2016 TOP 10 Composer/arranger Anthony Branker doesn't play on his own pieces; like Maria Schneider, he's got people for that. But where Schneider literally needs an army to paint her pastoral pictures, Branker employs an uber-tight quintet of notorious killers to conjure music that soothes your soul one moment, then goes for your throat the next - on the same tune! The front line of saxman Ralph Bowen, guitarist Pete McCann and pianist Fabian Almazan is simply monumental, while bassist Linda Oh and drummer Rudy Royston make their own substantial voices heard while building a tremendous foundation. The beauty within Anthony Branker must be a sight to see, because the music that comes from that place is a joy to experience.