Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 at Zellerbach

Having performed in Paquito D'Rivera's group since 2007, Alex Brown (The Pianist, as his album title declares) appropriately records his first album under the aegis of The Clarinetist/The Saxophonist. Indeed, Brown records on D'Rivera's label, Paquito Records, thereby receiving a no-doubt much appreciated boost from his mentor. Though top-notch jazz musicians from Jane Bunnett to Jon Faddis have worked with Brown, not to mention Brown's involvement with D'Rivera's Grammy-Award-winning album, he has escaped wide-spread public awareness. He shouldn't remain under-recognized much longer.

Jazz Club based in Goa, India: www.jazzgoa.com

Volume 3 of influential trumpeter Dave Douglas's "Portable Series" casts yet another perspective of the artist's resiliency and broad vernacular.  The premise behind the three volumes, featuring different ensembles is based on informal gatherings, hearkening back to the olden days where musicians would align for pick-up sessions.  Otherwise, Bad Mango is not simply a high-octane bashing session, but offers a polytonal soundscape, spanning a diverse mix that is a nicely balanced package containing equal parts jazz and world music.  Neither genre supersedes the other, although an indigenous setting is laid out via the percussionists' multifunctional approach to the program.

Ten Tunes is a loose and playful recording. The band hints at a multitude of styles; they touch on rock, country and funk, as well as Middle Eastern and Latin music, all within a jazz context. Despite the group's eclectic influences, Ten Songs works well as a cohesive whole. This can be attributed to two reasons. First, the group assembled here—leader Bill Barner on clarinet, Stan Smith on guitar, Roger Hines on bass and Danny Aguiar on drums—establish in the pocket grooves on each track, so that each song has an easy rhythmic appeal. Secondly, though the context of the songs may change, Bill Barner always writes around simple, singable melodies.

Beppe Di Benedetto is a trombone player, composer and arranger born in Italy. Beppe's passion for music began at the age of 12 when one day his father came home with a strange black suitcase in his hand. Inside was a shiny instrument. His constant curiosity in capturing the secret language of music has accorded Beppe many opportunities in sharing the stage with such famous musicians as Eumir Deotado, Solomon Burke, Bob Mintzer, Paul Anka, Burt Bacharach, Mario Biondi, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Hengel Gualdi, Jovanotti, Antonella Ruggero, Fabrizio Bosso, Lorenzo Tucci, Daniele Scannapieco, Giovanni Amato, Claudio Filippini, Andrea Tofanelli, Massimo Manzi, Ellade Bandini, Christian Meyer, Michael Rosen, Ernesstico, Mark Harris, Luca Mannutza, Tullio De Piscopo and many more.  

In a day and age when most musical artists become prisoners of stilted genre-defining labels, Argentinean Florencia Ruiz eschews categorization. On her first U.S. release Luz de La Noche (Light of the Night), a studio recording from Adventure Music, Ruiz blends rock, jazz, and MPB elements to forge a truly original sound. Be forewarned: If you were expecting tango nouveau, then you're on the wrong train.

Donovan Mixon has seen some of the world in the last two decades, and the influences show in Culmination. After teaching at the Berklee College of Music, the guitarist spent seven years in Italy, then ten in Turkey, bouncing between freelance work and teaching. Now he's back, with a group of mostly Turkish musicians, and the result is a mix of chamber jazz, world music, and bop that is intense, yet quiet and film-like in atmosphere.

  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.

"Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." Sometimes you just need to get away... Oscar Peñas lives the musical irony having left his native Spain and come to what is fast becoming the epicenter of global jazz in order to compose for From Now On. While indeed a musical melting pot of a variety of cultures and influences, it is an introspective reflection on his own cultural heritage that transforms From Now On into such an intoxicating work.

The newly released Rae Ann Perez CD "Midnight In Paris" has hit the scene. A fresh take, it showcases Rae Ann Perez abilities as a fluent songwriter, pianist and vocalist. The eight originals and four expertly arranged favorites are " world jazz" music with touches of classic standards, funk, and highly influenced Latin sounds and grooves.  

Often cited as Egypt's Ambassador of Rhythm, all-universe percussionist Hossam Ramzy assembles a true, world-fusion gala, featuring virtuoso percussionists integrating Eastern and Western modalities into an all-inclusive celebration. Framed by alternating personnel on a per-track basis, Ramzy is the central force behind these sessions. Augmented by instrumentalists employing keys, guitars, bass, and electronics amid vocalists and strings performers, venerable drummers Manu Katche (France) and Billy Cobham (USA) lend their wares on select works.

Though the late 90s Exotica / Space Age Bachelor Pad Music mini-trend of the late 90s and early 2000s is long over, vibraphonist Brian O'Neill continues to make original music in this vein under the Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica moniker. Listening to the band's sophomore effort, “Third River Rangoon,” I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't selling himself short. Many correctly associate exotica with mood music, a hip sort of sound to have on in the background while the primary order of business is sipping a Mai-Tai and eating sushi. From the first track on “Third River Rangoon,” it's clear that there's much more going on here than one would typically hear on any given Martin Denny or Les Baxter LP. Even the CD title, with its backhanded reference to Gunther Schuller's 'Third Stream Music,' suggests that O'Neill and company have loftier goals than merely updating mildly interesting background music from the 1950s.  

Time for something new. The new Rae Ann Perez CD "Midnight In Paris" has its official release date on October 7th and will be available on CD baby, Amazon, iTunes and more. A new term "World Jazz", is what best describes the 12 song release of Rae Ann's 8 originals compositions and 4 modernized jazz classics. The style is a multi genre mix that includes unique blends of latin, jazz standards, modern cool jazz, funk, and world music with exciting rhythms. Rae Ann leads the way with creative piano melody improvs accompanied by sweet and cool vocals.

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.

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.

Founded by Multi-instrumentalist composer Brandon Terzic, Xalam Project boasts and outstanding lineup of Musicians, featuring Matt Kilmer on Percussion (Simon Shaheen, Lauryn Hill, Haale), Matt Darriau on Horns and winds (Paradox Trio, Klezmatics), John Shannon on guitar (Hiromi), and Peter Slavov on bass ( Joe Lavano, Jason Moran). Terzic himself plays the Arabic Oud, Malian Ngoni and Turkish Saz. He has spent time in Senegal, Morocco, and Egypt studying and absorbing their respective traditions, pulling them together to create a rich tapestry of sound which takes the incredible rhythms, tonalities and improvisational systems of these traditions and inflecting them on the bedrock of Blues, Rock, and downtown NYC jazz that the band's members are rooted in.  

Kiawah Island, SC (August 25, 2011) – Since 2004, GRAMMY®-winning guitarist Earl Klugh has been bringing world-renowned artists together with jazz enthusiasts for his one-of-a-kind weekend getaways at 2 Five-Star, Five-Diamond properties; The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, and The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The 2nd annual Weekend of Jazz at Kiawah Island will be held November 10-12, 2011 and features 3 incredible nights of music from 10-Time GRAMMY®-Winner CHAKA KHAN in a Rare and Special Jazz Performance, Multi-Instrumentalist BRIAN CULBERTSON, Saxophonist, Vocalist and Composer MINDI ABAIR, Jazz/R&B Saxophonist ERIC DARIUS, Singer, Songwriter and Pianist SPENCER DAY, Lowcountry Favorites The EAST COAST PARTY BAND, PGA Tour Champion & Golf Commentator JOHN MAHAFFEY, Your Host and GRAMMY®-Winning Guitarist EARL KLUGH, and more!

Eugene Marlow is a remarkably busy fellow. A pianist, composer, educator, and author, among his many activities is leading the Heritage Ensemble, which performs jazz arrangements of Hebraic melodies. Most of the tracks here are new arrangements of tunes previously released on an earlier album, "Making the Music Our Own" (2006). New musicians and new ideas have led Marlow to undertake a fascinating project.  

NYC Bassist/composer Matt Geraghty has recently released his 4th CD "DEPARTURES" propeling his cross pollination of jazz and world music into new territory. Bringing together musicians from Poland, India, Armenia, Russia, Brazil, New York and Chicago Matt presents 12 new internationally inspired original compositions.  "DEPARTURES" was recorded in New York City and Avatar Studios.  

Any duet album featuring Brazilian string masters Yamandu Costa and Hamilton de Holanda is worth taking note, and for enthusiasts who have been following these two consummate instrumentalists, the 2008 São Paulo recording "Live!" on Adventure Music represents another gem to add to the Brazilian duet canon.

If one plays the sitar, pygmy sitar, electric sitar, tanpura, as well as the guitar-zither, piano and Fender Rhodes, a career as a jazz musician is usually not the first thing an audience would expect to hear. That is, however, precisely the direction Jonathan Mayer has embarked on. Mayer is the son of the late Indian composer and Indo-jazz fusion founder John Mayer, so the choice of which instrument he wanted to study is logical. That Jonathan would move towards jazz is not.  

A group of Berklee College of Music students and alumni, and Newton North and Needham, MA, High School students are using the summer break as an educational opportunity. The students will participate in a cultural exchange program in Kenya (June 25—July 15) through local organization Global Youth Groove (GYG), whose mission is to transform the lives of youth through music, where they will teach, perform, study Swahili, learn about traditional Kenyan music, instruments and dance, and be immersed in Kenyan culture. The program is spearheaded by Berklee staff member Sam Lutomia, co-founder of GYG and co-founder of Acacia in Kenya, a fundraising effort that provides support for girls education. The GYG group will spend two weeks in Kakamega, Western Kenya, teaching music and giving workshops at the Matende Secondary School, founded by Lutomia's father Francis. They plan to bring a full ensemble setup—including donated guitars, bass, violin, alto saxophone, clarinets, drums, and keyboards—on which the students will teach and perform. The students will also give presentations in their fields of expertise. Berklee film scoring major Dave Chapman's demonstration of music production software using desktop gear will give people without access to recording studios the tools to self-produce on computers. Making technology more accessible, the group will bring eight MacBook Pros, donated by the college's IT department, loaded with GarageBand and ProTools. At the end of the trip, the laptops and instruments will be given to a community center in Kakamega, allowing talented local youth to continue developing their skills. Lutomia explains, “Unfortunately, we can't leave the laptops at Matende School because of security. The school is still struggling to buy windows and doors for their classes, which is the case for most public schools in Kenya." They also plan to visit other schools and orphanages in the area and will perform at the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Music Festival in Kakamega, June 29-July 2. GYG includes students from Kenya returning home for the trip, and students from the US making their first trip to Africa. “I am really excited because students from Berklee and local high schools get to come to my country and have a little taste of my culture," says Nairobi native Wambura Mitaru, who studies at Berklee on a full Africa Scholarship. “It allows me to share a part of my life that is close to me—my home. I hope to learn from both worlds and see musicians interacting and having a great time speaking the universal language of music." The group will also spend time in Nairobi meeting with Berklee alumni and other musicians, giving workshops, and performing in concert. After returning, the students will give a public presentation in Boston where they will perform, speak about their experiences, and show a documentary produced from the trip.

How often do four talented African guitarists come together to play acoustic onstage? Putumayo Records, a unique company, not only brought together such a remarkable supergroup but put them on tour.  "Acoustic Africa's" three main guitarists were Afel Becoum and Habib Koité from Mali and Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe. They were backed by the estimable Mamadou Kelly, Becoum's highly-talented regular guitarist and other musicians.

M&H Productions is pleased to welcome Steve Oliver to our roster of amazing performers.With phenomenal capabilities of emulating and incorporating music styles from global genres with a mix of pop/rock/soul and contemporary, Steve has forged the edge on branding a fresh, new, crisp and chart topping sound as an unparalleled guitarist and signature vocalist. His radiating live performances have earned him countless standing ovations throughout the U.S. and world tour invites.

Born in Argentina (1978). Rodriguez arrived to Spain in 1986, where he spent most of his childhood. At an early age, he began to study modern and classical music. Between the years of 1993-1999, Rodrigo tutored at home enrolled with several teachers of classical guitar until he was 22 years old. Rodrigo's professional music career began in Spain. It was there that he discovered his first Asian instrument the Shakuhachi flute. Fascinated by Japanese music, he travelled to Japan several times to enhance his knowledge. He studied classical and traditional Japanese music under the lineages of Katsuya Yokoyama with the Master Kakizakai Kaoru in the International Shakuhachi Kenshu-kan School. His interest in traditional and ethnic musical instruments began before he reached his teenage years. As a young child, Rodrigo had a vision for imitating the music and sounds he heard in his mind. His many and diverse travels enabled him to acquire a rare collection of experiences from which to create his unique compositional language. Since 2004, Rodrigo has been the first musician in Japan to introduce innovative and developed instruments from European countries.For example, the Hang Drum, which significantly influenced his music and its composition, altering Japanese audiences' perception of 21st century sounds and their textures. In 2006, several compositions from his album "Inner Thoughts" were licensed, arousing the interest of a well known record label, Gemini Sun Record based in Los Angeles, CA. Rodrigo's compositions can be divided into three basic categories :New Age, World Music and Contemporary Music. In recent years, he has performed numerous concerts in both the West and the East, at legendary stages like Imperial Hotel Tokyo and NHK Culture Center of Japan. In the late 2009, Rodriguez started to study with the renowned master of Japan's leading players of shakuhachi Miyata Kohachiro,interested in Contemporary and Koten Shakuhachi. Rodrigo showed deep interest and dedication to Miyata's compositions and repertoire. He is also is working as full-time instructor for the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Balearic Island in Spain(Conselleria d'Educacio i Cultura) spreading the Shakuhachi tradition,culture, and philosophy. Thereafter, he resolved to study all types of traditional Japanese music, paying special attention to the differences between the two very different musical traditions.

Featuring a stellar cast of Brooklyn-based musicians, G.R.A.S.S.—the Gowanus Reggae and Ska Society—take on the challenge of reworking the classic sounds of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Their self produced release, G.R.A.S.S. on Fire brings an instrumental, jazz leaning perspective to Marley's 1973 major label debut Catch a Fire. Although void of lyrical content, the ensemble, led by electric bassist J.A. Granelli and keyboardist Nate Shaw, captures the essence of Marley's politically charged mes

Unsung is a music collaboration between vocalist Vanessa Fernandez and guitarist Steve Wright. Wright sound have influences of smooth jazz guitar players like George Benson. Vanessa’s voice sounds at time like singer Sade especially on songs like Thinkin it lately, an interesting composition with African percussive rhythms of Steve Wright on guitar and If Only with Bossa influences. In the first track I’ve been there too there is definitely an influence of the rock group The Police and his legen

Prana Trio is actually the duo of vocalist Sunny Kim and multi-percussionist Brian Adler. Their stunningly original CD, “The Singing Image of Fire,” is one of the best things I've heard in the music + poetry realm in many years. I was going to call this a 'spoken word' CD, but that would be really misleading as Kim truly sings the texts – mostly very ancient, and from a variety of sources including Rumi, Hafiz ( a 14th Century Iranian poet), Kabir (a 13th Century north Indian poet and saint), an

Queens College Professor Neil K. Friedman Ph.D. was the host to a neighborhood jazz outing for nephew Adam Kassell Hoffman of Londonderry, New Hampshire and college gal friend at Cleopatra’s Needle, 2485 Broadway between 92nd and 93rd Street, New York, NY on March 18, 2005 to introduce The Spirit of Life Ensemble’s world-beat to the youthful neophytes.

Unsung is a music collaboration between vocalist Vanessa Fernandez and guitarist Steve Wright. Wright sound have influences of smooth jazz guitar players like George Ben…

Prana Trio is actually the duo of vocalist Sunny Kim and multi-percussionist Brian Adler. Their stunningly original CD, "The Singing Image of Fire," is one of the …

Dorival Caymmi, one of the best brazilian songwriters, is to samba what Tom Jobim is to Bossa Nova. Some of the best sambas ever written are from Dorival Caymmi, and I c…

In the world of Jazz some artists dedicate their careers to keep the tradition recording new versions of jazz classics. Others, like Martin Loyato keep pushing the genre…

Airborne appears again in the spotlight with his recent, New Horizons, an original patchwork of classic pop forms and world music. Its language is constructed, …

Dorival Caymmi, one of the best brazilian songwriters, is to samba what Tom Jobim is to Bossa Nova. Some of the best sambas ever written are from Dorival Caymmi, and I can …

The new release from the notable contemporary jazz group Airborne is titled New Horizons and features smooth jazz guitar, keyboards, and reed instruments in conju…

Percussionist and composer Brian Adler has worked with artists like Gene Bertoncini, Ran Blake, Frank Carlberg, Anat Fort, Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynski, Erik Lawrence, Kate Mc…

Progressive-rock and jazz drumming legend Bill Bruford might be basking in retirement, yet continues to operate his Summerfold and Winterfold record labels amid reissues…

Those familiar with her work will find OYO, Angelique Kidjo’s new CD, to be familiar in style yet distinctive in content. While its title comes from the name of…

On her debut CD No Balanço do Mar, Portuguese-born Catarina dos Santos strives to combine the best sounds of the African diaspora, most notably Brazil and Cape …

Multi-instrumentalist Frank London and vocalist / keyboardist Loren Sklamberg are co-leaders of the Grammy-winning klezmer group The Klezmatics. Theirs is a musical partner…

New World Flamenco, the collaboration of Tierra Negra and Muriel Anderson is a bright, vivacious celebration of life through song. Tierra Negra is the German duo o…

French bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons brings together the musical worlds of the Mediterranean Rim, Latin America, flamenco and jazz on La Linea del Sur. The disc fe…

Tiempo Libre new CD, Bach in Havana, connects the rhythms and sensibilities of Afro-Cuban music with the compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach.On "Tu Conga", th…

This release features the original tangos of composer-pianist Roger Davidson. He performs them in duos with Raúl Jaurena, one of the world's finest bandoneon players. (T…

Those who believe, with F. Scott Fitzgerald, that "There are no second acts in American lives" should check out Mark Weinstein. Originally a trombonist who developed a role…

Setting aside politics for a spell, Cuba is a most interesting nation musically. Its location makes it idea for receiving influences from about half the world: North and…

Anouar Brahem is a player of the oud (a guitar-like stringed instrument w/ a large teardrop-shaped body) from Tunisia (that very nation that inspired the Dizzy Gillespie…