JD Allen, This, Savant ***1/2

You probably won't have heard tenor saxophonist and composer JD Allen in quite the same way before. Yes, his powerful Coltranian sound is still at the heart of the album but there's a big role too for the mysterious electronics backdrops of Alex Bonney and a very open role for drummer Gwilym Jones who is tremendous throughout. No stranger to the UK scene in recent years the album was recorded in south London earlier this year. Tracks such as the slogan the London Underground uses 'See it, say it, sorted' are a potent indicator of a player who is embracing change and willing to experiment.

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As chilled as you might expect yet there's a luxurious orchestral glean to Certainty of Tides, certainly a landmark new album released back in October in the prodigious career of Norwegian trumpet master Nils Petter Molvær. A collaboration with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the direction of Ingar Berby, Jan Bang was also heavily involved in the production of this album which has a very dark and brooding style and subtly re-calibrates some NPM staples such as Solid Ether's 'Kakonita'. But you also get touches of dub reggae on a track like 'Simply So' that recalls NPM's past collaboration with Sly and Robbie. The lonesome 'On Stream' is our overall pick on once again a thought provoking album from the Norwegian master.

Nils Petter Molvær, photo: André Clemetsen

JD Allen, This, Savant ***1/2

Nils Petter Molvær, Certainty of Tides, Modern ****