3 Cohens, Family (Anzic). The Cohens are leaders in a vanguard of Israeli players making their names in American jazz. With Anat on tenor and clarinet, Yuval on soprano sax, and Avishai on trumpet, their sextet shows respect for jazz history. Swing wafts in and out of these 10 tunes. And so do some mesmerizing vibes.
Joey DeFrancesco, 40 (HighNote). Onetime Philly jazz prodigy Joey DeFrancesco turned 40 this year. This set with drummer Ramon Banda and guitarist Rick Zunigar is a birthday cake of a recording that traverses from bluesy swing to postmodern, and scorches the ground in between.
Eldar Djangirov, Three Stories (Sony). Pianist Eldar Djangirov, who emigrated from the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan at age 10, is a hale 24 now, and his playing is scary. Here, on his first solo recording, he flits from jazz standards to Bach and Scriabin, from Monk and Parker to a Russian lullaby.
Fred Hersch, Alone at the Vanguard (Palmetto). Fred Hersch keeps racing time. The pianist, who lost the use of his hands and nearly died of AIDS, goes to the sacred ground of the Village Vanguard for a rare event: a solo concert. Recorded last year, Hersch is in fecund form, unrolling standards that glow and originals that seem like conversations with departed players.
Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden/Paul Motian, Live at Birdland (ECM). At 84, saxophonist Lee Konitz is something of a national treasure. The long, cool years have led to this 2009 session with fellow travelers: the late Philly-born Paul Motian on drums, the amazing bassist Charlie Haden, 74, and the surprising pianist Brad Mehldau, a mere 40. The four combine for a mystical swing through six standards.
