A tireless promoter of Cuban music, Havana-born Roberto Fonseca continues to increase awareness of his home country’s bountiful musical tradition.

The story of the Master Musicians of Jajouka is one of the most intriguing stories in music, and also quite possibly the longest-running one. You May Also Like: Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound – ‘Omnisphere’ (2018)

“Fusion jazz” is one of my favorite genres because it can encompass the intelligent, episodic prog rock of Guapo, forward-thinking world fusion of Maira Marquez or plain fun instrumental music of Rock Candy Funk Party. You May Also Like: Scary Goldings, feat. John Scofield – ‘IV’ (2021)

“I don’t want to bore people to death,” declares Koby Israelite. “My music has always got some edge, and it needs to have a groove.” You May Also Like: Thinking Plague – Hoping Against Hope (2017)

“Every beat on the album was original,” said Herbie Hancock about his game-changing funk-jazz album Head Hunters. It’s the one aspect about that record that has stood out to me over everything else, and made Harvey Mason a drum hero in my book You May Also Like: Michael Coleman +Read More

Jazz vocalists don’t typically give me the same charge I get from jazz instrumentalists, but there are always a few exceptions to the rule. You May Also Like: Rich Halley and Carson Halley – The Wild (2017)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MNXe-AZ4dY&w=420&h=315] If you don’t know anything else about the Montreal-born flautist Sylvain LeRoux and his music, just two things are instructive: he has a passion for Thelonious Monk and a passion for West African music. You May Also Like: Kali Z. Fasteau, featuring Kidd Jordan – Intuit (2016) TylerRead More

When Chicago-based trumpeter/cornetist Rob Mazurek decided to dig deeper and absorb the rich and festive melodies of Brazilian music, he didn’t do so by merely listening to a bunch of Jobim records You May Also Like: Rob Mazurek Quintet’s hypnotic, diverse Sound Is rewarded close listens Rob Mazurek’s Black CubeRead More

Since around the 13th century, the Kouyaté family has upheld a proud tradition as oral historians and folk virtuosic musicians, or griots, serving ancient kings who once ruled over West Africa. You May Also Like: Matt Mitchell – ‘Phalanx Ambassadors’ (2019) Eric Bibb – ‘Global Griot’ (2018) Giorgi Mikadze –Read More

The most obvious branding of the acoustic trio Surface To Air’s music is “world fusion” but it’s not really a “-jazz” kind of fusion, but rather a mélange of the East Indian/new age/folk variety. Think of a more elemental variation of the seminal band of this arena in music, Oregon.Read More