Sweet Release & Ghost Story - Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
Jazz/World, review by Seth Mnookin
Wynton Marsalis was born with a silver trumpet in his mouth. Maybe that's why his jazz compositions are so stiffly academic. (08/17/99)

Kabalogy - Hasidic New Wave
Jazz/World, review by Seth Mnookin
New York combo Hasidic New Wave illustrates the difference between klezmer and Jewish jazz. (08/11/99)

Freedom Blues - Various Artists
Jazz/World, review by Jon Dolan
"Freedom Blues" presents the tunes of South African jazz artists under apartheid -- and they sound a lot like John Coltrane. (08/04/99)

The Art of the Song - Charlie Haden
Jazz, review by Philip Booth
Jazz bassist Charlie Haden evokes the heart-stopping romance and mournful melancholy of film noir on "The Art of the Song." (07/27/99)

The Bluegrass Sessions - Tales from the Acoustic Planet, vol. 2 - Béla Fleck
Jazz, review by Seth Mnookin
Béla Fleck ditches the jammy, New Age dreck for an album of smokin' jazzgrass. (07/07/99)

Stir It Up: The Music of Bob Marley - Monty Alexander
Jazz/World
Jazz pianist Monty Alexander's gutsy vision stirs up Bob Marley's greatest hits. (05/25/99)

The Gathering - Geri Allen
Jazz/World
A pianist/composer as familiar with funk and the blues as she is with free flowing hard bop.
(08/19/98)

Landmarks - Clifton Anderson
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Boning up: Authoritative swinging from trombonist Clifton Anderson. (01/16/97)

Living in the Flood - Horace Andy
Jazz/World, review by Michelle Goldberg
Reggae legend and Massive Attack collaborator Horace Andy returns to the rootsy style and socially conscious work of his early Studio One career. (03/02/00)

Caribe Atomico - Aterciopelados
Jazz/World
Columbia's ambassadors of hipness mingle neo-folkloric takes on pop, punk and alt-rock with ambient soundfields and back-stepping beats.
(10/07/98)

On Holiday - Tony Bennett
Jazz/World, review by Charles Taylor
Tony Bennett's beautifully weathered tribute to Billie Holiday. (2/6/97)

Yitzhak Rabin - Alpha Blondy
Jazz/World
Ivory Coast's reigning reggae star completes the Bob Marley connection with a tribute to a great peacemaker.
(08/05/98)

Bloque - Bloque
Jazz/World
Columbian culture-clashing, aesthetically ferocious and stylistically dazzling.
(10/07/98)

Im/possible to Keep - Hamiet Bluiett
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
The Old "New Thing": Baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett makes his mark blending avant garde with traditional jazz.(2/20/96)

Bug Music - Don Byron
Jazz/World, review by Milo Miles
Wacky jazz CD inspired by The Flintstones. (11/13/96)

My Inspiration: The Music of Brazil - Charlie Byrd
Jazz/World
Byrd's distinctive guitar establishes him as one of the few non-Brazilian masters of the bossa nova genre
(02/02/99)

Blue Train - John Coltrane
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
Now that Blue Note has reissued John Coltrane's "Blue Train" in such excellent sound, you can hear why critics in 1957 called it a perfect recording -- and why Coltrane considered it his favorite. (04/17/97)

"Remembering Bud Powell" - Chick Corea
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Chick Corea's tribute to monster pianist Bud Powell (2/18/97)

"Late Night Sessions" - Caravana Cubana
Jazz/World, review by Jason Ferguson
Caravana Cubana, a handful of seasoned island music vets, out-spice "Buena Vista Social Club." (01/13/00)

Crescent City Soul - Various Artists
Jazz/World, review by Tony Scherman
A new four-CD box, "Crescent City Soul" digs deeply into the hot, soulful world of New Orleans r&b. (4/6/96)

The Complete Columbia Recordings, 1956-61 - Miles Davis and John Coltrane
Jazz, review by Michael Ullman
Three kings -- Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly -- rip through six CDs of the most ravishing jazz ever played. (05/03/00)

Miles Davis Box Set: five discs - Miles Davis
Jazz/World, review by Ezra Gale
Miles Davis Box Set: Five discs ("Black Beauty: Live at Fillmore West," "Davis at Fillmore," "Live/Evil," "In Concert:Live at Philharmonic Hall," and "Dark Magus") that verify the musical merit of Davis' heavily criticized early '70s work. (09/16/97)

Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Talkin
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
Wildly unexpected Latin rhythms from Dizzy Gillespie (02/04/97)

Eric Dolphy: The Complete Prestige Recordings - Eric Dolphy
Jazz/World, review by Milo Miles
A magnificent, new 9-CD box set by Eric Dolphy, jazz's classic modernist (1/13/96)

Duke Elegant - Dr. John
Jazz, review by Seth Mnookin
New Orleans boogie king Dr. John botches an album of standards. Duke Ellington would not be amused. (01/28/00)

Strange But True - Jad Fair and Yo La Tengo
Jazz/World
They haven't so much collaborated as they've stapled their ideas on top of one another.
(10/21/98)

Nnenna Freelon - Nnenna Freelon
Jazz
Finally, a "concept album" whose music merits the great concept: every song here is penned in part by a woman (05/27/98)

Good Dog, Happy Man - Bill Frisell
Jazz/World
Homespun avant-gardist Bill Frisell explores the unfolding saga of the American West. (05/24/99)

Quartet - Bill Frisell
Jazz/World, review by James Marcus
Bill Frisell's grainy, elegant jazz emanates straight from the national unconscious. (5/20/96)

"Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall -- 1938: Complete" - Benny Goodman
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
Benny Goodman believed in great jazz players, no matter their color. A live 1938 double CD captures one of the ambassador's finest moments. (11/09/99)

Greatest Gospel Hits - Al Green
Jazz/World, review by Andy Battaglia
From "Ha!" to "Hallelujah," the Rev. Al Green's gospel hits held onto the earthly sound of sweet salvation. (04/13/00)

Anthology - Al Green
Jazz/World, review by Keith Moerer
Al Green's "Anthology": Heaven on earth (2/12/97)

The New Standard - Herbie Hancock
Jazz/World, review by Ezra Gale
Herbie Hancock's interpretations of pop and rock classics from the last 30 years reveal an honest search for a new direction in jazz,one that manages to break new ground while reconnecting to its roots. (04/29/97)

The Art of Rhythm - Tom Harrell
Jazz, review by Marc Greilsamer
When the opening cut of an album called "The Art of Rhythm" includes several instruments -- but not a single percussion instrument -- clearly it's an ambitious recording.
(04/16/98)

The Return of the Headhunters - The HeadHunters
Jazz/World
Hard-hitting funk vamps from that sound like they were recorded in the group's mid-'70s heyday.
(08/26/98)

The Complete Commodore Recordings - Billie Holiday
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
A complete set of Billie Holiday's controversial Commodore recodings. (2/6/97)

Beyond the Missouri Sky - Charlie Haden/Pat Metheny
Jazz/World, review by Michael Ullman
Home is where the Heartland is: Metheny and Haden deliver jazz with a country twang on "Beyond the Missouri Sky" (3/18/97)

Animation - Tim Hagans
Jazz
A fusion of jazz concepts, rhythms and instruments with electronic elements that's so seamless and intuitive, it shows how linked these genres really are (03/09/99)

Habana - Roy Hargrove
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Hargrove explores new rhythmic territory on "Habana" but keeps it close to home. (2/10/97)

I Remember Miles - Shirley Horn
Jazz/world
Horn's affection for Davis and the depth of this electrifying collection of ballads is immediately apparent.
(07/15/98)

Natty Dread - Charlie Hunter
Jazz/World, review by Ezra Gale
Berkeley jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter attacks the overplayed standards of reggae great Bob Marley with fresh ears. (03/27/97)

Ready... Set... Shango! - The Charlie Hunter Quartet
Jazz/World, review by Milo Miles
Charlie Hunter brings jazz guitar into the '90s, without apology. (6/24/96)

La Scala - Keith Jarrett
Jazz, review by Michael Ullman
The intelligence and integrity in jazz pianist Keith Jarrett's playing distinguish this concert, despite its occasional flaccid moments, from the mood music of the new age (09/26/97)

Anutha Zone - Dr. John
Jazz/World
Wink-wink humor, ass-shaking horn sections and peculiar social commentary.
(08/19/98)

Slow Down - Keb' Mo'
Jazz/World
A slide guitar prodigy buries his blues in studio saccharine.
(09/02/98)

A Standing Eight - Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Jazz/World
A three-album set from a jazz master unappreciated in his own time.
(09/09/98)

The Well - The Klezmatics with Chava Alberstein
Jazz/World
The klezmer (Jewish jazz) group mix reverence and vaudevillian slapstick in a delicious, earthy stew.
(09/09/98)

Hommage a Piazzolla - Gidon Kremer
DiMeola Plays Piazzolla - Al DiMeola
Jazz/World, review by Keith Moerer
Tango 'til you drop: Two CDs pay tribute to Astor Piazzola. (11/22/96)

"Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974 - Bill Laswell
Pop/Rock
Laswell honors Davis' legacy by forgetting about this "legacy" business and playing it loose (05/13/98)

"Vol. 2" - Los Hombres Calientes
Jazz/World, review by Philip Booth
Steeped in Crescent City musical voodoo, Los Hombres Calientes reconfigure jazz in the city where it was born. (11/16/99)

Flying Colors - Joe Lovano and Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Jazz, review by Michael Ullman
Both these musicians are virtuosos and can play powerhouse jazz, but together they're more thoughtful, carefully engaging with their compositions and with each other
(02/25/98)

Nomad Soul - Baaba Maal
Jazz/world
Afropop is all about experimentation, but Maal should chock this one up to experience.
(07/15/98)

Marsalis Plays Monk: Standard Time Vol. IV - Wynton Marsalis
Jazz
It's Monk's very nature -- his stubborn individualism, his incessant innovation -- that both made him a master and ensured that Marsalis would stumble in his interpretations. (05/04/99)

Blood On The Fields - Wynton Marsalis
Jazz, review by Andy Gilbert
"Blood on the Fields," the triumphant jazz symphony for which Wynton Marsalis recently became the first jazz composer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, finds transcendence in the brutal story of American slavery through love and community. (07/10/97)

Twelve's It - The Ellis Marsalis Trio
Jazz
The youngest Marsalis shares the spotlight with his now-famous father (06/24/98)

A Family Affair - Christian McBride
Jazz/World
The jazz bassist's uneven foray into R&B and funk.
(07/29/98)

Combustication - Medeski Martin & Wood
Jazz/World
The organic trip-hop and eerie funk tunes are really launching pads for extended improvisation
(09/09/98)

Trio 99>00 - Pat Metheny
Jazz, review by Mike Britten
On "Trio 99>00," Pat Metheny's stipped-down outfit rips and soars above off-the-metronome grooves. (02/04/00)

The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings - The Miles Davis Quintet
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
The Miles Davis Quintet: The reissue market has become jazz music's saving grace, but no player, dead or alive, has been given a star turn like Miles Davis
(03/23/98)

Wild, Cool & Swingin' - Mrs. Miller
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
1960s socialite Mrs. Miller sang the Beatles and Sinatra worse than anyone. For the first time, her ungodly awful -- and hilarious -- repertoire appears on CD. (07/06/99)

Live in Time - Mingus Big band
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Channeling Charlie: The Mingus Big Band live in New York (12/9/96)

Revenge! - Charles Mingus
Jazz/World, review by Michael E. Ross
A rare recording captures Charles Mingus and his group at a pivotal moment -- in 1964 Paris, on the eve of saxophonist Eric Dolphy's departure from the band. (7/1/96)

Taming the Tiger - Joni Mitchell
Jazz/World
Mitchell proves herself a seasoned jazz vocalist on one of the loveliest suites of songs she has ever recorded.
(09/30/98)

Volcano Songs - Meredith Monk
Jazz/World, review by Matthew Daines
With punchy good tunes, "Volcano Songs" resurrects a more primal element of the eccentric singer/composer's best music from the 1980s. (05/07/97)

Oranj Symphonette Plays Mancini - Oranj Symphonette
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Mod Moon River: Oranj Symphonette plays Henry Mancini. (11/20/96)

Central Avenue - Danilo Perez
Jazz/World
A soloist with a healthy obsession with mambos and Monk also has the maturity to take a backseat to the rhythms.
(09/16/98)

Au Théâtre Champs-Elysées - Michel Petrucciani
Disques Dreyfus, review by Doug McLennan
Pianist Michel Petrucciani understands that having ugly in your pocket helps you appreciate beauty, and on the live recording of his 1994 concert "Au Théâtre Champs-Elysées," he offers fortunately only a little bit of the former and a lot of the latter.(06/18/97)

Quartet - Pat Metheny Group
Jazz/World, review by Gary Kamiya
A dazzlingly eclectic CD by guitar master Pat Metheny (11/27/96)

Payton's Place - Nicholas Payton
jazz
The third album by the Crescent City's third-best trumpeter after Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard (06/10/98)

Hints on Light and Shadow - Julian Priester and Sam Rivers
Jazz, review by Michael Ullman
Suggestive, challenging, informal and occasional irritating, "Hints on Light and Shadow" is not, as Dexter Gordon liked to say about music he liked, your average B flat. (05/13/97)

In Search of The Lost Riddim - Ernest Ranglin
Jazz/world
Off the wall, but totally unpretentious, this global back-porch jazz delivers the goods.
(07/15/98)

Beyond - Joshua Redman
Jazz, review by Philip Booth
Young-lion jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman steps up to roar on "Beyond." (04/19/00)

"The Complete Django Reinhardt and Quintet of the Hot Club of France Swing/HMV Sessions 1936-1948" - Django Reinhardt
Jazz, review by Seth Mnookin
A new box set of lesser-known Django Reinhardt cuts illuminates another side of the hottest jazz guitarist in the world. (12/21/99)

The Freelance Years: The Complete Riverside and Contemporary Recordings - Sonny Rollins
Jazz, review by Michael Ullman
On a magisterial five-CD reissue, legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins explodes modern jazz. (04/21/00)

SaxEmble By SaxEmble
Jazz/World, review by Milo Miles
Sax appeal for the acid-jazzers, neoboppers and moldy figs (12/6/96)

A Go Go - John Scofield (with Medeski, Martin & Wood)
Jazz, review by Ezra Gale
On his funky new album "A Go Go," John Scofield and his backing band -- acclaimed trio Medeski, Martin and Wood -- mesh so tightly, it's hard to believe this is their first recording together. (04/09/98)

Perennial Favorites - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Jazz/World
Even on this thin endeavor, they're too darn hot to be dismissed as a novelty or revival act.
(08/05/98)

The Beautiful Thing - Stephen Scott
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
Thelonius would be proud: Young piano master Stephen Scott comes of age. (01/31/97)

Future Shock - Herbie Hancock
Jazz, review by Geoff Edgers
Herbie Hancock's "Future Shock" annoyed the critics and offended the purists in 1983, but the new reissue just sounds like a Bill Laswell record that spawned an unfortunate series of fusion projects. (02/10/00)

Pastoral Composure - Matthew Shipp
Jazz, review by Seth Mnookin

Downtown jazz pianist Matthew Shipp takes the A train. (05/16/00)

1+1 - Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock
Jazz/World, review by Ezra Gale
On "1+1," Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter are at it again, and in contrast to some of the pair's recent solo efforts, it's the kind of work that reminds us of why these two jazz giants are so revered in the first place. (07/23/97)

Sugar in My Bowl: The Very Best of Nina Simone - Nina Simone
Jazz/World
Unbelievably moving, unbearably self-indulgent, sometimes both, in the same song.
(07/29/98)

Anthology: The Colpix Years By Nina Simone
Jazz/World, review by Steven Stolder
Three decades of rage and passion: A sterling Nina Simone collection (12/19/96)

...Twenty-Five... - Sweet Honey in the Rock
Jazz/World
The group's politics, though clasically PC, form the foundation of unanimity for their tonal richness and dynamism.
(10/21/98)

Zero Accidents on the Job: Luaka Bop 10th Anniversary - Various Artists
World, review by Joey Sweeney
Celebrating 10 years of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, "Zero Accidents on the Job" shows how to do world music right. (03/27/00)

Fish Trees Water Blues - Various Artists
Jazz/World
Elders like John Lee Hooker and Mavis Staples rub elbows with Ani DiFranco and Keb' Mo' for a good cause. (04/08/99)

Jazz Celebration - Tribute to Carl Jefferson By Various Artists
Jazz/World, review by Andrew Gilbert
All that jazz: A glowing tribute to the founder of Concord Jazz. (12/12/96)

The New Latinaires - Various Artists
Jazz
"The New Latinaires" fuses Latin jazz with electronic ingenuity. (05/21/99)

Life is a Carnival - The Wild Magnolias
Jazz/World
New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indians have created a training ground for local funk. This rough blend of hot R&B, Caribbean voodoo and street-tough parade sentiment comes from the city's premiere musical tribe (03/16/99)

Wilderness - Tony Williams
Jazz/World, review by Michael E. Ross
The creative spirit of Tony Williams, the late jazz drummer and father of fusion, is captured on "Wilderness." (3/10/97)

New Moon Daughter - Cassandra Wilson
Jazz/World, review by James Marcus
Cassandra Wilson's subtle, offbeat "New Moon Daughter" is a worthy successor to "Blue Light 'Til Dawn," the quirky album that won Wilson an audience outside the jazz ghetto. (3/9/96)