DINO SALUZZI
Juan Condori
ECM
****

Jazz meets tango isn't a personal favourite, but this one's a real charmer. The great bandoneon player leads a family group - brother Felix (tenor/soprano/ clarinet), son José Maria (acoustic and electric guitars), nephew Matias (bass/bass guitar) and "honorary" member UD Gandhi (drums). The resulting music is not so much a hybrid as a synthesis rooted in Saluzzi's native Argentina. Deceptively simple, it has an unforced feeling of communal inspiration, along with a warmth and intimacy full of nostalgia, joy and melancholy. The pieces, almost all written by the leader, are like stories in music, with the ensemble voices artfully deployed to heighten interest and drama; shards of memory, full of melodic grace, beautifully performed. www.musicconnection.org.uk

PIERRE FAVRE
Fleurve
ECM
***

With a guitar, soprano/bass clarinet, harp, tuba/ serpent, bass guitar, bass and drums group, the stylistically far-ranging Swiss drummer and composer, Pierre Favre has produced something as unusual as its lineup. Although it offers solo opportunities, particularly for guitarist Phillip Schaufelberger, reedman Frank Kroll, harper Hélène Breschand and the great Michel Godard on tuba, much of the music is through-composed by Favre. A haunting blend of eastern and medieval influences, imbued with a stately melancholy, it owes as much to the melodic flavour of Favre's compositions and his understated playing, as it does to his composer's control of the ensemble. Subtle, with lovely dynamics and beautifully balanced colours, ultimately it burns with more light than heat. www.musicconnection.org.uk

DON BYRON
Do the Boomerang
Blue Note
***

In this tribute to the music of Junior Walker, Byron also dedicates the album to musicians as diverse as Lightnin' Hopkins at the blues end of the spectrum and George Russell at the innovative jazz side on the other. But then, Byron has done so many surprising things musically that this should hardly raise an eyebrow. Here, with the emphasis on the blues, he plays more tenor than clarinet. With George Colligan, David Gilmore and Rodney Holmes turning up the heat on Hammond, guitar and drums, respectively, this is a fiercely driven set. Trombonist Curtis Fowkes also contributes and a couple of vocalists are, naturally, de rigueur, but this is Byron's date and he digs deep into the well of the blues to put most funkmeisters to shame. One for the fans.