The first thing that ought to be said about trombonist/composer/bandleader Alan Ferber's latest recording, "Roots & Transitions", for his long-standing nonet is that the music holds up very well regardless of whether one knows the circumstances that surrounded its creation.

The Distance represents a grand creative leap for bassist-composer Michael Formanek, following two widely lauded ECM releases featuring his quartet with Tim Berne, Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver. The new album showcases his texturally rich compositions for the dynamic 18-piece big band he has playfully dubbed Ensemble Kolossus. The project saw some of the most distinctive musicians on the New York scene bonding to realize Formaneks epic design, as he re-imagined what a big-band can be. Channeling sounds from the classic to the modern, he also composed for individual soloists in the Ellingtonian tradition.

Anthony Wilson is a jazz guitarist, arranger and composer. "Power Of Nine" featuring the super-talented and top selling jazz vocalist Diana Krall with whom Anthony has been recording and touring for the three to four years. Krall appears on the track "Looking Back" on vocals. The material includes a mix of Wilson originals and some jazz standards. The album is produced by Joe Harley and recorded by Michael Ross in Studio 2 of Sunset Sound in Hollywood (the quite legendary recording studio for Led Zeppelin 2 and 4 and almost every Doors album, Janis Joplin's Pearl, and more).