Most recently astronomers have discovered a new planet dubbed "55 Cancri e", the rocky world is twice the size of earth but has eight times its mass, thus classifying it as a "super earth."  Whenever a new planet is discovered, astronomers and the media alike start a buzz of excitement to announce the discovery.  Well, on September 26th at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, there was a discovery in the music world of the magnitude of "55 Cancri e", it was the Robert Glasper Experiment.  The 34-year old Blue Note recording artist, Robert Glasper has been on the jazz scene for many years and has been putting out hit after hit since his debut of "Mood" in 2003.  On his 2012 release "Black Radio," Glasper takes his music to new heights of genre originality with tastes of hip/hop, fusion, electronica, R&B while all still centering around his unique personal jazz style.  Glasper refuses to be pigeon holed into a single genre and in the process, takes the listener on a musical journey of epic proportion.

Business executive for D'Addario & Company (strings) and drummer, Rick Drumm equates the album moniker and band name to his survival and ordeal with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. And 25% of all proceeds from the album will be donated to the "Strike A Chord" foundation: www.strikeachordforchildren.org. A largely upbeat album, featuring prominent jazz artists lending their wares, the program circles back to the infancy of jazz-fusion, performed with a contemporary sound and approach sans any overcooked technical gymnastics.

The Italian band names itself after a popular plum brandy, to correlate the refined or perhaps slick components that augment its broad repertoire. With its third album, the artists' continue on a path that integrates memorable storylines within a homogeneous old school/new school line of attack, where Eastern and Western folk melodies, radiant prog-rock, and nods to Jean Luc Ponty era fusion come to mind. Sporting a signature sound, featuring horns, violin, and harmonica coalescing with knotty guitar-driven time signatures, the musicians' fashion a mark of authority that has earned them accolades among critics and prog aficionados.

Guitar master Bill Frisell's global approach includes progressive-jazz, jazz-rock, chamber-jazz, and Americana as the list goes on. But what separates him from others is his signature voice. Otherwise, a biopic account of his rise to prominence exceeds the boundaries of this article. However, Frisell's visionary propensities hit another high mark on this album, based on John Lennon's discography.

 Fresh off last year's Grammy nomination for his Jeff Lorber Fusion project 'Now Is The Time', Lorber has wasted no time in taking the concept back to the studio.  The follow up, 'Galaxy', was released on January 31st and, with eleven choice cuts, finds this consummate keyboard player, composer and producer exploring new and refreshing grooves while also revisiting four old songs from the JLF back-catalog.  The collection also includes outstanding contributions from JFL regulars Eric Marienthal on sax, percussionist Lenny Castro, trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. and Larry Koonse, drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl plus legendary bass-player Jimmy Haslip who built a sizeable reputation through his time with Yellowjackets.

New York City-reared veteran and well-travelled drummer Tony Bianco has been a mainstay in global modern jazz and improvisational circles amid prolific engagements with sax pioneers Evan Parker and David Liebman. Here, he aligns with youthful European inventors, guitarist Michel Delville (The Wrong Object) and nascent saxophonist Jordi Grognard for a program that pushes the envelope via structural baselines and heavy doses of improvisation.

Canadian guitarist Ryan Davidson knew what his mission in life was going to be since grade school. What he has been searching for is the means to make it happen.  As he recalls, "I believe I started playing when I was six, and began lessons at eight.  Truthfully, I don't have any memories of not playing the guitar.  All I can remember is that it was all I ever wanted to do."

Keyboardist, composer and arranger Art "Spike" Schloemer is most obviously influenced by musicians like Joe Zawinul and Jan Hammer.  Schloemer is, like Zawinul, a true technical master, and like Hammer, has a lilt in his compositions that make them more than pleasing vehicles.  Schloemer's incredibly nimble fingers fly throughout the recording, and he puts them to good use in this collection of high powered, highly percussive fusion.

This album is the fruit of two years of hard work. Spike put tremendous effort into writing and arranging the music. The intention was to create a fresh, unique album with his own style, mixing jazz-rock with some world and trance touch. His goal was not to create something only for jazz-rock fusion fans, but also for everyday customers of groove-music. The CD was fourth on Amazon's Best Seller Jazz ranking and simultaneously one of the most pre-ordered albums at AbstractLogix. The track called "For Joe" was third in Jazz Rock World Fusion Radio's weekly top 20 of 12-16-2011. Spike composed the song in memory of Joe Zawinul. Analyzing the album - the construction of the arranges, the freschness of material, the sounds of the tunes, the power and the intensity of playing the tracks, the rhythmically intense - it has an immensely individual touch. Press Review: Like his idol, the late Joe Zawinul, keyboardist Art 'Spike' Schloemer seeks to erase whatever perceived lines lie between jazz, rock, funk and world music. On his new TransFUSION CD, Schloemer arrives well- armed for the task by enlisting some of jazz/fusion's top open-minded artists: guitarist Scott Henderson, saxophonist Bob Franceschini, bassists Bunny Brunel and Hadrien Feraud, and drummers Dennis Chambers and Kirk Covington. The opening track, "Concussion," shows additional Schloemer influences from the classic fusion era of the '70s. The piece's epic theme, and Feraud's nimble bass line, echo the work of Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke in Return To Forever. Brunel guests on the subsequent "Space Flight," and his liquid tone and soloing guide Schloemer's synthesizer into the soaring stratosphere of Weather Report, Zawinul's primary vessel during his stellar career. Chambers' contribution is on "Distant Horizon," another far-reaching Weather Report revisit because of his shell-game with the time signature and Schloemer's darting electric piano. Henderson worked in Zawinul's post-Weather Report group the Zawinul Syndicate, and the guitarist's prodigious firepower burns throughout "Challenge Day." Built on another epic theme by Schloemer, the energetic track is akin to Henderson's '90s work in the band Tribal Tech (which also featured a Zawinul-influenced keyboardist in Scott Kinsey). Covington, Tribal Tech's drummer, guests on the closing "Keep Relaxed". A high-octane funk number that belies its title, the cut gets extra fuel through the drummer's signature hummingbird-like fills. Franceschini, best-known for his work in guitarist Mike Stern's group, makes a statement through his solo on "Brain Fever," another Schloemer composition that blends jazz technique with rock intensity. The guest stars may be the drawing card on TransFUSION, but the guest-free tracks are no less alluring. "Sentimental Journey" sounds like a trip through Zawinul's entire career through its acoustic piano, programming, and chanted vocals. "Good Times" is a Motown-inspired funk vehicle that could've been an alternate theme to the urban '70s sitcom of the same name; "Indie Dance" manages to blend Middle Eastern and be-bop feels, and the entrancing "For Joe" is Schloemer's ode to his late mentor. Aside from the work of his special guests, Schloemer is responsible for the entirety of TransFUSION, making the disc an otherwise incredible singular achievement. Through his compositions, arrangements, multi-instrumental playing and programming, the keyboardist always manages to sound like he's looking forward -- even as he reaches backward for inspiration.- Bill Meredith -   "Throughout the entire disc Schloemer proves himself a more than capable composer of electric jazz at the highest level, and as a soloist he establishes himself as a thoughtful and exciting technician. Schloemer's incredibly nimble fingers fly throughout the recording, and he puts them to good use in this collection of high powered, highly percussive fusion. For those who thought great electric jazz, or tightly constructed progressive rock of the 1970s and 80s was gone forever, this disc will restore your soul." - Thomas R. Erdmann - Links: http://jazz-rock.com/artists-ArtS.html album description:http://artschloemer.blogspot.com/ order album online:http://www.abstractlogix.com/xcart/product.php?productid=25344 album mp3 download:http://www.amazon.com/Transfusion-Feat-Scott-Henderson-Covington-Francheschini/dp/B00651CBUK/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321033440&sr=301-1 MySpace:http://www.myspace.com/artschloemer Reverbnationhttp://www.reverbnation.com/artschloemer    

With inferences to metal-drenched avant-garde jazz, sounds of doom, and crazed electronica based free-jazz; Combat Astronomy's fourth album extends its bizarre, apocalyptic spin on cross-genre stylizations.  With notable British experimentalists and avant-garde perpetrators shaping the crazed vistas, leader, conceptualizer, and five-string electric bassist James Huggett lays down some of the heaviest bass lines known to mankind with guerrilla tactics and calamitous sound-sculpting maneuvers.  Huggett overdubs bass lines within various parts, and needless to say, envelops an ominous undercurrent throughout the broad plane of lower and upper-register tonal contrasts.

To jazz lovers the name of saxophonist and flutist Jeff Coffin should not be new. In addition to his 14 years spent as a member of Bela Fleck’s band, Coffin has worked with others like Dave Matthews and spent a lot of time working in studios for artists like Delbert McClinton, Brooks & Dunn and Marc Broussard. For this three-time Grammy winner, Coffin’s newest recording is a two-disc set gathered from live concerts in Illinois and Texas with his musicians while on tour in 2010 and 2011.

This Seattle-based progressive-rock outfit offers a refreshing perspective on a multifaceted genre, where cherished stylizations from the past are merged with a futuristic outlook. Following up the celebrated 2009 Moonjune Records debut manifest deNsity, Moraine's energetic attack and deterministic focus parlays into a vibrant live setting recorded at North East Art Rock Festival (NEARfest) 2010, in Bethlehem, PA.

  Psychedelic pranksters M'lumbo return with the amusingly titled Celestial Ghetto. The title of the album is quite fitting as M'lumbo draw from many sources, and can alternate seamlessly between the gritty and the ethereal. With M'lumbo, there is no distinction between high and low art where refined soloing is juxtaposed against a sense of nutty humor. This might be irritating to some (why obscure a perfectly good solo with seemingly random samples?) but this recording is refreshingly free from intellectual pretenses.

  The Realm of the Guitar Gods continues to be inhabited long after its time had supposedly ended.  However, a new wing has to be added to accommodate the electric violin of Susan Aquila.  As virtuosos go, she’s right at the top, but sounding sometimes like Jean Luc Ponty but just as often like Alvin Lee or Joe Satriani.  With feet in both the rock and classical worlds, she seems at first an unlikely candidate to end up on a fusion album, but here she is, and the results are quite spectacular.  

 During the numerous theoretical waves of music and its major influences, the annals of music's scrolls have recorded many activists of the art of sound which have risen to become the statesperson of their chosen pulpit. Rock and roll had the Beatles, Nirvana, and Elvis taking front stage; the classics waltzed in Brahms, Beethoven, and Chopin; however jazz has eclipsed some of the most divinely unique and innovative conductors to have ever dueled with a music sheet. That said Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, is affording serious listeners an encouraging collection of push-n-plays for the holiday season. This year they are announcing a diverse mixture of celebrated artists from a vast array of genres under the marketing umbrella called... The Complete Columbia Albums Collections! One such artist with an ability to shift the tectonic plates of any level of listenership with his horn's, is the purist of smooth spins forever known as saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.; the man whose diverse appeal to this day still embraces generations.

A restless musical spirit who has worked in pretty much every sub-genre of jazz and improvised music you can think of, Wadada Leo Smith's "Heart's Reflections" is a sprawling 2-CD set that covers a bewilderingly vast swath of stylistic ground. What makes "Heart's Reflections" such a fascinating listen is the variety of approaches that Wadada and his band take - there are funkified 'electric Miles'-inspired jams, gossamer intertwinings of trumpet, violin, and laptop, and abstract improvisations that hearken back to Smith's AACM days.

Planet Z poses an interesting contrast. For one, first-call session violinist and active concert performer Susan Aquila uses a Viper 6-string violin to diametrically oppose her classical roots, and performs material composed by symphonic conductor, guitarist, Dr. Robert Tomaro. Hence, the program is centered within the jazz-fusion realm and framed on attractive material that effectively bridges the high-impact schema with numerous off-kilter metrics.

This widely acclaimed band's sixth album furthers its plight of providing the listener with a gamut of compelling contrasts amid a unique stylization that offers additional credence to the pioneering efforts instituted by Cryptogramophone Records. Here, violinist Jeff Gauthier leads a prominent cast through jazz-fusion, bop, free improvisation and resonating harmonic output with an in-your-face type composure to offset an array of tender subtleties and classical inferences.

Song:Tribal Fusion.Music artist:Mario TomicMusic album:Guitar Alchemy

The album artwork offers insight into the sound and scope of trumpeter extraordinaire Tim Hagans' 2011 jazz-fusion release. The program is brushed with dark hues and spacey architectures, translating into an impressionistic journey towards the nearest galaxy. But there's plenty of oxygen and life here.

Dear jazzreview music community - Just this August my debut, 'Cycles Of Fusion' was released. The music style blends elements of jazz, rock, blues, and funk into groove-based compositions featuring retro/vintage keyboards & atmospheric soundscapes over loop/sample-based rhythm section arrangements. I have made the track "Eternal Boundaries" available here for free download. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Indeed, Abstract Logix has developed into a prominent record label, including iconic guitarist John McLaughlin among its roster. The record label has also evolved into prime distributor of jazz-rock, jazz-fusion and progressive-rock audio and visual product. And following up the 2011 2-CD release of these live performances recorded in 2010 at the New Universe Music Festival, Raleigh, North Carolina., this 2-DVD extravaganza backed by the record label tenders a stunning series of performances by many of the more prolific electric jazz artists who have reshaped, and extended this musical genre into the modern age. This DVD also showcases Abstract Logix' roster of stars, culminating into a chops incorporated type panorama and highlighting the artists' compositional and improvisational expertise along the way.

Upcoming masterclasses in Tuscia, Italy by Tuscia In Jazz.  

Firmly rooted in the sort of challenging post-bop, pre-free modern jazz epitomized by the pre-electric Miles Davis Quintet of the mid-1960s, and – perhaps – the early 70s ECM sound, the music of Nordic Connect is nonetheless quite un-stodgy and rich in interesting 21st Century influences and flavors. The compositions largely, written by pianist Maggi Olin (though Ingrid Jensen, Christine Jensen and Jon Wikan each chip in some), at times, recall some of the mid-to-late 60s and early 70s Blue Note recordings by Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, as they branched out from Miles' musical orbit. As in Miles' and Shorter's music, a key feature of “Spirals” is the blurring of lines between the front line and the rhythm section. There's also a playfully relaxed, experimental spirit here that you won't hear on a lot of today's modern jazz recordings. A cooperative project involving musicians who are either from Scandinavia, or have Scandinavian ancestry, Nordic Connect also adds ethnic flavors from entirely different settings to create sophisticated, intriguing music that is completely contemporary.

Bassist / composer Chris Dahlgren is one of those guys who has done a lot of different things in his musical career. He holds an MA in composition from Wesleyan University where he worked with an impressive array of avant-garde conceptualists and artists including Alvin Lucier, Anthony Braxton, LaMonte Young, and Christian Wolff. He was also the house bassist at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club in Cincinnati, OH, a bastion of straight-ahead and big band jazz. He's also recorded and toured with Joe Lovano, Art Lande, Fred Hirsch, Charles Tolliver, Herb Ellis, and Red Rodney to name a few. After returning to New York in the 1990s, he spent the better part of the first decade of the 21st Century working with Anthony Braxton. On “Mystic Maze,” his first recording with his group 'Lexicon,' Dahlgren draws on all of these experiences - and more - to craft a detailed, incisive musical treatise on the shortcomings of music criticism and the nature of public confrontations that may ensue when an audience doesn't get what it expects from an artist.

A life long musical journey began when Dave picked up his first guitar at age five. The journey continued in earnest when he began his professional music studies at Berklee College Of Music where he received double Bachelor of Arts degrees in Jazz Composition and Music Production & Engineering. As a master guitarist and composer his original compositions embody a unique blend of rhythms, harmonies and musical textures. His music transcends traditional Latin music by combining jazz elements with acoustic and electric instruments, while introducing new Latin Fusion grooves.  

Hello jazzreview music community! I am keyboard and electric guitar player Chris Rossi out of the Boston, Mass. area on the Net Dot Music label - an Internet based independent record label specializing in instrumental fusion: all-instrumental music that blends several styles and genres. My music style blends elements of jazz, rock, blues, R&B, and funk into groove-based compositions featuring retro/vintage keyboards & atmospheric soundscapes over loop/sample-based rhythm section arrangements. If you enjoy jazz rock, jazz fusion, ambient jazz, some progressive rock or other related instrumental music fusion, you will probably connect with my music.

Reflections on the meaning and significance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, typically do not inspire a rockin' good time. That's precisely what's going on with Blasphemy and Other Serious Crimes, the sophomore CD from guitarist Yoshie Fruchter's great New York-based band Pitom. Fruchter and Pitom play a sort of advanced poly-stylistic instrumental rock that contains elements of jazz, traditional Hebraic music, metal, old-school prog rock, thrash, sludge and about a half-dozen other distinct musical sub-sub-genres that seem to be popping up at an alarming rate these days. So, while Fruchter's music is definitely a sort of fusion, it's definitely not "fusion-as-we-know it." Compared to the band's stellar debut CD (also on Tzadik), Blasphemy... is more measured, more focused, and yet the band seems to be heading in several new and interesting directions. Best of all, they've developed a signature sound that doesn't box them into narrow stylistic parameters. In fact, Pitom may well be the most innovative and exciting band working in the Yiddish fusion idiom aside from Greg Wall and Frank London's group, Hasidic New Wave.

Musical iconoclasts Wadada Leo Smith and Henry Kaiser were way ahead of the popular consciousness when it came to paying tribute to Miles Davis' pioneering electric bands of the early-to-mid 1970s. Kaiser's involvement in this project is no surprise. He's an avowed long-term fan of Davis' mid-1970s recordings and cites Pete Cosey's work on these recordings as a seminal influence on his own playing. At first, I found Wadada Leo Smith's involvement a complete surprise, if not a little perplexing. Affiliated with the AACM since the early 70s, Smith has worked extensively with avant-garde musicians such as Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard Abrams and Anthony Davis to name just a few. His work as a leader, while incredibly diverse, showed few, if any, tendencies towards electric jazz-rock fusion. Yet, from the first note he plays, Wadada's profound understanding of Davis' groundbreaking 70s oeuvre is palpable. As a trumpeter, he is able to evoke the spirit of Miles without ever imitating him. As a composer, he has the artistic integrity and musical guts to honor the past while extending some of Miles' most important concepts into a 21st Century musical setting.

Jeff Richman is a professional guitarist with a 35 year career in performance guitar, composing, arranging and recording.  He has produced 16 solo albums and toured worldwide.

Hello jazzreview music community! I am keyboard and electric guitar player Chris Rossi out of the Boston, Mass. area. Just this August my debut, 'Cycles Of Fusion' was released. The music style blends elements of jazz, rock, blues, and funk into groove-based compositions featuring retro/vintage keyboards & atmospheric soundscapes over loop/sample-based rhythm section arrangements. I have made the track "Reflection" available here for you all to download and hopefully enjoy.

Hello jazzreview music community! I am keyboard and electric guitar player Chris Rossi out of the Boston, Mass. area on the Net Dot Music label - an Internet based independent record label specializing in instrumental fusion: all-instrumental music that blends several styles and genres. My music style blends elements of jazz, rock, blues, R&B, and funk into groove-based compositions featuring retro/vintage keyboards & atmospheric soundscapes over loop/sample-based rhythm section arrangements. If you enjoy jazz rock, jazz fusion, ambient jazz, some progressive rock or other related instrumental music fusion, you will probably connect with my music.

Noshir Mody, a guitarist with his own unclassifiable style and distinctive sound, recently released Union Of Hearts, a trio CD with bassist Daniel Foose and drummer Kim Garey. Comprised of Mody's nine originals, Union Of Hearts is filled with music that is often introspective and relaxed but full of inner fire.

Contemporary jazz guitarist Jeff Richman announces the release date of his upcoming CD, Jeff Richman and Chatterbox: The Line Up for October 18. The Nefer Records release is Richman's 16th solo project and features Mitchel Forman on keyboards, Joel Taylor on drums and Dean Taba on bass guitar. The new CD is distributed by City Hall Records and songs will be available online at iTunes, Amazon and other music websites.  

Well, it's finally done. Nearly four years in the works, Freedom Underground's first full-length album is now all done and ready for purchase, which is where you come in. If you're a fan of Freedom Underground, then we hope you'll trot on over to Amazon.com, iTunes, or Virtuoso Music and Distribution and download either the entire "Between the Funk" album, or feel free to only get the mp3 songs you like. For those old-schoolers among you, the release of the actual hard copy CD is expected to be early this fall. Stay tuned for updates via our newsletter.

Guitar player Razl is back with a new album full of surprises! A psychedelic journey to a microscopic world that doesn´t really exist. In this new album, Razl is accompanied by bass player Bryan Beller (Steve Vai, Mike Keneally Band, Metalocalypse) whose saturated music lines perplex the audience; and drummer Pepe Acebal, whose determination to rebuild rhythmical bases make his sound unusual and crowded. Besides , Razl has had two exceptional guests: guitar player Will Bernard (Stanton Moore Trio) and trumpeter Rubén Salvador.

Saturday, September 17th at 6pm is the date to save for an evening of jazz presented by the United Negro College Fund’s (UNCF) annual benefit concert event. This year’s musical guess star is veteran jazz saxophonist Alfonzo Blackwell. The event is held annually to sponsor young adult’s college education from the New Jersey area. Tickets are on sale now. Please contact the New Jersey region chapter of the UNCF at (973) 642-1955 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Extraordinarily talented bassist and composer Jimmy Haslip is no stranger to jazz aficionados. Longtime bassist with the supergroup Yellowjackets, he has appeared on an almost limitless number of recordings. While Nightfall is only his fourth release as a leader, he has worked with countless other artists including Steely Dan, Tom Scott, Brenda Russell, Lee Ritenour, Eric Marienthal, Marc Antoine, Randy Crawford, Michael Franks and Jeff Lorber.

Trumpeter and teacher Stanton Davis, Jr., originally from New Orleans, studied at the Berklee Collge of Music, New England Conservatory and Wesleyan University. As a teacher, he has taught at the New England Conservatory, Wellesley College, Bennington College and Jazzmobile. As a performer, he has been a member of Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Mongo Santamaria's Orchestra and Mario Bauza & His Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra. Davis has also worked with artists like Muhal Richard Abrams, Jaki Byard, Gil Evans, Charlie Haden, George Gruntz, James Moody, Sam Rivers, Max Roach and David Sanborn. A large portion of Davis' career has been studying and working with George Russell.  

San Jose, Calif., — Mike Portnoy, considered one of the most powerful players in the world, has garnered his first “Drummer” Of The Year” award in Enter Music Publishing’s 16th Annual Drummies reader’s poll awards. Definitely a dream come true for Portnoy, he also took “Best Metal Drummer” and came in second place in the “Progressive Drummer” category. Addditionally, Stanton Moore won "Best Funk Drummer" for a second straight time.    

Agogic is, in some ways, a musical homecoming celebration for Seattle natives Vu and D'Angelo (whose work with Matt Wilson, Human Feel and Kurt Rosenwinkel is nothing short of remarkable) following extended stays in Boston and New York City. Agogic's other two members – bassist Luke Bergman and drummer Evan Woodle – are products of Seattle's very fertile jazz and experimental music scene. With this young and extremely capable rhythm section in tow, Vu and D'Angelo are free to explore all sorts of stylistic variations and intersections, unfettered by big city music politics and the ensuing creative burnout.

Pianist, teacher, composer, conductor and arranger Florin Raducanu was at the heart of many innovative projects of classical and folk jazz fusion in his native Romania and abroad. Over the years he performed in trio, sextet and he collaborated with big bands and large symphonic orchestras, during prestigious festivals and live events. Musician of the year in 2009, he won many prestigious prizes and accolades for his achievements. On his third album recorded along with his band at the Porgy and Bess Jazz Club in 2010, Florin Raducanu composed and arranged a musical synthesis that draws on jazz and classical on four surprising live explorations, each of them with its personality. Inspired by the music of great composers and driven by the inventivity of jazz he delivers a performance where elegance and swing merge together in a fresh personal expression.

Recorded in 1978, Fat Doggie is a genre-defying fusion of jazz, funk, disco, soul and Latin. Solid rhythm section, tight horns, great tunes. Imagine Average White Band, Santana, James Brown, Albert Ayler and Tower of Power all on one album! The Greg Alper Band featured the finest jazz players in New York, including Richie Morales (Spyro Gyra, Brecker Bros), Chuck Loeb (Bob James, Fourplay) and Ray Anderson (Best Trombonist: Down Beat magazine critics poll 1987-91).The disco-infused funk opening

Though the Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor has made a name for himself as a prolific and innovative composer in the progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion realms, many may not be aware of his considerable abilities as a free improvising musician. His free-jazz alter-ego manifests itself most frequently in a musical aggregation he’s called Taylor’s Free Universe, a band comprised of musicians who tend also to be involved in his various prog and fusion efforts.As one might expect, Taylor’

The word 'fusion' is a pretty good descriptor of a style of music only when you know what sorts of music are being fused. I suppose that one could describe Mercury Falls' impressive debut CD, Quadrangle, as 'fusion' – but that would only be 1/10th of the story (if that!). In today's increasingly chopped-up and micro-pigeonholed landscape of music sub-sub-sub genres, it is well-nigh impossible to describe the Bay Area-based quartet's music without resorting to terms that most jazz fans will not k

While heavily derivative of Weather Report and Steps Ahead, Ron Van Stratum’s Swingin’ In The Swamp still satisfies. This should, however, be no surprise when one considers who this Netherlands born and raised drummer and percussionist has played with. Following studies on classical percussion at the conservatory in Tilburg and jazz drumming at the Maastricht conservatory, both located in The Netherlands, Stratum has worked with artists like Mike Mainieri (founder of Steps Ahead), Jaco Pastori

Gary Husband is a musical renaissance man. A ferocious progressive-rock and jazz drummer, he also handles the keyboard duties here and for guitar titan, John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension band. This outing provides a glimpse of prominent artists he has performed with over the years. Subsequently, the program signifies the first time McLaughlin and guitarist Allan Holdsworth appear on the same album. Husband summons his comrades for a diverse program, teeming with copious angles, and variable de

Indonesian guitarist Tohpati, revered for his work with the ensemble simakDIALOG, tenders a captivating mission, pronouncing a rapidly-paced slant on Indo jazz-rock. The premise for this album underscores a positive aspect that communicates an upbeat outlook and musically diverse course of action. Here, the musicians engineer a poetic manifesto based on our collective environments. Featuring memorably melodic grooves and radiant interplay with flutist Diki Suwarjiki, the music seamlessly coal

Since arriving in the US a couple of decades ago, the Netherlands born-and-bred VW (van Wageningen) Brothers, drummer Paul and bassist Marc, have become two of the Bay Area's most respected and prolific session musicians. Their work can be heard on recordings by bands and artists such as Tower of Power, Henry Kaiser, George Duke, Jan Akkerman, Paul Winter, Sheila E. and Stan Getz, to name a few. For "Muziek," their debut CD, the VW Brothers have wisely chosen to work with a cohesive and stable b

Danish guitarist Torben Waldorff's American Rock Beauty extends and embellishes the music he presented on his previous artistShare release Afterburn. Leading a well-established, highly simpatico and cohesive backing band that, with the exception of new keyboardist Jon Cowherd, is the same as the one featured on Afterburn, Waldorff seems to take some more risks and ventures into somewhat heavier musical environments than he did on his previous release. That said, an appealing, friendly and bucoli