In 2018 came the eagerly awaited reissue of Alan Braufman’s Valley of Search, a vital 1975 document of Lower Manhattan’s historic loft jazz scene, featuring the alto saxophonist/flutist in a raw live setting with housemates including Cooper-Moore on piano. Two years later, Braufman returns as a leader with the aptly titled The Fire Still Burns, leading a quintet with Cooper-Moore once again, their passion and acuity undimmed. Joining the younger tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis in the front line, Braufman plays alto with heft and focus beside the strong rhythm team of bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Andrew Drury. The band has a way of breathing together on the out-of-tempo “Sunrise” and “Creation,” or locking into the pulse-based, almost rock-like grooves of “Home,” “Alone Again,” and “Morning Bazaar” (the last featuring Braufman on flute and Michael Wimberly on percussion). Full-tilt free-bop improvisation rears its head on “No Floor No Ceiling,” while the shuffling midtempo minor-key title track and the funky “City Nights,” with Wimberly back on percussion, make for a rousing finish.