New releases last eight weeks: Jazz

Review: While never lauded by the jazz establishment, enthusiastic fans of the style have long claimed that Kenny Dorham was one of the finest trumpeters of his generation - not to mention one of the true greats of the bebop era. He worked with all the greats and mentored Joe Henderson, who made one of his compositions, 'Blue Bossa', a bossa-jazz classic. This album showcases for the first time a near legendary concert performed by Dorham, alongside an all-star band, at the Blue Morocco Club in the Bronx, way back in 1967. It's an electrifying performance all told, with his interpretations of Miles Davis's 'the Theme', Charlie Parker's 'Confirmation', Milt Jackson's ' Bag's Groove' (here spun out to near 15 minutes) and his own 'Blue Bossa' standing out.

Review: Some 13 years have now passed since Mississippi Records started reissuing private press albums by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, an Ethiopian Orthodox nun, pianist and composer whose naturally religious-inspired works frequently took spiritual music to fascinating new places. Here the label turns its attention to 1972's Church of Kidane Mehret, notable not only for being recorded live in various churches across Jerusalem, but also for the use of harmonium and pipe organ as well as Emehoy's beloved piano. The original album, which in line with her other album features intricate and mood-enhancing solo translations of orthodox liturgies, has here been expanded via the inclusion of two further piano pieces from 1963's ultra-rare Der Sang Des Reeres - a set of which only 50 copies were ever produced.