Quartet San Francisco follows up its Grammy-nominate 2006 CD Latigo—which featured material by the likes of Chick Corea, Raymond Scott, and Duke Ellington—with the independently released chamber-jazz CD QSF Plays Brubeck (ViolinJazz 106), an ode to jazz legend Dave Brubeck. The QSF, led by founder, violinist, and arranger Jeremy Cohen, sports new personnel: violinist Alisa Rose, violist Keith Lawrence, and cellist Michelle Djokic. The tunes—including the QSF staples “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a La Turk”—are playful and engaging. The elegant rendition of “Strange Meadowlark” is a standout. violinjazz.com

On his latest solo outing, The Playmaker (Mads Man 01), Turtle Island violinist Mads Tolling and his band team up with special guests Stanley Clarke, Stefon Harris, Russell Ferrante, and Jeff Marrs. It’s a high-spirited, fusion-inflected set that ranges from originals to a rockin’ cover of Thom Yorke’s “Just” as well as the Danish folk song “I Skovens Dybe Stille Ro” and a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.”madstolling.com

The Secret Language of Subways (MinMax Music 017) is an art song cycle by singer and songwriter Amy X. Nueburg and the Cello Chixtet, a trio of female cellists (Elizabeth Vandervennet, Elaine Kreston, and Jessica Ivry). The songs—overdubbed and featuring electronic processing—are inspired by the language (including the signage) of New York’s sprawling subway system. The Chixtet boast a tight ensemble sound. Theatrical, outrageous, and contagious—scoot over Bang on a Can. minmaxmusic.com

• 1