With Kenny Baker, Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Jeff Clyne.

Spiritual jazz vocal in the great tradition of Leon Thomas, Joe Lee Wilson and Andy Bey, with excellent versions of I’ve Known Rivers and Ooh Child, and several terrific modal numbers; fine backing. Recommended.

‘The ghosts of Armstrong and Handy smile down as Trovesi’s octet roars through a programme that cross-references the spirit of New Orleans with Italian popular song and European classical music.’

A village banda take on tunes from Italian opera — knees-up, sublime, lovely.

Top-notch quartet-jazz, feeling and brainy. MT evokes Trane — though no chordal instrument here — and Shorter (to Avishai Cohen’s Miles). There are tributes to Stevie — ‘master of the blues’ — and Ursula Le Guin. ‘It needs to be personal, meaningful, otherwise the blues can be banal. I believe it to be sacred, like a spiritual discipline.’

Reaching solo-piano explorations in blues, jazz and classical music by the Free Jazz pioneer, in 1970; inspired by the revolutionary spirit of the times, and — opening with a dedication to Don Cherry — the New Thing.

A second set of piano improvisations, one year after the first, now more extended, percussive, insistent, and tumultuous; explicitly enraged by the recent murder of George Jackson by a San Quentin guard, and the massacre at Attica Prison.

With Alice Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Gary Bartz, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones.

His 1963 recording with John Gilmore, Thad Jones, Frank Strozier, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones, and co. Firing Trane-style modal jazz, a waltz, Night In Tunisia, brilliant soloing all round — it’s a classic.
‘Verve By Request.’