3. Anna Webber Idiom (Pi)
Saxophonist/flutist/composer Anna Webber has a da Vincian gift for discovering the sublime via the mathematical. This monumental two-disc suite is split between her Large Ensemble and the deceptively named Simple Trio, though her vivid ideas—inspired by her arsenal of extended techniques—translate similarly to both. With Matt Mitchell and John Hollenbeck she summons a dense and thorny intensity, while the big band is equally adept at exquisite textures and clamorous urgency. SHAUN BRADY