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

Dream Life is the potent follow-up to 1999's Lines and Ballads, again featuring tenor saxophonist Matt Renzi, drummer Jimmy Weinstein, and bassist Masa Kamaguchi. The trio returns with another charged and unusual assortment of tunes, beginning with an ethereal, pedal-point treatment of Ornette Coleman's "Blues Connotation," the fast bop line becoming more of a pensive incantation in Renzi's hands. Coleman surfaces again with the hymn-like "All My Life" (with an extended Kamaguchi intro), as well as the reprise of "Blues Connotation" that closes the record. Other highlights include Tony Scott's rubato "Israel" (not to be confused with the well-known John Carisi tune), the Denny Zeitlin gem "Quiet Now," and a roughened-up reading of Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino." Weinstein provides the one original, a bluesy free bop line that gives the album its title. (The comparatively dry sound of "If I Should Lose You" is explained by the fact that it's a home recording from a different day. Some may like it even better.) ~ David R. Adler

Very Alive at Ronnie Scott's is the European version of the 1972 U.S. single-LP called Buddy Rich in London . In England and in the rest of Europe it was released as a double album and that is reflected in this beautifully remastered double-CD by BGO. The 1972 lineup of Rich's band featured arrangements by no less than Oliver Nelson and Herbie Phillips. The main soloist (beside the drummer himself) is saxophonist/flutist Pat La Barbera, with big contributions from trombonist Bruce Paulson, pianist Bob Dogan, and trumpeter Lin Biviano. Other bandmembers include saxophonists Joe Calo and Jimmy Mosher, master conguero Candido, and guitarist David Spinozza. "That's Enough" is a lone vocal number for Kathy Rich and Michelle and Carlene Hendricks, and it's a barn burner. Other highlights include "Dancing Men," "Two Bass Hit," "Little Train," "Milestones," and "In a Mellow Tone." This baby is a smoker from start to finish. ~ Thom Jurek

This is an exciting new release from the wildly creative French clarinettist Louis Sclavis, a major figure in European jazz widely recognised as a masterful jazz composer and arranger. Sclavis's work often alludes to more than mere music, and on Lost on the Way, he takes his associative imagery from Homer. The track titles allude to the voyages of Ulysses. Sclavis: "I wanted to travel somewhere unknown, letting myself be blown from Scylla to Charybdis by mastering the winds and the torrents of return to re-evoke a history" - along the way looking at aspects of jazz, rock and modern composition from unfamiliar angles.