Mondo Jazz

Medium-sized and large ensemble shine in all their nuances through the music included on today's playlist. At the end of the set Brazil, France and Norway add their own touch. The playlist features Anthony Branker; Andy Emler; Vince Mendoza, Metropole Orkest; SFJAZZ Collective; Franco D'Andrea; Chico Pinheiro [pictured], Romero Lubambo; Anat Cohen; Paris/Oslo. Detailed playlist at https://spinitro...

Countless forms of fusion in this week's show, from fusions of jazz and pop, to fusions of musical traditions. There are enough genetic modifications in just one hour that to prove that jazz's resilience passes any Darwinian evolutionary standards! The playlist features Roc Flowers, ; Marc Jordan; Leo Sidran, Sol Sidran, Michael Leonhart; Mike Dillon [pictured]; 58 Belvedere; Ludovica Burtone; Mih...

Six decades separate Latvian guitarist Ella Zirina, who's 25, from Charles Lloyd who just turned 85. But the beauty of music is that obliterates any conventional notion of time and space, so here's a playlist that hops from country to country and from generation to generation in search of a beauty continuum. The playlist features Emile Parisien, Vincent Peirani, Vincent Segal, Baba Sissoko; Ella Z...

At a time in which the frantic pace of this world is making record executives explore the idea of one--minute songs to satisfy the swipe-crazed Instagram generation, this playlist if full of music that may feel like a welcome act of counter-culture. Extended form songs, elegant songs, strange songs... Enjoy the ride! The playlist features Brad Mehldau; Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen; Sara Caswell; The...

Rarely has a jazz musician created a body of work in which depth, sophistication and melodies coexist as beautifully as Wayne Shorter did. In this episode we selected interpretations of his compositions by musicians we admire and who chose to follow his soothsaying footprints.  In loving tribute to Mr. Gone. The playlist features Wayne Shorter, Milton Nascimento; Camille Bertault; Yuri Honing, Vin...

Organ grooves, a take on the Jackson Five opened by the merciless beat of an Ornette Coleman alumnus, a few compelling debut albums, the ongoing collaboration between Aruán Ortiz and James Brandon Lewis, the return of Joshua Abrams meditations for large ensemble and more, make this week's playlist worth your attention... The playlist features Ari Joshua, Skerik, Delvon Lamarr, Grant Schroff; Micha...

As a young adult Burt Bacharach used fake IDs to get into 52nd Street jazz clubs to have his mind blown away by heroes of the bebop revolution like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Those early impressions could not but leave a mark in his sophisticated pop songs, seeds that would later make those very same songs blossom in the hands of jazz players, going full circle. As a composer and songwrit...

A celebration of the genius of Bart Bacharach, Mondo-Jazz style, focusing on off-the-beaten path takes on his idiosyncratic repertoire, since Bacharach's music is accessible and appealing for mass appeal and yet complex and sophisticated to intrigue even the most forward looking musicians.  Romantic songs, political songs, themes for soundtracks, but all--without fail--earworms that stay with you...

Americana-tinged guitarists, cinematic moods, a cast of London-all-stars chasing the electric-Miles-voodoo down, inflections of Jimi Hendrix, and music that may help you with meditation, introspection, or even state alteration... This and more in this week's set! The playlist features Thomas Naïm; Stephen Ulrich; Rob Mazurek, Exploding Star Orchestra, Jeff Parker; London Brew; Alessia Obino; Phil...

This week we put together a set which is centered around jazz influenced by Gnawa music, and musicians and bands which know how to develop and envelope, or develop a melody and mood which envelopes the listener. The playlist features Bill Laurance, Michael League; Club d'Elf; Naïssam Jalal [pictured]; Nguyên Lê; George; Lise Van Dooren; Christoph Irniger; and Emiliano Sampaio. Detailed playlist at...

Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter are back, and they're SuperBoogieng! So are Jim Black and Kit Downes who are on a couple of new albums each. The playlist also features interesting new European projects, and albums that blend jazz with hip hop and music for the dance floor. The playlist features Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, Nate Smith; Federico Nuti; Julie Campiche [pictured]; Cedric Hanriot, Days;...

There are different ways to unpack this playlist. One of them is looking at it as a travelogue that will take us to that music incubator that Chicago continues to be; to a scene deserving wider recognition like that of Washington D.C.; to Brazil, France and Italy. And it all starts from Free Form Funk Freqs' 3rd Galaxy. The playlist also features Greg Ward's Rogue Parade; Art Ensemble of Chicago;...

The painstaking job of unearthing subtle nuances which were lost in earlier mixes of five of his albums is at the heart of the remastering labor of love that Ben Allison [pictured] has embarked on during the pandemic. During the first part of our show we focus on listening with new ears to some of our old favorites from those album. Then we turn to other musicians that strive to discover new angle...

A playlist built around the work of impressive emerging saxophonists (Lakecia Benjamin, Xhosa Cole, Jason Marshall, and Alex Hitchcock), and guitarists (Ant Law and David Doruzka). Together with a tribute to Kurt Vonnegut, the reissue of an Acid Jazz classic, and much more, this is an hour of music that should keep you happy and speculative. The playlist also features Mother Earth; Georgia Anne Mu...

Sun Ra may have joined the outer spaceways almost 30 years ago but he continues to inspire our earthly affairs through the musicians that have worked with him. We explore recent releases of the Arkestra and of bassist Tyler Mitchell, both of which revolve around the contribution of Marshall Allen. The other cluster of tracks is centered around the interlinkages among three musicians that have coll...

An intriguing set of music featuring Americana in its Unitedstatesean and British declinations, three variations on the concept of jazz for large ensembles, John Zorn's take on existentialism, psychoanalysis, and the uncertainty principle, Chad Taylor's interpretation of Andrew Hill's music, and Nelide Bandello's nod to the world of Tim Berne. The playlist also features JD Allen; Hedvig Mollstead,...

Precious archival recordings featuring unheard music by Charles Stepney, Donald Byrd and Miles Davis open this edition of Mondo Jazz featuring new and upcoming albums. The playlist is completed by the epic live album by Jeff Parker "Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy", and the intriguing work of young European players.  The playlist also features Mané Fernandes and the Duo Hofmaninger/Schwarz....

The first edition of Mondo Jazz of the new year! Judging by how the year started, it should not be difficult… we open with Jason Moran's latest fascinating project, released just hours after the new year started, dedicated to James Reese Europe. After that many recent compelling releases, from Thandi Ntuli [pictured] to Frank Zappa (newly published archival material from the legendary "Waka Jawaka...

One of the things that characterizes the New York jazz ecosystem at this time of the year is the celebrated Winter JazzFest. This year it’s back with in-person performances, and as it was our pre-pandemic tradition, we’d like to preview music by artists who are coming to New York from Europe or other parts of the country to perform at the Festival. The playlist features Daniel Villarreal; Vincent...

As this is our last show in 2022, our playlist focus on the songs we’ve loved the most in the last six months of what was an incredibly prolific year for jazz. Here's to a new year that hopefully will bring us much great music as 2022 did! The playlist features Fred Pallem & Le Sacre du Tympan; Kansas Smitty’s; Oan Kim; Bill Frisell; Iggy Pop [pictured]; Avram Fefer; Maher Beauroy, Sélène Saint-Ai...

Twelve months have gone by so fast, and so much has happened... At the beginning of the year we were still under various degrees of lockdown or social distancing, now we have a war, weather patterns and a financial situation that are crazier than ever, etc. One positive thread through these months, however, has been the relentless pace at which creative musicians have brought us album after album...

Welcome to the second half of the jazz re-match between Argentina and France that we are hosting this week, inspired by the recent World Cup finals. It is a fantasy game in which the rules are a bit different with the two teams playing jazz, not football, together, rather than against each other. The playlist features Orchestre National de Jazz; Lucia Boffo; Serge Gainsbourg; Javier Girotto, Natal...

Welcome to the second half of the jazz re-match between Argentina and France that we are hosting this week, inspired by the recent World Cup finals. It is a fantasy game in which the rules are a bit different with the two teams playing jazz, not football, together, rather than against each other. In jazz, unlike in sports, there are no winners or losers, and the best things come out when there’s c...

The funk of The Bamboos' ambitious symphonic project and The Headhunters' half-a-century pre-celebration together with Sana Nagano's pandemic soundscape bookend an episode showcasing the wide-ranging work by, and collaboration among, Dave Liebman, Adam Rudolph and Tyshawn Sorey. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16768889/Mondo-Jazz (from "Red Triangle" onwards). Happy listening!

Tributes to Leonard Cohen and Martin Danny, young saxophonone mavericks, unerthed gems and elegant arrangers in this week's edition of Mondo Jazz. The playlist features the Leonhart Brass Band; Marco Cappelli; Immanuel Wilkins; Oded Tzur; Rebecca Nash [pictured]; Designers; Leila Olivesi; and Elvin Jones. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16768889/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Oleo"). Photo c...