(FORTUNE Magazine) – THE KENNY DREW JR. TRIO Winter Flower (Fantasy/Milestone): Stunning range and two-handed pianistic facility that you just don't hear anymore. Drew can play anything, and on this disk he does Monk, Strayhorn, and Chopin.

STEVE TURRE Lotus Flower (PGD/Verve): The trombone virtuoso hooks up with terrific side people, notably drummer Lewis Nash and violinist Regina Carter. The combination of fiddle and 'bone is lush and thrilling.

JOSHUA REDMAN Timeless Tales (WEA/Warner Bros.): Redman isn't the most emotionally engaged saxophonist you've ever heard, but his vast skill and his choice of material (Gershwin, Dylan, McCartney) are, as usual, jaw dropping.

DORIS DAY Golden Girl (Sony Music): God, I love this album. Two disks cover Day's career from 1945-67; accompaniments range from great jazz combo to drippy movie orchestra. No matter the setting, her sweetly airborne voice still defines that cherishable archetype "girl singer."

ELIADES OCHOA Sublime Ilusion (EMD/Higher Octave): A key member of the Buena Vista Social Club provides a history of Cuban popular music in 15 cuts.

And one CD to avoid at all costs:

HARRY CONNICK JR. Come by Me (Sony/Columbia): Remember when Connick was a coming talent? That was when he was into the music. Now he's just into himself. This disk is self-regarding crud.

DANIEL OKRENT is an editor-at-large at Time Inc.