Phillip Johnston @PJohnston_sax is just fine, thank u, w/2 new releases Sydneyside: Diggin' Bones, by the Cooleraters, a roots-rock/jazz quartet w/organist Alister Spence; and The Adventures of Prince Achmed, a silent movie soundtrack.

Listening: Malita-Malika, duet w/pianist/vocalist Carol Liebowitz & tenor saxist Birgitta Flick. Empathetic. Sympatico. Non-standard standards. On Leo Records.

Journeyman guitarist Gene Ess Gene Ess turns out Apothesis (his 9th cd for SIMP) featuring tasteful tune-driven guitar & the exuberant/soulful vocals of Thana Alexa @Thanalexa

Very cool jazz-meets-punk-meets-metal release led by keyboardist Dave Morecroft: Serve. Socially conscious music w/a chainsaw edge. On RareNoise The shape of punk-jazz 2 come?

Listening: Kristo Rodzevski's The Rabbit & the Fallen Sycamore. Imagine Roy Orbison (or Jessie Colin Young) singing avant/alt/prog-rock backed by Mary Halvorson (g), Kris Davis (p), Ingrid Laubrock (tenor), Brian Drye Brian Drye (tbn), Mike Blanco (b), & Tomas Fujiwara (d)!!!

Listening: pianist/composer Gabriel Zucker's Weighting ESP-DISK' feat drummer @tyshawnsorey , trumpeter Adam O'Farrill Adam O'Farrill ,& saxist Eric Trudel. Tripartite suite based on Rachel Kushner's book The Flamethrowers, itself a suite of 'stories' by hungry young NYC artists.

Pianist/composer/arranger Jamie Lawrence's NY Suite draws on everything from big band call&response & Saturday Night Live-style soulful funk. Dense but transparent arrangements. Hard-hitting band: Marty Ehrlich, J. D. Parran J D Parran , Jim Pugh, Carlos Henriquez, Peter Erskine

Listening: 3 cds by Jim Black : Visitors (w/JP Schlegelmilch & @jongoldberger ); Brief (w/Robert Landfermann, Christian Weidner, Sebastian Gille, Elias Stemeseder); & Azul (w/Carlos Bica, Frank Möbus). Is he the John Bonham of jazz? Skirl Records Pirouet Records

Much liking Cuong Vu 4tet's Change in the Air w/guitarist @BillFrisell bassist Luke Bergman & drummer Ted Poor Ted Poor on RareNoise !!!

Alma Matters (i.e. matters of the soul), eclectic project produced by Berkeley percussionist/vocalist Jeff Weinman features the ever-satisfyin' Peter Apfelbaum Peter Apfelbaum , Natalie Cressman Natalie Cressman & her talented family! Soulful stuff.

Wendy Oxenhorn, @WendyOxenhorn tireless, is still @ it, helping needy jazzers, blowing some blues on her harp. Read my review of the JFA annual gala here: NYC Jazz Record page 4

John Zorn & Julian Lage: Julian Lage great combination! Read my review of their Village Vanguard Village Vanguard gig: NYC Jazz Record page 4.

Chris Potter Chris Potter : unstoppable. Read my review of his 21st album as a leader, Circuits: NYC Jazz Record page 19

Jazz in Norway, still going strong. Read my review of Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Kjetil Møster Kjetil Møster & Sigurd Hole @SigurdHole , who delivered an ultra-fine solo bass album. See NYC Jazz Record page 16.

Thanks 2 Yoko Suzuki 4 a supportive review of my book Jazzing! Check it out: criticalimprov.com/index.php/csie… in the journal Critical Studies in Improvisation.

Sad that this year marked the 20th & final Chhandayan all-night Indian music concert led by tabla drummer Samir Chatterjee. Samir Chatterjee ChhandayanNYC I've gone 12 years now, & it's consistently been the most spiritually satisfying improvised musical experience in NYC.

Do yourself a flavor: catch Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orch BGKO fronted by Sandra Sangiao Sandra Sangiao live! They packed & rocked the house for 2 hours last night at NYC's Cutting Room! The Cutting Room

RIP Harold Mabern, the man with the big hands, just dripping with blues feeling..

RIP Steve Dalachinsky, one of the most dedicated and passionate creative music fans I ever met or heard of. He was never hard to find: just head out to a promising gig and like as not he'd be there...

RIP guitarist extraordinaire Vic Juris, a modest man but a phenomenal talent. Could really get around the fretboard blending fluid chordal techniques w/single-note melodies. Will miss seeing him play around town.