Walter Smith III: Twio Vol 2 review – classic jazz is vividly alive in the hands of this incisive saxophonist

The redoubtable musician and guests including Branford Marsalis and Ron Carter make standard song-shapes sparkle with focus and rugged phrasing

Miroslav Vitous: Mountain Call review – double bass duets balance muscularity with mellowness

Jack DeJohnette and Michel Portal – both of whom died recently – are phenomenal foils for the Weather Report alumnus’s classical-influenced jazz

Flea: Honora review – Chili Pepper turns piper, taking up trumpet for a soulful jazz odyssey

Imaginative interpretations of Funkadelic and Frank Ocean sit alongside starry collaborations and gorgeous instrumentals on the bassist’s brassy side project

Raye: This Music May Contain Hope review – a wildly ambitious epic of unbridled self-expression

Almost overstuffed with musical ideas, the singer’s second studio album can be self-indulgent and messy, but it’s a heartfelt and exuberant grand statement from an artist determined to go her own way

Tomeka Reid: Dance! Skip! Hop! review – an early contender for jazz album of the year

The cellist reunites with guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Tomas Fujiwara for five stunning tracks that are boundary-pushing yet populist

The Testament of Ann Lee with Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried review – yelps, bells and bruised beauty

Live on stage the Oscar-winning composer’s score is disorientating, ecstatic and strange. Its star, Amanda Seyfried’s pure voice is the anchor in a brief but absorbing set

Julie Campiche: Unspoken review – a harpist’s tender, quietly radical hymn to women who endure

The composer’s first unaccompanied album turns extended harp technique into music of intimacy, restraint and conviction – inspired by the women who shaped her world

Iain Ballamy: Riversphere Vol 1 review – an exquisite flow of genre, harmony and improv

The 80s sax star leads an A-list quartet, plus a shared trumpet role for Laura Jurd and Ballamy’s son Charlie

Mulatu Astatke review – father of Ethio-jazz still innovating during farewell tour

The pioneering 81-year-old vibes player, keyboardist and percussionist creates a controlled whirlwind of experimentation and excitement

أحمد [Ahmed]: Sama’a (Audition) review – a wild, world-spanning act of musical devotion

The British free-jazz pianist Pat Thomas leads his quartet through a powerful fusion of Sufi inspiration, rhythmic intensity and improvisational fire

Sebastian Rochford: Finding Ways review – Polar Bear drummer’s strikingly varied quest into the aftermath of grief

Rochford showcases his signature alchemic touch, featuring seven electric guitarists in a fusion of improv, reggae and romantic pop

Various Artists – Pasé Bél Tan: Francophonies and Creolities in Louisiana review – foot-stomping joy

Influenced by jazz and early blues, this collection of largely African American folk music from the 50s to the 80s spans poignant lyricism to full-throated celebration

Cécile McLorin Salvant: Oh Snap review – a jazz artist of rare gifts and fearless variety

From breezy swing to scampering synths, folksy harmonies to stark wails of the soul, Salvant’s crystalline vocals shine across her ingenious experiments

Linda May Han Oh: Strange Heavens review – ideas and invention burst from a great jazz trio

Ambrose Akinmusire and Tyshawn Sorey join the bassist-composer on originals and covers that are rhapsodic, rhythmic and tonally warm

Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 review – recovered cassettes capture foursome in fantastic flux

The free-collective energy of one of Braxton’s most intuitive groups jostles and enchants as a mirror of life’s rhythms