Mondo Jazz

In less than two decades Kneebody has established itself as reference band of forward-looking musicians. With a brand new EP out, "By Fire", their first release entirely dedicated to covers, a new outlet (the British musician-run reference label Edition Records), and new line-up following the departure of bassist Kaveh Rastegar, there's a been a lot going on for this influential group. So this wee...

A catching-up session with gorgeous new and upcoming releases, featuring tons of fascinating debut albums that reassure us about the future of jazz (special mention for Billy Mohler's "Focus", Sarah Tandy's "Infection in the Sentence", Terraza Big Band's "One Day Wonder" and the Heartland Trio's eponymous album) side by side with new works by established masters like Wayne Horvitz, Brad Mehldau an...

When creating a radio playlist one has to ensure how to sequence songs in a meaningful way. The dynamics of their interaction therefore becomes critical. There should be not too many fast pieces played back to back, nor not too many ballads one after the other. Fast and slow, soft and loud should take turn. Ideally the playlist should lead to a climax through one or more crescendos of songs. This...

Jazz, the quintessential open door genre,has a capacity to beautifully integrate all kinds of sources. From music from faraway places to compositions written and instruments used for completely different genres. When it comes to the human voice, jazz has shown an uncanny openness finding a musical role for all sorts of non verbal sounds. Here we explore the jazz side of moaning, sighing, whistling...

New releases keep coming at an exciting place and Mondo Jazz obliges, sharing tons of exicting new releases, in particular celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and its spiritual offspring as well as some great European projects. The playlist features Marilyn Mazur, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Echoes of Zoo, James Brandon Lewis, Michael Gregory, Sam Opsovat, Itamar Boroc...

It’s a great time to be a jazz lover, with so many fantastic new releases that it’s almost overwhelming. To quote Shakespeare, it’s an embarrassment of riches! This week we have handpicked some of the most exciting new music, from giants like Bill Frisell and Chris Potter to indie upstarts and international artists like Theon Cross and Hard Mango Swing. The playlist features Theon Cross, Jasper Bl...

This week we focus our attention British drummer, composer, arranger, producer, label manager and all around creative soul, Steve Argüelles, an artist that has kept himself busy listening to a wide sources of inspiration for almost four decades. So in these two hours we'll look into the eclectic output, which ranges from folk infused jazz to electronica, of one of the most compelling European impr...

Jazz musicians have made great contributions to soundtracks (from Ellington's music for Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" to Miles Davis soundtrack for Louis Malle's "Elevator to the Gallows") and themes from soundtracks have lent themselves to great renditions by jazz musicians. This week we explore the intersection between jazz and soundtracks of movies of all sorts, from police flicks to e...

Thelonious Monk once said "play what you want and let the public pick up on what you are doing even if it does take them 15, 20 years". Luckily, he lived long enough to become fully embraced and celebrated before his passing. However, it's after his death that his music has really become central to the jazz canon. To mark the thirty-seventh anniversary of his demise, on 17 February 1982, this week...

Last week we dived deep in some of best new releases of 2019. Two hours were not enough so this week we continue our quest for fascinating new jazz out there… and we'll branch out a bit going into releases that came out at the end of 2018 as well. Many of the albums we're going to listen to are debut albums and quite a few of them are from abroad, especially from the prolific Italian scene. Check...

As they say, "a good beginning makes a good ending" and, based on the extraordinary amount of sensational new releases that have come out in less than a month, it looks like we're in it for a great musical ride in 2019. Here are two hours of gems from albums that have just been, or about to be, released. A nice mix of well established and lesser known artists from all over the place. The playlist...

Where do rhythm and harmony intersect? Where do you feel the beat, not just with your ears but your whole body? Bass is the place where it all comes together. This week we celebrate some beloved jazz bass players, from riveting soloists to groundbreaking composers and consummate sidemen. The playlist features Ben Allison, Larry Grenadier, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, Ron Carter, Melvin Gibbs, T...

New York may have the highest density of daily jazz performances in the world, but they mostly feature the countless, and very busy, musicians that belong to the local scene. The Winter JazzFest has traditionally offered a very welcome opportunity to check out acts that rarely perform in the big apple. These are bands that come either from abroad or from Chicago. This week we focus on some of the...

The end of the year is the time when we usually look back and take stock. To celebrate the continuous growth and expansion of the music we love, rather than compiling yet another "best of 2018 playlist" we have decided to look back at the music that, for a reason or another, has surprised us the most this year. It features mostly young musicians, artists we were not familiar with, unexpected reiss...

We continue our look into Zappa's complex relationship with jazz, through a mix of the jazzier compositions performed by Zappa and countless tributes to his music paid by jazz musicians. As Zappa loved to say, quoting E.Varèse, "the present day composer refuses to die" and the music featured in this show provides plenty of evidence that he was right. The first part of this Frank Zappa retrospectiv...

Drummer Makaya McCraven’s new double album “Universal Beings” mixes the artistry and experimentation of jazz with the irresistible dance beats of hip-hop. It also brings together a dream team of collaborators from London, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, including Shabaka Hutchings, Jeff Parker, Nubya Garcia, and Brandee Younger. This episode of Mondo Jazz celebrates Makaya McCraven’s musical u...

Frank Zappa may have said "jazz is not dead, it just smells funny" but looking at his life and music one does not get the impression that he really believed that jazz was decomposing or dying a slow death. This week we revel in the beauty of the jazzier side of Zappa's vast repertoire checking out not only some of his recordings but also how the jazz world has embraced his genius. The playlist inc...

This week we focus our on the music of Wayne Horvitz with special attention for his latest two releases, "The Snowghost Sessions" and "Those Who Remain". It's hard to condense in two hours the long career and many facets of a composer and pianist of great versality, but we will do our best to present highlights from his various projects as a leader and side-man. The playlist contains: Wayne Horvit...

Do you sympathize with the plight of the turkeys? Do family reunions bring you anxiety? Then forget about Thanksgiving! Mondo Jazz is here to help you switch to Hanksgiving, with two hours of Jazz tributes to the great Hank Williams, the only singer who is more American than pumpkin pie! Enjoy a delicious playlist which is all stuffing and no tryptophan. Revel in discovering how jazz musicians can...

The new albums bonanza goes on! And we happily oblige, reveling in some gorgeous new releases, some of which will definitely end up on the "Best of 2018" lists of many critics. Surprises, confirmations, re-releases, unexpected collaborations and more make this week's playlist full of aural pleasures... The playlist includes: Ben Allison, Phillip Johnston, Reinier Baas, Ben van Gelder, Metropole Or...

This week we'll go through a heap of spectacular new releases, with a special emphasis on albums featuring piano and saxophone, and an ecstatic sampling of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago & Associated Ensembles, the definitive 21 CD set which is about to be released by ECM to mark the 50th anniversary of both the German label and of the legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago. The playlist includes: Jane Ir...

This week we continue our exploration of jazz interpretations of today's popular music, with renditions of the songs of artists ranging from Kraftwerk to Sly Stone, from Bjork to Frank Zappa, from J.J. Cale to Bob Marley and more. The playlist includes Jimmy Smith, Miho Hazama, Michel Benita, Eva Kruse, Eric Schaefer & Michael Wollny's [em], Dave Douglas, Tuck & Patti, Ran Blake & David Fabris, St...

The compositions that we refer to as "jazz standards" were the pop songs of their time, before gradually developing into mainstays of the jazz repertoire. This week we focus on jazz interpretations of today's popular music, with renditions of the songs of artists ranging from Marvin Gaye to Sonic Youth, from Prince to Led Zeppelin, from Ray Charles to Paul Simon, from Donald Fagen to Bob Dylan and...

For decades jazz standards have provided improvisers with both a vehicle and a testing ground for their creativity. In some cases they have taken more liberties than others. This week we focus on not-so-standard renditions of jazz standards, from "Take Five" to "My Favorite Things", from "Mood Indigo" to "'Round Midnight"! Two hours of jazz played with boundless creativity and a good dose of humor...

This week we'll go through a heap of outstanding new releases, ranging from tributes to seminal albums like Soul Station by Eli Degibri and the Far East Suite by Pierre Bertrand, to new releases by master pianists like Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau (in an unreleased duo with Charlie Haden!), Aaron Parks and Simone Graziano. Seasoned avant-veterans on ECM (Andrew Cyrille with Leo Smith and Bill Frise...