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Tom Sochas ★★★★ The Sorcerer KHUMBU. DL/LP

Age-old folklore informs the curious solo debut of this Franco-American pianist. While the Phoenician Blinds mainstay jumbles modern classical with post-bop amid The Spell’s rippling tension and release, sympathetic turns by bassist Thodoris Ziarkas and drummer Olly Sarkar help elevate the tender Lament and an aching, aberrant take on Nirvana’s All Apologies out of the ordinary and into EST-territory. The Sorcerer resonates deeper with every play.

Shake Stew ★★★★ Heat TRAUMTON. CD/DL

The spiritual jazz and Afrobeatmangling Austrian septet reveal a softer, intimate side on their fifth album. But while searching horns trace more mournful vistas on Unmight and Lucidity, any sense that they’ve lost their formidable thrust vanishes amid the title track’s rabid log drums and Oh Captain, My Captain!’s complex criss-crossing rhythms, as duelling double basses plot brutally effective byways to tranced-out euphoria.

JOYFULTALK ★★★★ Familiar Science CONSTELLATION. CD/DL/LP

Something of a DIY maverick, Calgary outlier Jay Crocker partners with local musicians over flipped drum samples to create a sometimes abrasive yet utterly compelling set of smudged avant-jazz burners, lit up by Nicola Miller’s wayward sax runs and his own skewed fretwork. Pitched somewhere between Ornette Coleman’s Science Fiction, Makaya McCraven’s cut-ups and Sunset Ensemble’s AI experiments, the energy of its insistent flights of fancy is undeniable.

Gilad Hekselman ★★★★ Far Star EDITION. CD/DL/LP

The Israeli guitarist’s ripe melodicism and unfussy technique come out to play on his most considered LP yet. Long Way From Home’s spaghetti western theme and Fast Moving Century’s liberated fret runs – duets with Houston drum voyager Eric Harland – contrast with yearning affairs that cleverly toy with timbres and textures. Never tethered to one style, Far Star’s burnished bounce and gentle touch belie its hidden depths. AC