One of the more overlooked instruments in jazz, the cello, is given the light of day on a handful of recent releases.
Cellist Erik Friedlander brings together Ava Mendoza/g, Stomu Takeishi/b and Diego Espinosa/dr-perc for a mix of post bopping chamber moods. The strings are lyrical with some pizzicato work on the dark “Summit” and “Sliding”with some edgy scratches on the cymbals for “Wit and Whimsy”. Bartokian harmonies prevail on “Ache, Air” while some funky and chunky guitar work on “Blink” 
Friendlander gives a dramatic solo over the driving “Soak! Soak” while sounding fuzzy on “Baskets, Biscuits, Rain”. Brooding bows.
Playing piano and harpsichord, Aki Takase takes on ideas from Bizet’s opera Carmen with her band of Vincent Courtois/cel, Daniel Erdmann/ts-ss and vocalist Mayumi Nakmura. The tones get a bit bright on “Sevilla” with Nakamura’s mezzo-soprano reaching far and wide with Takase on “Lalala” and with Courtois on “Trio”. The voices get garbled on “Carmen Chanson” while Erdmann gets askance with 
Courtois for “Intermezzo for Don Hose”. Prismatic tones.
Guitarist Rez Abbasi teams adroitly with Josh Feinberg on sitar along with 5 string cellist Jennifer Vincent and drummer Satoshi Takeishi on a fascinating collection of ideas that cover South Asia and 52nd Street. A handful of duets, titled “ Introductions” are inviting mixtures of strings and concepts, with waving bows and pickings from Vincent creating more exciting traffic than a Dehli thoroughfare on the caravan of “Bhairavi” and “No Lack Thereof”. Abazzi rocks hard on “Bekhayal” and creates a relentless pattern for Vincent and Feinberg on ”Charm”. Feinberg shines on “Emancipation” and the strings get oblique and askance on the intuitive “Reaching”. A flavorful sauce of sounds.
Drummer Rudy Royston forms a band with John Ellis/bcl, Hank Roberts/cel, Gary Versace/acc and Joe Martin/b for moods that range from a pastoral and folksy “Morning” to a fun and swinging “Missing You”. Verace sighs through the cello picking on “Thank You For This Day” while Ellis puffs on “Five-Thirty Strut”. The team gets ethereal on “Keep It Moving” with gorgeous harmonies melding together over Royston’s trudge of “The Mokes” and the hovering mist of “A.M. Hours”. Colors set to sound
Playing traditional and folk flutes along with some percussion and bringing in vocals, Naissam teams with cellist Clement Petit, bassist Claude Tchamitchian and drummer Zaza Desiderio for a collection of “Rituals” . What that translates into is a series of dreamy impressions, with cello and bass bowing and picking on pieces like “Rituel Du Soleil” or hovering to Jalal’s flute on “”Rituel De La Lune” and “Rituel De La Brume”. Desiderio creates a bit of a cadence on “ Rituel Du Vent” , and there is some rich meditative voices on ”Rituel De La Foret”, creating a bit of variations of a bodhi tree theme.