The box set of Miles at the Fillmore captured the four live sessions of Miles Davis and his all-star band played at the New York venue in June 1970 in thier entirety. Even though same tunes were played in different sets, listening to them back to back reveals how the band stretched out the pieces from night after night. Miles’s solos were powerful and focused. In contrast, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea pushed their instruments beyond their limit to create organic, chaotic soundscapes. While Dave Holland anchored down the pulse, Jack DeJohnette and Airto Moreira went buck wild with the rhythms. Steve Grossman was also at the top of his game on the sax. From the opening, charging “Directions” to the impressionistic improvising “Bitches Brew” to the hypnotizing “It’s About That Time,” Miles and his men made history on the spot.

Như Ý’s sixth release kicks off with an alluring rendition of “Mưa Trên Biển Vắng.” Sadly, the rest of the album featured catchy but forgettable pop songs. It’s a damn shame to hear such a seducing voice is being wasted. Then again, she only spent two months putting seven tracks together.

Taming the Dragon starts off with pianist Brad Mehldau telling his trippy dream over an atmospheric, organic backdrop. Then the groovy beat from drummer Mark Guiliana interrupts Mehldau’s talk to set off the vibe for the entire album. Mehldau steps out of his jazz tradition to join Guiliana for an experimental journey filled with imaginative (electric and acoustic) keyboard licks backing up by big, pulsating drum’n’bass kicks. Mehliana is, without a doubt, a fruitful and creative collaboration.

Vijay Iyer is unstoppable. Mutations, his latest release, is a compositional exploration. The 10-part suite, a marvelous interaction between string chamber and improvisation, is a proof that Iyer is versatile in both musical landscapes or he sees no distinction between the two. He just makes music that is forward-thinking and beyond category.

With Southern Comfort, violinist Regina Carter sets out to revive traditional southern classics, but also keeping them raw. From the opening “Miner’s Child,” an ode to her grandfather who was a coal miner in Alabama, to the slow-soaring “I’m Going Home” to the savory closing medley of “Death Have Mercy/Breakaway,” Carter accomplished her goals of making a musical journey that has both historical discovery and emotional sincerity.

In its jazz-syncopated reinterpretation of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” The Bad Plus created some of the wildest, oddest and most imaginative musical interactions between virtuosic piano (Ethan Iverson), propulsive bass (Reid Anderson) and chaotic drums (Dave King). The new sound might not sits well with pure classical heads, but it’s fascinating and adventurous for an open ear.

The collaboration between Miles Davis and Marcus Miller started with the controversial but remarkable Tutu. The album has that lazy-lightweight-80s-pop-fusion sound on the surface, but underneath Miles played dark, piercing, muted trumpet that made the heavy impact.

Their joint effort continued for the soundtrack of Siesta. Even though the orchestration is much less intricacy than what Gil Evans had arranged for Sketches of Spain, the album featured some mesmerizing Latin groove and fine duets between Mile’s trumpet and Miller’s bass clarinet.

Amandla marked the final collaboration between the two. Whereas Tutu laid down the foundation, Amandla took it further. The compositions were richer and Miles’s playing were fuller. He even blew without a muted device on “Mr. Pastorius.” It sounds such a damn pleasure to hear Miles played jazz again after all these years.

I have been revisiting Miles Davis’s early work and loving his fine-ass ballad playing. Here are a few albums I am enjoying.

Workin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet

This album kicks off with the heart-rending rendition of “It Never Entered My Mind.” Miles played the mute trumpet as if he’s about to cry. “In Your Own Sweet Way” is another sensational standard with the Miles touch.

Steamin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet

Miles played a few bebop numbers including “Salt Peanuts” and “Well, You Needn’t,” in which he sounded less confidence than the ballads “When I Fall In Love” and “Something I Dreamed Last Night.”

Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet

Relaxing to some mid-tempos like “If I Were A Bell” and “If I Could Write A Book,” but the beautiful ballad is “You’re My Everything,” in which Miles told Garland to play some block chords.

‘Round About Midnight

Miles’s take on “‘Round About Midnight” didn’t sit well with Monk, but it was his admission to Columbia record. His muted tone cuts straight to the emotional core.

Somethin’ Else

This is a Cannonball Adderley’s album, but Miles stole the spotlight on “Autumn Leaves.” This is one of the finest ballad-playings period.

My Funny Valentine

Miles plays with title track without the muting device and his lyricism was still impressive. “All of You,” “Stella by Starlight,” and “I Thought About You” were beautifully played from the all-star band.

Hồ Hoàng Yến is like a bird trapped in Asia’s cage. She can’t escape the production’s unimaginative direction even though she has so much potentials. Her third release, Dù Tình Yêu Đã Mất, is just another cover of ballads with recycled arrangements. From the opening title track to the closing “Yêu,” she interprets these standards like a copy machine. She sings right off the page and never deviates from the melodies. They are not bad by any means. They are just boring. It’s sad to witness such a sensuous of a voice being wasted. Fortunately, it is still not too later for her to break away from Asia and to take on a more challenging moves with her music career. If she keeps heading down this same path, however, she’ll be soon forgotten.

In his previous Cánh Diều Lạc Phố, Nguyễn Đình Thanh Tâm was under the influence of Tùng Dương. In his new release, Gặp Tôi Mùa Rất Đông, Thanh Tâm has completely stepped out of his idol’s shadow by putting a restrain on his vocals and making pointless dance music that Tùng Dương would never record.

After almost two and a half minutes of an unnecessary intro, the title track, which written by Mew Amazing, begins with an atmospheric backdrop and then progressed into some inaudible rapping. “Nghe Ta Hồi Sinh” (music by Đỗ Hiếu and lyrics by Thanh Tâm) picks up the club beat with annoying ad-lib in the background. Then the catchy “Liêu Trai” (Nguyễn Hải Phong) makes you want to register for a Zumba class. Đỗ Hiếu’s production is infectious.

Still, highlights of the album are the none-dance tracks like the electric excellent “Bóng Tối.” The dark, hunting vibe brings to mind the Chemical Brothers. The second version of the title track is also way better than the first. The orchestration, which includes guitar, zither and strings, is astonishing. With only seven track on the album, Thanh Tâm should have concentrated on electric music instead of dance shit. It’s a missed opportunity.