Night Owl might well be an early highlight in prospect for the first part of 2015, Kenny G’s Brazilian Nights a sadly predictable early low.

The work of Albatrosh, Night Owl is a piano/saxophone duo album intense but very human and warm, pianist Eyolf Dale and reeds player André Roligheten pulling something special out of the hat. It is to be released by Rune Grammofon on 12 January. Later in the month prog-jazz innovators Troyka’s latest album Ornithophobia appears, again an agenda-setting release in all likelihood.

Also new for 2015 David Lyttle’s Faces featuring Talib Kweli, Joe Lovano, Cleveland Watkiss, and Duke Special, with Jason Rebello, Tom Harrison, and Jean Toussaint among the guests, looks like it will be the drummer-composer’s highest profile album to date. And moving a little further along, February should see the release of Diana Krall’s poppiest album so far, Wallflower, finally appearing after illness forced the cancellation of the singer/pianist’s planned autumn tour.

Albatrosh, above