Pianist Donald Vega’s origins were in Sandinista-era Nicaragua, where he spent the first fourteen years of his journey. His mother then brought him to Los Angeles, where he would eventually meet drum icon Billy Higgins. Higgins nurtured Vega’s will to swing, to play jazz without a ‘Latin accent,’ turning him on to Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. In 2005 he began studies with pianist Kenny Barron at both the Manhattan School of Music and Julliard. More recently, he was the late Mulgrew Miller’s replacement in the Ron Carter Trio. For his third release for Resonance Records, “With Respect to Monty,” Vega celebrates the Jamaican jazz icon Monty Alexander with a hard-swinging compilation of Monty’s great, early compositions. His all-star quartet includes guitarist Anthony Wilson, drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Hassan Shakur.

Winner of the 2012 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drums competition, Jamison Ross is set to release his debut disc, “Jamison,” which not only showcases his prowess as a jazz musician who commands the drums, but also a gifted composer, arranger and, more pointedly, a singer. “When I won the Monk competition, no one there knew I could sing,” he says. “When I took the quest to record my first record, I was torn between my heart as a drummer and my heart as a singer. Ultimately, I was compelled to take a journey that incorporated my voice as part of my sound.” Infused with jazz, blues and genuine soul, the disc filters music from multiple sources through a contemporary approach, refreshing material by Muddy Waters, Eddie Harris and Les McCann and Carmen Lundy, while mixing in some of his own compositions.

Also this week, legendary guitarists Larry Carlton and David T. Walker share the stage for the first time “@ Billboard Live Tokyo”; guitarist and composer Kenny Carr, who spent ten years touring the world with Ray Charles, unveils his fourth CD as a leader, “Idle Talk,” collaborating with longtime friends Donny McCaslin on reeds, Kenny Wolleson on drums and Hans Glawischnig on bass; and theJazz Professors, with special guest Michael Philip Mossman, perform music inspired by the art of French Impressionist Claude Monet with “En Plein Air.”

In a musical world where keeping a working band has been difficult for many bandleaders, drummer Steve Smith has managed to keep three bands working for the past three decades. His jazz-rock band Vital Information has been touring and recording for more than thirty years, while his straight-ahead groups Buddy’s Buddies, made up of Buddy Rich alumni, and Steve Smith’s Jazz Legacy have each been in existence for the last five years. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for the drummer to blend all three bands for a new studio disc, “Viewpoint,” with a band called Vital Information-NYC Edition. It includes saxophonist Andy Fusco and pianist Mark Soskin from Buddy’s Buddies and Jazz Legacy, guitarist Vinny Valentino from Vital Information, and bassist Baron Browne from all three bands.

Organist Brian Charette takes it to the streets and brings it all back home with his ninth release as a leader, “Alphabet City,” so named for the area of Manhattan where he lives. While the compositional focus and musical crux of the CD rests squarely on the shoulder of Charette and his Hammond B-3, the additional contributions of guitar Will Bernard and drummer Rudy Royston also provide melodic highlights and the necessary rhythmic support to keep the session deeply in the pocket. Those who caught the trio at the Iowa City Jazz Festival this month can attest to tightness of the ensemble.

Grammy nominee Wayne Wallace celebrates the ever-developing cultural   conversation between the U.S. and Cuba with “Intercambio,” the fifth, and strongest, release by his acclaimed Latin Jazz Quintet; British saxophonist Steve Kaldestad, who has now relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, is joined by pianist Renee Rosnes and her trio for his third disc as leader, “New York Afternoon”; and “Butterfly Blue” finds vocalist Halie Loren drawing inspiration from blues and soul with a mix of jazz and Songbook standards, re-imagined pop songs and original pieces.

Charenee Wade is not one to hold back or let fear stand in her way. The first artist ever to enter two Thelonious Monk Vocal competitions, she walked away from the second in 2010 with instant buzz and second place to her new friend Cecile McLorin Salvant. Known for expert vocal improvisational ability and her seriously swinging groove, Wade evokes a classic jazz sound akin to Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan, two of her musical touchstones. Her new CD, “Offering: the Music of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson,” pays tribute to another inspiration, the socially conscious poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron. She is joined in this endeavor by notable guests including guitarist Dave Stryker, vibraphonist Stefon Harris and bassist Lonnie Plaxico.

Tenor saxophonist, composer and arranger Bob Mintzer recorded his first big band album in 1983. Five of his subsequent big band discs have been nominated for Grammys, one of which won the coveted award. Now comes Mintzer’s 20^th big band release, “Get Up!,” recorded live last year at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh. It’s something of a stylistic departure for the adventurous musician, as all nine selections utilize syncopated grooves that draw on Rhythm and Blues and funk traditions. Besides five original Mintzer compositions, the set is made up of the leader’s vibrant arrangements of classic tune by Weather Report, the Isley Brothers, Sam and Dave, and Sly and the Family Stone.

Also this week, composer, arranger and bandleader Maria Schneider celebrates a long-awaited reunion with her vaunted jazz orchestra with “The Thompson Fields,” a homecoming nearly a decade in the making; trumpeter Terell Stafford celebrates jazz master Lee Morgan with “BrotherLee Love”; and one of America’s premiere gypsy jazz groups, the Seattle-based Pearl Django, stretches the genre in new directions with “Time Flies.”

Ten years after making his Blue Note Records debut, and following two Grammy Award-winning volumes of his critically and commercially successful rhythm-and-blues-oriented “Black Radio” albums, Robert Glasper has announced a return to his acclaimed acoustic jazz trio for his new CD, “Covered.” Along with Glasper on piano, the trio features Vicente Archer on bass and Damion Reid on drums. The ensemble, the original trio from Glasper’s first two Blue Note releases, reconvened at the legendary Capitol Studios in Hollywood in December to record in front of an intimate live audience. The material mainly consists of covers, drawing from some of the pianist’s favorite songs by Joni Mitchell, Radiohead, John Legend, and more, as well as several Glasper originals.

JD Allen’s career ascendance suggests that he’s making plenty of the right choices. The native of Detroit has been on the New York scene since 1993, when his youthful precociousness earned him a spot in Betty Carter’s acclaimed touring program for up-and-comers. TimeOut New York says he will “remind you of giants like Coltrane and Rollins but placing a special kind of premium on concision, directness and accessibility.” The Chicago Reader adds, “Allen has gravitated toward a more brooding, elliptical approach with a strong jolt of John Coltrane at his most probing.” One of the telltale symbols of his upward trajectory is the fact that his trio, with bassist Greg August and drummer Rudy Royston, has remained solid throughout his rise. Their new disc, “Graffiti,” features an entire program of Allen originals.

Also this week, pianist Jeb Patton’s arrangements on “Shades and Tones” run the gamut from trio to quartet, quintet and sextet settings; the Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble, highlighted by vibraphonist Joe Locke, saxophonist Sharel Cassity and pianist and arranger Bruce Barth, take on a set of McFarland compositions on “Circulation: the Music of Gary McFarland”; and pianist, composer and arranger Pete Malinverni salutes eight great American cities that have persevered through challenging times on “Emerging Markets.”

The Bad Plus has almost exclusively performed as a trio for its nearly 20-year existence. Guests occasionally join the band in concert, but only one of their previous 10 discs has included a fourth member. In 2011, bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer David King invited saxophonist Joshua Redman to join them for a week of enthusiastically received performances at the Blue Note in New York City. They then played a handful of dates before heading into the studio last year to record their debut album, “The Bad Plus Joshua Redman.”  “Playing with The Bad Plus has allowed me to explore a part of my playing, and my musical heritage, that I’ve never before accessed in quite the same way with any other group,” Redman explains. “The adventure with The Bad Plus pushes me toward the fringes and draws me into the core.”

To pay proper tribute to a legend, an artist must do more than pay homage but must extend that storied legacy, demonstrating its timelessness by offering a musical vision that is immediate and of the present. “I’ve wanted to do this tribute to J.J. Johnson for 20 years but I never felt quite ready,” explains trombonist Steve Davis of his new CD, “Say When.”  “Something kept telling me, ‘Just wait. Just wait.’ Then a year-and-a-half ago, we did the J.J. weekend at Smoke with this sextet and I finally realized it was time.” Davis and his team of collaborators—trumpeter Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, and the sterling rhythm section of Harold Mabern, Nat Reeves and Joe Farnsworth—deliver the tribute powerfully and with clear affinity and devotion.

Also this week, pianist Janice Friedman and her trio—bassist Ed Howard and drummer Victor Lewis—deliver “Live at Kitano,” recorded in 2011 and featuring classics from the likes of George Gershwin and Billie Holiday, a few more obscure jazz tunes as well as Friedman’s own compositions; the Moroccan-born, Australia-based guitarist Albare and his multicultural ensemble (Venezuelan, Cuban and Italian) release “Only Human”; and after four discs co-led with saxophonist Ken Fowser, vibraphonist Behn Gillece debuts as a leader in his own right with “Mindset.”

There are certain venues that become a home away from home for many musicians. Places where the vibe is right, the crowd is always involved and management is friendly. The Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California is one of these places and the favorite venue of pianist Benny Green. Returning to the site where he recorded a live album on his 30^th birthday, Green recorded “Live in Santa Cruz” to mark both the 20^th anniversary of that gig and his 50^th birthday. The night and the performance were magical, as the trio featuring bassist David Wong and drummer Kenny Washington lit up Kuumbwa with a program of all original compositions by Green.

“Passion World” from vocalist Kurt Elling certainly lives up to its title. It is indeed his most ‘worldly’ CD to date, as Elling casts his net far and wide, from Brazil to Ireland, Germany to France, Scotland to Cuba to Iceland. In terms of its conceptual scope and its breadth of influences, it’s the most ambitious project yet from the preeminent male vocalist in jazz. It is also Elling’s most star-studded disc, featuring a small battalion of guest collaborators working in tandem with the singer’s much-traveled quintet. The guests include veteran trumpeter Arturo Sandoval; the widely lauded young vocalist Sara Gazarek; German trumpet star Till Bronner; French accordion virtuoso Richard Galliano; the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and its founder-leader, saxophonist Tommy Smith; and the world-renowned WDR Big Band and Orchestra from Germany, featuring pianist Frank Chastenier.

Also this week, pianist and composer Aaron Diehl follows up his 2012 debut with “Space, Time, Continuum,” as his core trio is joined by the iconic tenor saxophonist Benny Golson and the magisterial baritone saxophonist Joe Temperly; 11-year-old jazz sensation and piano prodigy Joey Alexander debuts with “My Favorite Things”; and guitarist Al Di Meola introduces his new six-piece band on “Elysium”.