39-part musical session series which in this episode stars American jazz guitarist and composer, Charlie Hunter. The guitarist works with specially made seven and eight-string guitars to achieve his sound, which involves playing basslines, rhythm guitar and solos simultaneously. The episode features live footage and interviews with the performer.

Saxophonist Lee Konitz performs live at Toronto's Berkeley Church venue as part of the Solos Jazz Sessions series.

Collecting two very different albums by the late Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres, this twofer begins with a 1975 exploration of stylized romanticism recorded with the Cuban state orchestra. String-laden and sultry, it's greatly enhanced by the contribution of the pianist Pedro Coton, who lends focus to the after-hours feel. The final eight tracks are characterized by Torres's freewheeling experimentalism, whether fusing Cuban and Andalucian rhythms on "Malaguena" or combining "Para Vigo Me Voy," "Frenesi," and "El Bodeguero" in a feast of Afro-Cuban jazz.

Whether or not the Original Dixieland Jazz Band were the actual "creators of jazz" as the cover on this West End compilation asserts is up for serious debate, but one cannot deny the value of this budget-priced Essential Collection. Here are 49 tracks, arranged chronologically from 1917 through the early '30s. The band underwent changes during that time, but the music was the same. Also of note is how many tunes that are now standards in the New Orleans repertoire were written by members of this fine outfit: "Ostrich Walk," "Tiger Walk," "Sensation Rag," and many others. This double-disc set is essentially a non-remastered reissue of Avid's earlier collection of the same name that was released in 2001. ~ Thom Jurek