John Murph

In the 1980s, pianist Michele Rosewoman and drummer Francisco Mora-Catlett started independently pursuing a mixture of Afro-Caribbean mysticism and avant-garde jazz. Thirty years later, they've finally recorded their otherworldly large ensembles.

For saxophonist Dayna Stephens, serenity has been a key to dealing with a rare kidney disease. It's filtered into his playing and composing, which is on the upswing despite health challenges that drain hours from his days and thousands of dollars a week from his limited budget.

In Sonnymoon's "Just Before Dawn," Anna Wise's ethereal vocals float across a palpitating soundscape. "Every night, you should have someone to hold," Wise sings, "to tell you that you did okay when your mind is against you."

When "Elephant Rose" concludes, it reveals Tixier as not only a remarkable improviser, but also a cunning contemporary jazz composer. He knows full well how to hint at a yesteryear classic, tap into modern-day nostalgia and still bring about something fresh and clean.

Underneath the firepower in Rodriguez's enchanting "Fog" lies the work of a remarkable composer.

The aphorism "Action speaks louder than words" comes across loud and clear on Wunmi's pulsating "Talk Talk Talk," on which the Afrobeat singer takes on world leaders who mull over global issues when they could be solving them.

Marva Whitney, who sang with the James Brown Revue in the late '60s and early '70s, took three decades to release a new album. Her new cover of Brenda Holloway's "Every Little Bit Hurts" hints at a rebuke of a music industry that turned its back on her when she and Brown parted ways.

Love seldom comes easy in Macy Gray's ballads. Betrayal, abandonment and even physical violence often pepper her songs, as she offers vivid accounts of love affairs that sometimes seem too real for comfort. On "Strange Behavior," she dives into a lurid melodrama.

By the time 1974's Small Talk came out, Stone was viewed as a has-been — a young, brilliant innovator burnt out by drugs and megalomania. A fresh visit to Small Talk, though, counters that assessment, as evidenced by the wry "Wishful Thinkin'."

Danish musicians Philip Owusu and Robin Hannibal give "Caroline No" an entrancing makeover, capturing Brian Wilson's doleful melody and a gentle acoustic-guitar accompaniment in a cavernous electronic whirlwind, with stargazing bleeps intensifying the song's sense of isolation and grief.