Anthony Braxton, "12 Comp (Zim) 2017" (Firehouse 12). A spot check of these 12 long compositions (10.6 hours total) reveals the archetypal avantist at his most beautiful and communicative. Augmenting his saxophones with wondrous textures of harp, accordion and beyond, Braxton concentrates on flow more than prickle, on emotional group dynamics more than concept. And the silences . . . they speak. Thanks to your streaming service, you can join this anywhere and let it carry you.
"Goodheart Raskin Tarasov Trio" (Temescal). Talk about texture -- pianist Matthew Goodheart and drummer Vladimir Tarasov lay down a coarsely variegated quilt upon which ROVA saxist Jon Raskin sports and converses. The trio's enormous vocabulary makes for remarkable freshness: Half the time you'll forget you're even listening to "instruments," because the group's the instrument. Listen/buy here.
Ben Goldberg, "Everything Happens To Be" (BAG Production). Four of the most respected names in the avant nonbusiness -- guitarist Mary Halvorson, saxist Ellery Eskelin, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tomas Fujiwara -- serve clarinetist Goldberg's carefully knitted compositions. Americana because it's American, jazz because it swings a bit and loves tart harmony. Listen/buy here.
Thumbscrew, "Never Is Enough" (Cuneiform). The well-established trio of drummer Tomas Fujiwara, guitarist Mary Halvorson and bassist Michael Formanek voyage through a universe that can stretch out in quiet beauty, shell them with a brief meteor shower or provoke an excited colloquy, often suprising both you and themselves. Listen/preorder here.
Julian Lage, "Squint" (Blue Note). This generation's most exciting guitarist doesn't flashbulb you, he draws you in with his ideas, his subtlety, his broad palette. With basic support from bassist Jorge Roeder and Bad Plus drummer Dave King, Lage makes a complex world comprehensible (and enjoyable) in microcosm, most clearly in the brief solo "Etude." Available everywhere.
Perry Robinson, Christopher Garcia & Nobu Stowe, "May the Light Forever Dance Across Your Path" Clarinetist Robinson died in 2018, but fortunately documented his vintage tone and playful omniscience in 2015 on this spontaneous celebration with multicultural instrumentalist Garcia and lighthearted pianist Stowe. Joyful, melodious and deep, it makes you feel you've shared knowledge not only with these three, but with the ancestors. Listen/buy here.
Carlos Niño & Friends, "More Energy Fields, Current" (International Anthem). Carlos has friends because they like his open attitude and musical values. Although keyboardist Jamael Dean, drummer Adam Rudolph, percussionist Randy Gloss, windman Aaron Shaw and many others aren't all simultaneously with percussionist Niño, they're all tuned in to his vibration, which is a lovely, peaceful place to be. Listen/buy here.
George Sarah, "Vicissitudes" (Gothic Karen). To consider these 10 selections only as soundtracks for the two films (made a century apart) for which they were composed would be to overlimit them. Unbounded musician Sarah takes us to a cloud cathedral where choral voices, organ pipes, strings and sandy glitches merge into timeless devotion. Listen/buy here.