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.

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.

Moments Captured is trumpeter Alex Sipiagin's third Criss Cross date to feature a three-horn lineup, after Equilibrium in 2004 and Destinations Unknown in 2011. While the earlier discs featured David Binney on alto, here it is the fiery Will Vinson displaying his prodigious talents alongside the leader and master tenorist Chris Potter. Rounding out the lineup on this exploratory all-original session are the players from Sipiagin's 2015 album Balance 35/58: John Escreet on piano and keyboards, Matt Brewer on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. The intricate, polyphonic aspect of Sipiagin's writing continues to flower and grow, but it is Escreet's extensive use of the Prophet 6 synthesizer that marks this album's biggest departure. Wringing a seemingly limitless array of tonal colors from the instrument, Escreet gives Sipiagin's music a refreshing and wholly unpredictable edge.

Orrin Evans' sixth date as a leader for Criss Cross reunites the award-winning pianist and composer with his mentor and longtime colleague, saxophonist Ralph Bowen. The quartet session introduces five exciting new original compositions by the leader and reexamines three songs from his first two releases for the label. Tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen is added to the group on Evans' stirring of Horace Silvers' "Song for My Father." in the rhythm section bassist Mike Boone or Eric Revis, and drummer Rodney Green or Byron Landham.

After his successful gospel and mainstream albums, trombone star Wycliffe Gordon presents his new all-star band on "United Soul Experience" playing some groovy, soul-oriented, hard swinging jazz. The band features new star tourist Seamus Blake, David Kikoski on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass and Bill Stewart on drums.

I have always thought orchestra. I play that way, even when playing the piano. - Sun Ra Considering the monumental depth of Sun Ra's recorded oeuvre, there are surprisingly few solo piano albums. Monorails and Satellites Volumes 1 and 2 were the first commercial LPs of the artist's solo keyboard excursions. Recorded in 1966 and released on his Saturn imprint in 1968, Volume 1 featured seven idiosyncratic originals and one standard ("Easy Street") delivered in Sunny's singular manner. Volume 2 was released the following year, and contains five compositions, all originals. A third volume was prepped but shelved, and this deluxe edition marks it's premiere release. As with all Cosmic Myth releases these volumes are superbly mastered, and are available as a deluxe 2xCD or 3xLP tri-gatefold cover with copious liners notes by renown American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, and additional overviews by jazz historian Ben Young and producer Irwin Chusid.

Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin's ninth Criss Cross album may be his most conceptually ambitious. The 43-year-old trumpeter is these days garnering broad international recognition as a solo artist, as well as for his inspired virtuoso playing in various Dave Holland and Mingus Orchestra, offers seven original pieces - performed by a distinguished band of A-listers - that contain heady polyphony, substantial melodies, beautiful voicings, and intoxicating rhythms. It's a cutting edge of the 21st century jazz. The band: Chris Potter, tenor sax and flute; David Binney, alto sax; Craig Taborn, piano and fender rhodes; Boris Koslov, bass; and Eric Harland, drums.

This is trombonist Wycliffe Gordon's fifth outing as a leader on Criss Cross and perhaps his most personal statement. Augmenting a strong roots-to-modern jazz sextet with a gospel choir from Georgia, his home state, Gordon presents a joyful noise, referencing the vocabularies of Armstrong, Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton with an eye keenly honed in on the present day. In the band: Marcus Printup on trumpet, Victor Goines on saxes and clarinet, Eric Reed on piano with bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Alvin Atkinson Jr..

During his 13-year association with Criss Cross, which includes six prior leader dates and another five with the nonpareil hard bop collective One for All, trumpeter Jim Rotondi has consistently maintained high standards of excellence in his playing and writing. The Move is no exception - Rotondi's strong sextet, all long-time colleagues (Ralph Bowen, tenor sax; Mike DiRubbo, alto sax; David Hazeltine, piano; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums), play the stimulating charts with heat, creative spirit, and deep craft, each member stamping themselves as personal voices in the mainstream jazz timeline.

BLACKSTONE LEGACY

On his sixth session as a leader for Criss Cross Jazz, One for All trumpeter Jim Rotondi pushes the hard bop envelope, broadening the music's horizons with a new quintet that utilizes veteran vibraphonist Steve Nelson in place of the usual piano. Criss Cross. 2006.

For his fourth Criss Cross leader date, alto saxophonist-composer David Binney convenes his primary New York working quartet of the 2000's (pianist Jacob Sacks, bassist Eivind Opsvik, and drummer Dan Weiss), adds to the mix guitar hero Wayne Krantz, with whom he works frequently in an electronica-oriented group, and augments the proceedings with several appearances by British pianist-composer John Escreet, a frequent partner in recent years. The leader plays with deep emotion and the concision of an old master; it's as strong a date as any in Binney's now sizable discography.

Pianist David Kikoski, who's partnered so ably on past Criss Cross albums with horn men like Alex Sipiagin, Seamus Blake, Conrad Herwig and Wycliffe Gordon, is perhaps best known for a series of compelling trio albums he's recorded for the label over the past decade. Now along comes Almost Standards, on which he mixes it up with bassist Eric Revis (Betty Carter, Louis Hayes, Billy Harper and a bunch of Marsalis family members), and much-in-demand drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts (Branford Marsalis), and an invigorating presence on two earlier Kikoski CDs. The new album's a mix of material serving as takeoff points this time out: harmonically intriguing tunes that are already standards or probably ought to be.

With Generations, his eighth Criss Cross outing as a leader, trumpeter Alex Sipiagin honors the legacy of the great Woody Shaw, with five stellar pieces from Shaw's repertoire and balancing the program with four originals. The quartet lineup here Sipiagin, guitarist Adam Rogers, bassist Boris Kozlov, drummer Antonio Sanchez at one time formed the core of the brilliant Michael Brecker Sextet. Together, these four players bring years worth of mutual collaborative experience to the music at hand. Woody Shaw himself appeared just once on Criss Cross, lending his extraordinary horn voice to Introducing Kenny Garrett (CRC 1014) in 1985. Shaw's influence has long been implicit in Sipiagin's playing - not only in the Russian-born trumpeter's work as a leader, but also in his scorching solos with Dave Holland's Big Band and Octet, the Mingus Big Band, the late Michael Brecker's Sextet and Quindectet and many more. With Generations Sipiagin makes his debt to Shaw more explicit, but he approaches these canonical works with his own individuality and imagination foremost in mind, in the determined spirit of Shaw's song title: Beyond All Limits.

When it comes to New York's top-shelf gigs, few pianists get the job done like David Hazeltine. Much sought for his sensitivity as an accompanist, Hazeltine is also an inventive composer and arranger who is able to bring a fresh approach to the mainstream. For his eighth set as a leader for Criss Cross, the pianist brings his talents to the fore with three originals, including a dedicatory for Cedar. Rounding out the set are a few select standards including a new twist on Dizzy Gillespie's Tin Tin Deo. Longtime collaborators Eric Alexander (tenor sax), John Webber (bass), and Joe Farnsworth (drums) mix it up with expert vibist Steve Nelson for a colorful set that puts all of Hazeltine's wares on full display.

For his sixth Criss Cross release, trumpeter Alex Sipiagin focuses more heavily on his own writing than on 2005's Returning. Clearly rooted in the jazz tradition, Sipiagin's compositions continue to evolve his distinctly modernistic approach to harmony, meter and form. Eminently approachable despite their inherent depth and complexity, Sipiagin's five compositions remain as focused and lyrical as his playing. Sipiagin reinvents Thelonious Monk's Epistrophy and Bill Evans' rarely covered Orbit (Unless It's You), both seamlessly fitting within his musical universe while remaining true to their essence. Prints is a definitive statement from an artist whose star continues to rise.

On Wycliffe Gordon's eighth effort as a leader for Criss Cross the multi-talented former Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra trombonist who they call Cone teams up with versatile trumpeter Terell Stafford (aka Staff) in a brassy quintet with a smoking rhythm section that features label regulars, pianist Mike LeDonne and Kenny Washington (back from Gordon's previous date) and the gifted young bassist David Wong, making his first Criss Cross appearance. The players all shine, both individually and as a cohesive unit, on a appealing swing-to-bop program comprised of jazz originals and classics, standards and blues.

Wycliffe Gordon's sixth effort for Criss Cross features the trombonist with the biggest sound around in a program comprised predominantly of original blues. Gordon demonstrates his mastery of that most versatile African American art form, playing slow, fast, sad, reverent and raucous variations, accompanied by his regular working trio of Jazz Messengers alumnus Johnny O'Neal at the piano and the New Orleans rhythm team of bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer Herlin Riley. Joining the quartet, making his Criss Cross debut, is Muskegon Heights and Michigan tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, whose deep dark soulful tone perfectly complements the similarly endowed leader.

This is pianist David Kikoski's seventh and perhaps most ambitious recording for Criss Cross. Helping the leader navigate seven harmonically rich originals with melodies that stick are tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, who performed on two previous Kikoski quartet sessions, and the incomparable bass-drum team of Larry Grenadier and Bill Stewart, each a musician with tonal personalities defined by limitless imagination. All are in peak form.

Since his first appearance on record (Randy Brecker's album, In the Idiom), pianist David Kikoski has demonstrated an infinite capacity to swing, a rare sensitivity as a ballad interpreter and genuine harmonic savvy as a composer. He delivers once again on all counts on Kayemode.

By titling his eighth Criss Cross album Over Here!, trumpeter Jim Rotondi picks up on the sentiments he signified with The Move, his seventh for the label. "It doesn't necessarily mean moving somewhere else, but rather returning home, playing tunes with a lot of straight-ahead swing and interesting chord sequences with guys I'm comfortable with, " Rotondi stated in the liner notes I wrote for that kinetic 2009 recital. The Album was recorded May 10, 2023 at the Artesuono Recording Studio in Udine (Italy). Recording engineer Mike Marciano did the editing, mixing and mastering at Systems Two in NY. Photography by Mauro Cionci

Two CDs. Sun Ra At The Showcase: Live In Chicago contains previously unissued live recordings of the legendary intergalactic composer/pianist Sun Ra captured live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago, IL. Between 1976 and 1977. This is an official release on producer Zev Feldman's Jazz Detective record label, in partnership with Elemental Music, and in cooperation with the Sun Ra Trust. Researched and compiled by longtime Sun Ra archivist Michael D. Anderson, and transferred from the original tape reels. Liner notes by James Corbett, and interviews and statements from photographer Hal Rammel, Michael Weiss, Marhall Allen, Thurston Moore, Jack DeJohnette, David Murray, Dave Burrell, Matthew Shipp, Amina Claudine Myers, and Reggie Workman.

Limited two CD set includes an extensive booklet with rare photos, liner notes and an archival interview with Sonny Stitt. Boppin' In Baltimore: Live at the Left Bank is a previously unreleased recording of saxophone master Sonny Stitt captured live at the famous ballroom in Baltimore on November 11, 1973. Recorded by Left Bank founder Vernon Welsh, it features an all-star rhythm section of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes.

Released on the Impulse! Records label in early 1966, the songs are a mix of new compositions and re-workings of tunes John Lee Hooker had previously recorded, and includes a cover of Barrett Strong's 1959 Motown hit "Money (That's What I Want)." With Panama Francis on drums, Milt Hinton on bass, and Barry Galbraith on second guitar, the result is some of the best John Lee Hooker material with a band that you're likely to come across

The classic 1967 Chess album Muddy, Brass & The Blues, adds horns and prominent organ to Muddy Waters' basic band format. Waters' earlier work had been built around his returning to sounds and influences from his past. Here, the label tried to give him a new sound. Stripped of his guitar, Waters proves what a great R&B singer he was. Featuring Otis Spann on piano, and Sammy Lawhorn and Pee Wee Madison on guitar. This is the first official American LP re-issue in more than 30 years.

COLLEGE TOUR 1: COMPLETE NOTHING IS

\'Released in the early \'90s, Concert for the Comet Kohoutek captures a typically inspired night by Sun Ra & the Intergalactic Space Research Arkestra. Recorded in late 1973, on this date the Arkestra is guided by a musical theme composed around the idea of the Comet Kohoutek, which was passing close to Earth at the time. Typically, the release vaults between cosmic vocal songs that speak of Truth and other such brashly capitalized affairs (such as \'Astro Black\'), almost straight-ahead big-band jazz arrangements (\'Variations of Kohoutek Themes\'), and frighteningly evil free explorations (\'Journey Through the Outer Darkness\').\'-Jesse Jarnow, AMG Digitally remastered by Joe Phillips with brief liner notes by ESP label founder Bernard Stollman.\' Recorded live at Town Hall, NYC, on December 22, 1973.

Pianist & bassist in a duo setting, 7 tracks recorded in Toronto, 1983.

Jazz pianist Junior Mance made his first recording at age 19 in 1947 with Gene Ammons. Two years later he recorded with Lester Young and the following year with Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons. In '53 Mance was the house pianist at Chicago's Beehive where he accompanied many greats including Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins. Mance made his first album as leader in '59 for Verve and hasn't stopped since. He now has over 50 albums as leader, the latest on his own JunGlo label from 2012 when he was 83 years young. Jubilation is from a 1994 solo piano concert in Toronto. 66 minutes includes "Autumn Leaves", "Georgia On My Mind", St. Louis Blues", "Birks Works", "Lover Man" and 10 more. (Previously deleted:6/1/09. Original release date: 11/15/96)

Pianist Junior Mance, bassist Don Thompson & drummer Archie Alleyne recorded live in 1997 at the Montreal Bistro & Jazz Club in Toronto, Canada - the set features improvised interpretations which are not part of his regular repertoire.