There are a ton of reissues out this week, but a handful of gems have made themselves known. A little jazz, a little rock, and one crapshoot.

C'mon, let's spend some money...

Steve Coleman - Invisible Paths: First Scattering (Tzadik)/Jazz

I've always loved Steve Coleman's forced intersection of hard-edged funk and intellectual jazz. This is a solo recording and I am all over it.

Dave Douglas - Live at the Jazz Standard (Koch)/Jazz

Does this guy ever stop to sleep or eat or anything? It's starting to feel like one release per month! (Not that I'm complaining or anything.) As related in last week's Overlooked Alternatives, this recording has only been available on Douglas' website. Douglas is one of the premier trumpeters of today, and his compositional skills are truly unparalleled.

Charlie Hunter - Mistico (Fantasy)/Jazz

I haven't bought a Charlie Hunter record in a long time. If you've never heard of him, he's best described as a guitar player with enough chops to handle simultaneous bass and guitar lines. Hmmm... that's not really the best description. Let me put it this way. He's so good that you end up focusing on shaking your butt to the funk rather than reveling in the technical aspects of his play. That's no small feat.

It's interesting that the lesser-known Davies brother is still in the game after all of these years. Let's see if he's got something to say.

The Raspberries - Live on Sunset Strip (Rykodisc)/Rock

Maybe the quintessential power pop group of all time. I've got to have this live show. Have you seen the videos? Have you read this review? How can you resist?

Ray's Vast Basement - Starvation Under Orange Trees (Howells Transmitter)/Rock

A complete and total roll of the dice. I just couldn't resist that name.