Various Artists - Now's the Time II: The best in Contemporary Jazz

Budget priced compilation by Kevin Le Gendre, Best Journalist 2009 (Parliamentary Awards), writer for Jazzwise, Echoes Best US and UK jazz, the follow-up to first volume from 2003.

Compiled by broadcaster, jazz journalist and DJ Kevin Le Gendre from the best of his sadly missed 'Now's The Time' BBC London contemporary jazz radio show. It takes some of the best New York jazz along with 3 UK tracks (all three of which have not been available on CD before).

As he writes in the sleeve note: Improvisation, the overwhelming desire to pass comment on a given musical statement, to subtitle the title, has its place in any jazz school of thought - be it bebop, avant-garde, third stream or fusion. It builds on his extensive musical knowledge.

It is the second release on the Vortex imprint of Babel, linked to the Vortex Jazz Club. It intends to bring new and less known music to a wider audience. The first volume came out in 2003, on Cosmic Sounds. A further volume is already being planned.