Not everyone is cut out to take on such an ambitious project but one look at Michael Leonhart’s background makes it undeniably clear that he could.

Haskins’ capacity for blending cutting-edge, high-tech means of music making with the handmade, organically conceived method of playing jazz borders on the genius level, and that’s just what he is going for with ‘Gnosis.’

Omer Avital’s ‘New Song’ is a finely crafted synthesis of Middle Eastern, Afro-Cuban and American soul-jazz that’s world music without being self-consciously so.

<<< Part Three, Whack Jazz In the final piece of these exhaustive, four-part salutes to the top releases of 2012, the fusion jazz records are surveyed. You May Also Like: S. Victor Aaron’s Best of 2015 (Part 4 of 4, Fusion Jazz): John McLaughlin, Chris Potter, Donny McCaslin, Jeff LorberRead More