“He is always growing, always learning, always moving forward,” said John Zorn of Smith.

“I’m not rich financially, but rich in spirit,” says Miguel Atwood-Ferguson about the expense of making his new recording, Les Jardins Mystiques.

“Both of us are quite grounded in the craft, the tradition and the harmonic sense,” Rosenwinkel said of his experience playing with Allen. “Yet I felt we shared something mystical as well.”

On The Secret World Of Piloo, Rovatti pays tribute to her late father.

“He’s constructing intelligent musical sentences that connect seamlessly, which is the most important part of linear playing,” Charles McPherson said of alto saxophonist Sonny Red.

Gerald Cannon pays tribute to two former bosses: McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones.

“I think a lot of people think this still sounds like me, but they’ll also know it’s something different,” says Yuhan Su about her latest recording. “I am proud of that.”

“We’re trying … to be true to his intention, but give it space to breathe in today’s world,” Lara Downes says about her and Edmar Colon’s reimagining of Gershwin’s classic piece.

Larry Goldings’ versatility keeps him in high demand as a leader, collaborator and sideman.

“I’m a father, mentor, teacher, bandleader and activist,” says Keyon Harrold. “All of these things are happening at once. We all need some kind of barometer to help us stay grounded.”