Arthur Brown, the ol’ God of Hellfire, is back with the oddly bewitching ‘Zim Zam Zim.’

Art Hirahara leads Linda Oh and John Davis through a quick, two-minute jaunt of piano bop bliss.

Top guitar session player Larry Carlton covers “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with heaping helpings of both skill and sentiment.

If Butcher Brown can make “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” so delectably fonky, they can groove up just about any old tune.

Here is a review of Wayne Krantz’s cool fusion jazz rendition of MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This.”

Bryan Murray’s nutty but endearing hip hop/jazz hybrid ‘Balto!’ is a homegrown concoction worth checking out.

With D’Angelo’s pertinent message, color-blurring harmonics and a total lack of slickness, ‘Black Messiah’ is a worthy successor to ‘Voodoo.’

Studio or live, ECM or ACT record label, it’s that same, damned good Manu Katché music.

Tired of the same ol’ Christmas songs played the same way? Blues guitarist extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa’s got a Yuletide treat for you.

S. Victor Aaron picks the best of 2014’s fusion jazz, including Nels Cline Singers, Jaco Pastorius, Elizabeth Shepherd and others.