This meeting between jazz's most visible figure and a giant of country music works surprisingly well and is an engaging hour that bubbles with good humour. Marsalis's resourceful band provides a swinging backdrop for Nelson's highly personal vocals. Jazzers might also be surprised at how good Nelson's guitar solos are, but the singing's the thing, and the old boy is swaggering on Bright Lights, Big City and Caldonia. He also nails Stardust and Georgia on My Mind. Marsalis sounds relaxed and in fine form, delivering some wonderful solos. AV


Alison Burns and Martin Taylor: 1AM (P3 Music) (£12.99)

This pairing appears at the Harrogate International Festival on July 30, and if their live performance is a reflection of what they've put on record, it should be a quietly satisfying evening. Taylor is Burns's father-in-law, and that may explain the warmth in these intimate duets. Burns is a straight-ahead singer and she deals with the likes of Because of You, He's a Tramp and How Long Has This Been Going On with directness and good taste, leaving the improvisation to Taylor, who is a past master and on his finest form. AV


Messiaen: Livre du Saint Sacrement. Delphian, DCD34076. (£12.99)

For his final organ work, Olivier Messiaen drew inspiration from the Eucharist to create a 18-section work poised between earth and altar. The former is evoked in Les Deux Murailles d'eau, a vivid toccata depicting the parting of the Red Sea; the latter in the Institution de l'Eucharistie, rapt and beautiful. A commanding performance by Michael Bonaventure (from memory) on the Rieger organ of St Giles's Cathedral, Edinburgh, makes this essential listening. The composer's richly coloured score is captured in remarkable detail. DD


Shostakovich: Cello concertos 1 and 2. Orfeo, C 659081. (£12.99)

Seven years separate the two cello concertos of Dmitri Shostakovich, but a sense of foreboding and a mordant humour unites them. The jerky aggression of the first movement of the First may contrast with the dark introspection of the start of the Second but German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott echoes the composer's social commentary – the biting sarcasm of the first Concerto, the turbulence of the second – in accounts of impressive individuality. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra offers responsive accompaniment. DD