Mondo Jazz

After a few weeks during which we’ve delved into the legacies of Cassandra Wilson, Stevie Wonder and Dave Holland, a huge pile of new releases has built up on our virtual desks and hard drives. And so we’re back to our usual format: plentiful of new releases, where the borders between jazz, global music, electronics and improvisation from all over the world become pleasantly blurry—and the only re...

As Dave Holland turns 80, we celebrate a career that has kept jazz in constant motion for six decades. The playlist also features Pepe Habichuela; Zakir Hussain, Chris Potter; Anouar Brahem; Charles Lloyd; Kenny Wheeler; Bill Frisell; Pat Metheny. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/23065442/Mondo-Jazz [from "Hands" onward] Happy listening!

Another selection celebrating Dave Holland’s extraordinary musical legacy, from intimate explorations to expansive ensemble work and everything in between. The playlist also features John Abercrombie, Jack DeJohnette; Kevin Eubanks; Steve Coleman; Geri Allen; Joe Henderson. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/23065442/Mondo-Jazz [from "Back-Woods Song" to "Evolution"] Happy listening...

Celebrating Dave Holland’s 80th birthday with music drawn from six decades of creative music making, and the many sides of his voice as bassist, composer, and bandleader. The playlist also features Hank Jones; Sam Rivers; Barry Altschul. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/23065442/Mondo-Jazz [up to "Step To It"] Happy listening!

The third and final part of our celebration of 50 years of Stevie Wonder’s "Songs in the Key of Life"—with more jazz renditions of this timeless masterpiece. The playlist features Gato Barbieri; Brandee Younger; Becca Stevens, Jacob Collier; Cedar Walton; Najee; Bill Ware; and Adam Levy. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/23029358/Mondo-Jazz [up to "Knocks Me Off My Feet"]. Happy li...

Stevie Wonder’s cult classic may not be a jazz album, but its jazz connections run deep—from Herbie Hancock, Dorothy Ashby, George Benson, Glenn Ferris, and Bobby Humphrey involved in its recording to Alice Coltrane, Chick Corea, Quincy Jones, David Sanborn, and Lenny White among the influences acknowledged in the liner notes. No wonder its songs have inspired hundreds of jazz renditions—and here'...

Fifty years after Stevie Wonder released "Songs in the Key of Life", we celebrate the anniversary song by song, in the exact sequence of the original double LP and the related "Something’s Extra" EP—with one twist: every track is a jazz rendition. The playlist features Jalen Baker; Doug Wamble; Najee; Zoe Rahman; Avishai Cohen, Yonathan Avishai; Stochelo Rosenberg; and Warren Wolf. Detailed playli...

A musical remembrance of Cassandra Wilson and a voice that made even experimental music sound sensual and tangible, and turned old tunes into something modern, when not futuristic. The playlist also features Harriet Tubman; Steve Coleman; Regina Carter; Dave Holland; and Olu Dara. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22994093/Mondo-Jazz [from "Bow Legged Man" onwards].

On one record, Cassandra Wilson could sound like the deepest Mississippi blues singer; on another, she could be immersed in the most advanced rhythmic ideas of M-Base; and then she could walk into an R&B session with Luther Vandross or The Roots and sound completely at home. This playlist only scratches the surface of that extraordinary artistic versatility. The playlist also features DJ Smash, Bo...

A retrospective built around the adventurous spirit that ran through Cassandra Wilson’s music, from her formative years in the M-Base orbit to her later work at the crossroads of jazz, blues, soul, R&B and beyond. The playlist also features Courtney Pine; Terri Lyne Carrington; Steve Coleman; and Wynton Marsalis. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22994093/Mondo-Jazz [up to "Lady's...

Something traditional, something experimental, something live, something in the studio—and plenty of fun in between, for a selection designed to please many palates. The playlist features Espen Berg Trio [pictured]; Zoe Rahman; Misha Mullov-Abbado, James Davison; Erica von Kleist; and Joe Henderson. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22925000/Mondo-Jazz [from "Equilibrium suite, pt....

Tributes to Miles Davis, essential reissues, and compelling new releases come together in a set full of sonic adventures, surprises, and soul-searching. The playlist features Nicholas Payton, Butcher Brown; Nduduzo Makhathini, Keenan Ahrends; Ayumi Tanaka [pictured]; Billy Childs; Mick Goodrick. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22925000/Mondo-Jazz [from "So What" to "Summer Band C...

Enjoy another installment in that living, shape-shifting conversation stretching from Brooklyn basements to festivals around the globe—which we like to call jazz. The playlist features Sullivan Fortner; Ben Wolfe; Daniel Garcia; Siril Malmedal Hauge, Kjetil Mulelid [picutred]; Álvaro Torres; Nate Wooley, Columbia Icefield. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22925000/Mondo-Jazz [up t...

A selection of recent gems where seasoned improvisers and adventurous new voices meet at the crossroads of groove, abstraction and lyrical invention. The playlist features Marc Benham; Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart; Argot Lunaire; Florian Arbenz, Bill Frisell, Greg Osby; Loren Stillman; Antonio Farao, Stephan Belmondo. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22891072/Mond...

A collection of newly released gems in which jazz goes rock and baroque, modern and traditional, political and existential. The playlist features Cindy Blackman Santana; Jacques Schwarz-Bart; Tuva Halse; Bernd Lhotzky; Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana [pictured]; Brad Goode Quintet, Ernie Watts. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22891072/Mondo-Jazz [from "Blue Whale" to "I Miss Mi...

Lineage and traditions as springboards for new ideas, in this playlist of recent releases. The playlist features Neves E Silva; Skinny Hightower [pictured]; Rob Dixon; Jon Madof; Ralph Alessi; Buster Williams. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22891072/Mondo-Jazz [up to "The Hump"]. Happy listening! Photo: Gavin Peters

If jazz still has unexplored corners, here’s where you’ll find a few of them. The playlist features The Plastic Waste Band; Henriette Eilertsen [pictured]; Yvonne Rogers; Kristijan Krajncan; Mo Van Der Does; Giovanni Mirabassi; and Sharada Shashidhar. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22857766/Mondo-Jazz (from "Nose Prose" onwards). Happy listening! Photo: Jenny Berger Myhre.

From Indian classical music and Mediterranean roots to European improvisation, deep grooves, live vibes, electronic experimentation, and beyond. Enjoy another playlist featuring projects where tradition gets lovingly bent out of shape. The playlist features Club d'Elf; Ragini Trio; Phoenix Trio [pictured]; Tito Mangialajo Rantzer; Benoit Delbecq, Francesco Diodati, Francesco Bigoni, Steve Argüelle...

Enjoy another playlist featuring projects where tradition gets lovingly bent, twisted, and reshaped. The playlist features The Olympians; La La Lars; Ernst Reijseger; Ingeborg Gravem Sollid [pictured]; Kris Tiner, Cathlene Pineda; Petite Lucette; Nils Petter Molvær, Marilyn Mazur. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22857766/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Copenhagen"). Happy listening! Photo: Th...

Countless ways to celebrate the electric era of Miles Davis. The playlist features Paolo Fresu; Flat Earth Society; Miles Davis; Tony Williams; The Big Tusk; Edward Perraud, Pascal Schumacher, Sebastian Studnitzky. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22691398/Mondo-Jazz [from "Orange" onward]. Happy listening!

Two ways to pay tribute to Eddie Harris, and other discoveries from the new releases vault. The playlist features Seamus Blake; Slow Poke; Dorota Piotrowska [pictured]; Christian Dillingham; Elsa Nilsson; The Pentland / Bergonzi Quartet. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22691398/Mondo-Jazz [from "Mean Greens" to "Wanderlust"]. Happy listening!

From spiritual and Ethio-jazz to a fireside jazz conversation among friends, here's a cosmopolitan tasting menu of recent releases featuring bands keen to build bridges and break down walls. The playlist features Al Doum & The Faryds; Fairfield Ethio-Jazz Project; Atlantis Jazz Ensemble; The Vampires [pictured]; People in Orbit; and Steve Swallow. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/...

Enjoy a journey through the lush sonic world of recent large-ensemble recordings. The playlist features Fred Pallem [pictured], Le Sacre du Tympan; Reis Demuth Wiltgen, Luxembourg Philarmonic, Vince Mendoza, Joshua Redman; John Taylor, Stan Sulzmann, NDR Big Band; Bignami Veltri Jazz Ensemble; Julia Keefe. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22658120/Mondo-Jazz [from "Avron Evrard" o...

From soul to contemporary classical, with plenty in between, this playlist explores a wide range of brand-new releases. The playlist features Alicia Waller [pictured]; Tal Mashiach; Haroldo Bontempo; Jamie Peet, Joel Ross; Little North; Soojin Suh; Ahn Trio. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22658120/Mondo-Jazz [from "The Climb / Job Blues" to "Almost Never Was"]. Happy listening!

Here's a playlist curated with one ear in New York and the other wandering somewhere between Amsterdam, Seoul, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Milan, London and Stockholm. The playlist features Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet; Giovanni Falzone; Alden Hellmuth; Miles Okazaki; Anggie Obin [pictured]; James Brandon Lewis; Elina Duni, Rob Luft. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22658120/M...