harrison, Ralph Peterson, Terri Lyne Carrington and Wallace Roney, and you can hear it in his fresh, harmonically erudite approach to the repertoire, which he addresses and inhabits on it's own terms of engagement while retaining an entirely 21st century perspective.

Along with label mates Mike Moreno and Adam Rogers guitarist Lage Lund is one of the most distinctive guitarists on the current scene. His previous three Criss Cross dates have established his credentials as an up and coming talent of great promise. For his latest effort, he brings back to the fold his close associates Ben Street on bass and Bill Stewart on drums, both heard on Lund's previous sets, Foolhardy (CRC 1360) and Unlikely Stories (CRC 1321). The difference this time is that he forgoes the piano accompaniment for a bare bones trio approach that is quite refreshing and a further step forward. The mix includes a few originals and a nicely chosen selection of standards, including the iconic Bobby Hutcherson piece Isn't This My Sound Around Me.

For his eighth date for Criss Cross as a leader or co-leader, alto saxophonist-composer David Binney documents the quartet with which he most frequently works in New York City (pianist Jacob Sacks, bassist Eivind Opsvik, and drummer Dan Weiss) for the first time since the 2009 recording Aliso. It's an episodic, thematically cohesive, 65-minute suite on which Binney and his upper echelon bandmates solo through the shifting moods and environments, tracking his responses to the diurnal cycle, with characteristic inspiration and derring-do.

The Purity of the Turf is kind of a "bucket list" moment for Ethan Iverson, who has always wanted to make a record with famous bassist Ron Carter. Iverson, pianist of the famous trio "The Bad Plus", chose drummer Nasheet Waits to fill out the trio, because Waits represents the avant-garde as well as swing. Criss Cross records are level playing field, with everyone recording in the same studio in a single day: Thus the sporting title, "The Purity of the Turf." The repertoire is mostly originals and jazz classics. A surprise highlight is the solo piano tribute to the late Paul Bley, "So Hard it Hurts" by Annett Peacock.

A sparkling pianist as well as a fine budding composer, Danny Grissett's star has been on the rise lately and he's a favorite accompanist to a growing body of leaders including trumpeters Jim Rotondi, Jeremy Pelt, and Tom Harrell. He returns for his third Criss Cross release and moves past the trio format to feature tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, trombonist Steve Davis and newcomer Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet. Grissett puts his stamp on all the material including updates on Herbie Hancock's "King Cobra", and Monk's "Ugly Beauty". His originals are also cut from a regal cloth of originality, with bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Kendrick Scott responsive to the pianist's every move.

Joining tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake on his fifth leader date for Criss Cross - it's his 19th appearance on the label - are 2005 Thelonious Monk Competition winner Lage Lund on guitar, partner-of-long standing David Kikoski, bassist Orlando Le Fleming, and drum hero Bill Stewart, who performed on Blake's 1993 Criss Cross debut, the Call (CRC 1088). It's a world-class unit, and they play with inspiration and ingenuity through a program of 7 ambitious, tuneful Blake originals.