Michael Clayton (2007) Cam

John Taylor is the pianist of weightlessness. Although overly simple, this aphoristic description of the English virtuoso's dense yet liberated musical discourse renders justice not only to its inherent quality, but to the effect it imparts to listeners. Suspended above an evanescent pulse, swift, jolted rhythms loose their grip; upwardly clouting modulating, mellifluous aural jaunts of texturally multifarious phrases and voicings.

André Ceccarelli has long been one of Europe's premiere jazz drummers and since the new century began he is getting additional opportunities to showcase his talent as a bandleader and composer/arranger as well. His band includes the brilliant pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, veteran bassist Hein Van De Geyn and the promising tenor saxophonist David El-Malek. Ceccarelli excels at driving a band and is equally at home in driving post-bop numbers like the pianist's "Five Plus Five," his own angular "Free Three" and his solo feature "1er Novembre." Van De Geyn contributed the haunting ballad "Though Dreamers Die," which features El-Malek's emotional solo. Vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou is added for "Golden Land" (which she co-wrote with the leader, while it is also heard in instrumental form) and the standard "I'm Through with Love." This rewarding session will easily stand the test of time.

The challenge facing any longstanding group is retaining its core qualities while remaining contemporary and vital as the years pass. Oregon may well be the longest-running group in jazz today, with three of its four members together since its inception in 1970. Its ability to combine detailed composition with near-telepathic free improvisation can still be heard on 1000 Kilometers, the group's 24th recording, but what's also immediately evident is a group that's by no means standing still. Had original percussionist/sitarist Colin Walcott not died in a tragic accident in 1984, it's a near certainty that he'd still be playing with woodwind multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless, guitarist/keyboardist Ralph Towner and bassist Glen Moore today. Still, drummer/percussionist Mark Walker has been with the group for more than a decade, so it's time to stop considering him the new kid on the block.

Drummer Roberto Gatto's quartet pleasingly ensnares a range of contrasting musical quarry without falling into the Traps of pretense and mimicry. Within his strong framework of compositional eloquence and musical economy, Gatto draws on Monk, Latin, Kurt Weill and assorted other influences for a relaxing yet highly expressive program. Gatto is a stalwart in an Italian jazz scene that has matured over the last several decades into a wellspring of creative instrumentalists across a variety of jazz subgenres. Though Gatto is most associated with trumpeter Enrico Rava, with whom the drummer has been recording in different groups since 1999, this release highlights players who are among the finest in the current generation of Italian jazz musicians. Most impressive is pianist Luca Mannutza who displays a mature grasp of the less-is-more ethos that comes across from his first almost toy-like intro to opener "The Hands.

For his first solo album, Galasso gives us nine numbered “Scenes,” each the facet of an unfathomable jewel. The album has the feeling of a home recording, multi-tracked and with minimal processing applied. Despite being meticulously composed, it is also spontaneous in feel and refreshingly non-perfectionist. Some lines don’t quite sync up, as if what we hear were just a potent coincidence.

At first glance, this otherwise grand career-spanner seems frustratingly incomplete: What a logistically fastidious, but regrettable decision to ignore leader Michael Head's lone "solo" LP as Michael Head & the Strands, 1997's incomparable The Magic World of the Strands. All longtime fans know that it is 1) really no different from the other Shack LPs, in style or in personnel since both crucial Head brothers were present, and 2) universally regarded as their best record. And Shack have released only five LPs otherwise over their two decades, one of which, the 1988's debut Zilch, was all but disowned as it's banished from here.

One of the finest acoustic guitar innovators borne of the late '70s UK folk scene, was in Philadelphia early 2010, paying tribute to his good friend, the late Jack Rose, a mighty six-string alchemist in his own right, and a youngster wholly inspired by Chapman's critical recordings. While sharing in the good light of friendship backstage, we asked Michael if he'd ever recorded an LP of purely improvised guitar music. It seemed feasible, as the current state of acoustic guitar exploration was in equal measures inspired by both composition and improvisation. Chapman, along with Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, John Fahey et al, was a significant and historical informant for this young set.