Mondo Jazz

This week we feature plenty of jazz for social justice, exciting piano players and young ensembles, unearthed live gems that are coming out during these COVID times both to remind us of the power of live music and to remedy the lack of new live recordings, and the album that confirms Gretchen Parlato's role in the pantheon of today's best jazz vocalists. The playlist features Gretchen Parlato; Mic...

The return of Garage a Trois to its original line-up (Charlie Hunter, Skerik, Stanton Moore) kicks off a show featuring plenty of new and upcoming releases delivering good energy, adventure, sophistication and dreams of wide open spaces. A special mention for the upcoming album by Argentinean singer Roxana Amed which confirms her as unique voice on today's jazz scene. The playlist features Garage...

We continue our journey in the Chick Corea Songbook. For decades he has been one of the contemporary ambassadors of American jazz, inspiring fans and other musicians all over the world. In this part of the programme we'll feature renditions of his work by musicians from abroad and from the USA, and from across musical genres through some hip-hop bands that mined the Chick Corea catalogue. The play...

To celebrate the legacy of the late Chick Corea, today we'll focus on what he leaves behind, in addition to countless recordings as a leader or sideman, a body of compositions that have already expanded the jazz canon and will continue to do so in the coming years. In this first part of the programme we'll focus in particular on his "Spanish heart" and his "Children's Songs" cycle. The playlist fe...

Two tenor titans, Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano are at the heart of this week's show, with a multitude of projects as leaders or co-leaders. Two emerging pianists, Kari Ikonen and Francesco Orio share interesting perspectives on the use of their instrument. For the rest we'll go from the shreddin' energy of Marbin to Madre Vaca's jazz take on a classical music composition by Franz Schubert. The play...

The irresistible grooves of Delvon Lamarr and The Meters open another celebration of great new releases and reissues, through which we look into the relationship between jazz and hip-hop, art songs, and some good old fusion. The playlist also features Binker and Moses; Butcher Brown; Chicago Yestet; Giovanni Cigui; Marcos Resende; Matt Mayhall; Nels Cline; Cristina Zavalloni; and Tori Handsley. De...

This week we focus our attention on two fundamental box-sets and a slew of live recordings the synchronicity of whose releases or reissues draws the spotlight on musicians that were at the center of the legendary Loft Scene (from Julius Hemphill to Sam Rivers, Michael Gregory Jackson and JuJU), as well as on some of those musicians that have been keeping the loft scene's spirit alive (William Park...

Never one to rest on his laurels, Franco-Moroccan comedian Gad Elmaleh dives into a new adventure with his remarkable and alluring Blue Note debut album which opens an equally adventurous set of new and upcoming albums from all around the world. The playlist features also Johan Lindström; Gabriel Alegria; Manteca; Yoko Miwa; Tino Tracanna; Elephant9; Ill Considered; Ok Nok... Kongo; Cyrus Nabipoor...

Navasha Daya's tribute to Gil Scott Heron, several projecfts that explored the trail that Coltrane blazed, artists for whom rhythm is melody and melody is rhythm, musicians that plunge themselves in the inner space and in the outer space, debut CDs, reissues, label showcase albums... There's something for everyone in this hour of new and umpcoming jazz. The playlist features Navasha Dava; The Auan...

The future of the music we love is in good hands as you'll hear through the projects of the emerging artists featured in this show, ranging in style from the a stunning modern take on Mary Lou Williams' "Zodiac Suite" for Chris Pattishall's debut album to the eclectic first release by Slovenian singer Mirna Bogdanović. Bass veteran Pino Palladino has a different 'first': his first album for Impuls...

This week's perusal through recent and upcoming jazz releases brings us British jazz from today (Alfa Mist) and yesterday (Don Rendell and Ian Carr), a stunning debut from Italy (Francesca Remigi), cutting edge music from the East Coast (Dave Douglas, Ben Wendel and Taka Nawashiro) and the West Coast (Dan Rosenboom), and two live unreleased gems by Hal Galper with the The Brecker Brothers and the...

Our stash of exciting recent and upcoming releases was replete with great new music from France that we had to devote to it a whole section of this week's show. Here large and small ensembles of unbounded creativity and multiple influences. The playlist features Mina Agossi; The Volunteered Slaves; Valentin Ceccaldi, Théo Ceccaldi & le Grand Orchestre du Tricot; Roberto Negro; Surnatural Orchestra...

We continue our exploration of the musical world of Frank Kimbrough, through his works as leader, co-leader, sideman in groups of long-time collaborators and in live never-heard-before recordings. The playlist features Frank Kimbrough, Lucas Pino; Rich Perry; Ben Allison; Ted Nash; The Herbie Nichols Project; Ron Horton; Jazz Composers Collective Trio; Jon Gordon. Detailed playlist at https://spin...

Frank Kimbrough had carved a unique place on the jazz scene, admired and respected by his peers for his capacity of inhabiting the moment and this way really embodying the essence of a music like jazz. This week we will go through some of the highlights of his discography as a leader, sideman, composer, producer and mentor of a new generation of musicians; including through never heard before reco...

You feel like you need a shot of energy because you've been at home too long, or you dream about traveling around the world but you're stuck in lock-down mode. Or maybe you feel curious about the ways in which jazz can advocate environmental or social causes. Or you're simply curious about new and exciting jazz releases. Then just click on the player, because you've just hit the mother lode of alb...

This week we go from Wynton Marsalis's ruminations on the status of our society to Teodross Avery's and the Analog Players Society's reflections on Monk. In between. a world tour with stops in South Africa, Guatemala, Norway and Canada, and on two sides of the country, LA and NYC, for another great tasting menu of the best that today's jazz scene has to offer. The playlist features the Jazz at Lin...

Gregory Porter kicks off the party with his uplifting "Revival Song", electro-acoustic projects keep the momentum going during the first half and jazz-meets-contemporary music albums take over the second half, including the latest by Pat Metheny with a new label, and the celebrated Kronos Quartet in two quite different contexts. The playlist features Gregory Porter; Francesco Bearzatti; Soul Churc...

The year ended as it started, and as if COVID-19 never were, with a heart-warming slew of great new releases. Here's the last installment for 2020 acting as a great omen for an equally rewarding 2021 jazz year. The playlist features Dr. John; Claire Daly; Jason Moran; Dave Douglas; Maria Pia de Vito [pictured]; Daniel Casimir, Tess Hirst; Ramon Moro; Joel Ross; Billy Childs; Becca Stevens, Elan Me...

We continue our celebration of the Jazz Standard's legacy, following the announcement of its untimely closure. The capacity to appeal to both the beginner and the long-time jazz fan, and to combine the familiar with the unfamiliar, were some of the many strengths of Seth Abramson's artistic direction. Through a number of concerts recorded live at the NoMad venue, we want to remember a jazz club th...

A jazz club is not just a commercial enterprise, or an entertainment spot, it's a cultural hub. When a venue like the Jazz Standard closes the loss should not be seen only in terms of a measurable disappearance of revenues but especially in terms of an unmeasurable loss of artistic opportunities. This week we focus on the artistic opportunities that the Jazz Standard made possible over the years,...

Duos galore, grrrl power, trans-European and trans-Atlantic collaborations and plenty of pianos in this wave of new and upcoming releases. The playlist includes KerenDun; Lara Driscoll; Chris White; Artemis; Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Jarrett Cherner; Archie Shepp, Jason Moran; Martin Wind, Ack Van Rooyen, Philip Catherine; WHO Trio; Sylvie Courvoisier; Angelica Sanchez, Marilyn Crispell. Detailed p...

Ibrahim Maalouf celebrates his fortieth birthday with 40 melodies, then we dive into a rather guitar-centric collection of new and upcoming releases, which then takes a left turn with the latest from Common feat. Lenny Kravitz & Chuck D, Madlib & Karriem Riggins a.k.a. Jahari Massamba Unit and Vulfpeck. The playlist also features Maurizio Giammarco, Matteo Bortone, Manlio Maresca, Reinier Baas, Li...

This year our seasonal Hanksgiving episodes celebrates a musician that is a cult figure in the world of saxophonists and fans of the Blue Note catalogue, saxophonist and composer Hank Mobley. The show features a mix of Hank Mobley's tunes and renditions of his work by peers that were attracted by his brand of jazz firmly grounded in the blues and R&B roots that he had mastered in the years that pr...

For our seasonal Hanksgiving show, this year we pay tribute to Hank Mobley, both as a saxophonist and a composer, by playing music from his albums, which are a cornerstone of the Blue Note sound and catalogue, and renditions of his music by musicians that came after him. There's so much to love in Mobley's repertoire. Happy listening and happy Hanksgiving, so it may very well become your new favor...

We continue our exploration of bands and projects lead by female bass players which have become exponentially more prominent in the past two decades. Here is the fascinating music by musicians that debunk commonly held stereotypes related to the physicality of music, and develop a personal way to syntesize their countless sources of inspiration. The playlist features Marlene Rosenberg, Esperanza S...