" data-original-title="" title="">Bill O'Connell has had plenty to say with his piano in recent times, basically knocking out a session a year for the Savant imprint. And with an exploration within the solo format, a trip with an augmented trio, and ventures promoting a medium-sized conglomerate of heavy-hitters, he's certainly traversed quite an expanse there. But, as Wind Off The Hudson clearly shows, he's still got room grow.

The Afro Caribbean Ensemble—his largest on-record gathering of late, and a group indicative of a broadened view point and reflective of his work as the director of a similar outfit at Rutgers University—is something like his Latin Jazz All-Stars. It's just bigger and badder. A dectet with a massive sound, it can swell to the sonic proportions of a big band, as demonstrated on the lead-off title track; or it can slim down to the size of a combo, as heard periodically on the soulful follow-up, "Gospel 6."

These ranks contain enough firepower to overtake small countries—the presence of saxophonists