Mondo Jazz

An intriguing set of music featuring Americana in its Unitedstatesean and British declinations, three variations on the concept of jazz for large ensembles, John Zorn's take on existentialism, psychoanalysis, and the uncertainty principle, Chad Taylor's interpretation of Andrew Hill's music, and Nelide Bandello's nod to the world of Tim Berne. The playlist also features JD Allen; Hedvig Mollstead, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra; Letieres Leite & Orkestra Rumpilezz; Tower Composers Jazz Orchestra; and Binker Golding The detailed playlist is at https://spinitron.com/m/playlist/view/16870261 (from "The Battle of Blair Mountain" onward). Happy listening!

Precious archival recordings featuring unheard music by Charles Stepney, Donald Byrd and Miles Davis open this edition of Mondo Jazz featuring new and upcoming albums. The playlist is completed by the epic live album by Jeff Parker "Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy", and the intriguing work of young European players. The playlist also features Mané Fernandes and the Duo Hofmaninger/Schwarz. The detailed playlist is at https://spinitron.com/m/playlist/view/16870261 (up to "2019-07-08 II"). Happy listening! Photo credit: Michele Yves Puty

The first edition of Mondo Jazz of the new year! Judging by how the year started, it should not be difficult… we open with Jason Moran's latest fascinating project, released just hours after the new year started, dedicated to James Reese Europe. After that many recent compelling releases, from Thandi Ntuli [pictured] to Frank Zappa (newly published archival material from the legendary "Waka Jawaka" and "Grand Wazoo" sessions). The playlist also features Sarathy Korwar; Soweto Kinch with the London Symphony Orchestra; London Odense Ensemble; Artchipel Orchestra; Ezra Collective; Leland Whitty; and Revelators Sound System Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16847678/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Grieving"). Happy listening and happy new year! Photo credit: Ndumiso Sibanda

One of the things that characterizes the New York jazz ecosystem at this time of the year is the celebrated Winter JazzFest. This year it’s back with in-person performances, and as it was our pre-pandemic tradition, we’d like to preview music by artists who are coming to New York from Europe or other parts of the country to perform at the Festival. The playlist features Daniel Villarreal; Vincent Peirani; Emile Parisien; Roxana Amed; Abraham Réunion; Yamandu Costa; Yessaï Karapetian; Jeanne Michard; Ishkero; and Carlos Niño, Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercerau. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16847678/Mondo-Jazz (from "Messenger" onward). Happy listening and happy Winter JazzFest! Photo credit: Jacek Brun

As this is our last show in 2022, our playlist focus on the songs we’ve loved the most in the last six months of what was an incredibly prolific year for jazz. Here's to a new year that hopefully will bring us much great music as 2022 did! The playlist features Fred Pallem & Le Sacre du Tympan; Kansas Smitty’s; Oan Kim; Bill Frisell; Iggy Pop [pictured]; Avram Fefer; Maher Beauroy, Sélène Saint-Aimé; Designers; Kristin Berardi; Dan Weiss; Song Yi Jeon, Vinícius Gomes; Donald Byrd; and André Minvielle. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16816136/Mondo-Jazz (from "Goodbye Lougarock" onward). Happy listening... and a happy new year!

Twelve months have gone by so fast, and so much has happened... At the beginning of the year we were still under various degrees of lockdown or social distancing, now we have a war, weather patterns and a financial situation that are crazier than ever, etc. One positive thread through these months, however, has been the relentless pace at which creative musicians have brought us album after album of gorgeous music, which confirmed once more that musicians may be the last social group that can still be trusted! Find are some of the favorite songs that we discovered in the second half of the year (to check out those from the first part of the year go to: https://www.mixcloud.com/MondoJazz/a-few-of-my-favorite-2022-jazz-things-so-far-part-1-mondo-jazz-2022-1/ and https://www.mixcloud.com/MondoJazz/a-few-of-my-favorite-2022-jazz-things-so-far-part-2-mondo-jazz-2022-2/) The playlist features The Harlem Gospel Travelers; Kurt Elling; Carmen Staaf, Allison Miller; Ken Stubbs; Billy Drummond & Freedom of Ideas; Steve Cardenas, Ben Allison, Ted Nash; Robin Holcomb; Billy Mohler; Oded Tzur; Charles Lloyd [pictured]; Binker Golding; Mali Obomsawin; Jeremy Rose & the Earshift Orchestra, Simon Barker, Chloe Kim; and Tyshawn Sorey. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16816136/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Enchantment"). Happy listening... and a happy new year!

Welcome to the second half of the jazz re-match between Argentina and France that we are hosting this week, inspired by the recent World Cup finals. It is a fantasy game in which the rules are a bit different with the two teams playing jazz, not football, together, rather than against each other. The playlist features Orchestre National de Jazz; Lucia Boffo; Serge Gainsbourg; Javier Girotto, Natalio Mangalavite, Peppe Servillo; Surnatural Orchestra; Gato Barbieri [pictured]; Edward Perraud; Leo Genovese; Céline Bonacina; Pablo Ablanedo; Jacques Schwarz-Bart; and Escalandrum. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16796316/Mondo-Jazz (from "Vergogna in Blue" onward). Happy listening!

Welcome to the second half of the jazz re-match between Argentina and France that we are hosting this week, inspired by the recent World Cup finals. It is a fantasy game in which the rules are a bit different with the two teams playing jazz, not football, together, rather than against each other. In jazz, unlike in sports, there are no winners or losers, and the best things come out when there’s collaboration rather than competition. So this week we host a Franco-Argentinean jazz pas-de-deux celebrating the jazz traditions of the two countries whose national teams made it to the World Cup finals. The playlist features Richard Galliano; Minino Garay; Médéric Collignon; Camille Bertault [pictured], David Helbock; Roxana Amed; Ibrahim Maalouf; Leïla Martial; Juan Bayon; Papanosh; Avantango; Thomas de Pourquery; Dino Saluzzi; and Manu Codjia. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16796316/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Requiem Pour Un Con/Je T'aime Moi Non Plus"). Happy listening!

The funk of The Bamboos' ambitious symphonic project and The Headhunters' half-a-century pre-celebration together with Sana Nagano's pandemic soundscape bookend an episode showcasing the wide-ranging work by, and collaboration among, Dave Liebman, Adam Rudolph and Tyshawn Sorey. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16768889/Mondo-Jazz (from "Red Triangle" onwards). Happy listening!

Tributes to Leonard Cohen and Martin Danny, young saxophonone mavericks, unerthed gems and elegant arrangers in this week's edition of Mondo Jazz. The playlist features the Leonhart Brass Band; Marco Cappelli; Immanuel Wilkins; Oded Tzur; Rebecca Nash [pictured]; Designers; Leila Olivesi; and Elvin Jones. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16768889/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Oleo"). Photo credit: Olivier Burnside. Happy listening!

This week's edition revolves around tributes to composers, singers, songwriters, cities and... earworms! And a fascinating project by Brooklyn-based Dutch singer Vivienne Aerts celebrating jazz women and female pioneers of the cacao trade. The playlist also features Yazz Ahmed [pictured]; Kansas Smitty's; Snarky Puppy; Luigi Viva, Luigi Masciari; Brad Mehldau; Chilly Gonzales; Fabrizio Bosso; Fabrizio Bosso; and Vulfpeck. The detailed playlist is available at https://spinitron.com/RFB/dj/80823/Leonardo-Granvassu (from "It for Chick" onwards). Happy listening!

Bands of great improvisational genius, two takes on early-Bill Frisell compositions, an album revisiting the legacy of First House, two productions by the David Breskin-Ron Saint Germain dream team, and much more in this edition of Mondo Jazz. The playlist features Billy Mohler [pictured]; Dan Weiss; Patricia Brennan; Ken Stubbs; Unscientific Italians; Bill Frisell; Frank Woeste, Ryan Keberle, Vincent Courtois; Micah Thomas; Jeon Lim Yang; Makaya McCraven. The detailed playlist is available at https://spinitron.com/RFB/dj/80823/Leonardo-Granvassu (up to "So Ubuji"). Happy listening!

As we are quickly approaching the end of the year, here is another edition focusing on new and upcoming albums featuring some the records will inevitably end on many best of the year lists. The playlist features Stephanie Lottermoser; Franco Ambrosetti; Monica Nica Agosti; Mali Obomsawin; Tim Berne, Matt Mitchell; Géraud Portal; Jean-Paul Estiévenart, Marcel Ponseele & Il Gardellino; Hilario Durán, David Virelles; Ben LaMar Gay, Tommaso Moretti. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16716001/Mondo-Jazz (from "Choices" onward). Happy listening!

The spirit of the masters, the roots of each music tradition, are like ghosts that accompany a musician’s creative process, with more or less awareness based on the musician’s disposition, a premise directly explored by Michael Wollny in his latest album, and indirectly explored by every other musician featured on this show, which spotlights Annette Peacock, both a musician ahead of her times and a muse to many. The playlist features Camilla George; Michael Wollny; Christina Galisatus; Robin Holcomb; Annette Peacock; Paul Bley; Gary Peacock, Franz Koglmann; Nels Cline; Frank Kimbrough; Marilyn Crispell, Paul Motian. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16716001/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Blood"). Happy listening!

Tributes to Abdul Wadud, Paul Motian, Albert Mangelsdorff and Johnny Hodges, the power of post-production, the music meditations of Surya Botofasina and more, in this wide-ranging edition of Mondo Jazz. The playlist features Tom Skinner; Chelsea Carmichael, Shabaka Hutchings; Petter Eldh, Savannah Harris; Esbjörn Svensson; Jakob Bro, Joe Lovano; Brûlez Les Meubles; Owen Broder; Agnas, Ståhl, Flaten, Texas; More Better; Surya Botofasina. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16663757/Mondo-Jazz (from "The Journey" onward). Happy listening!

Tons of new releases ahoy... We feature some that bring unbridled energy, with a focus on South Korean and North European artists, and a tribute to the French master of humor, erotism, subversion and wordplay, Serge Gainsbourg. The playlist features Donny McCaslin; Avram Fefer; Matthew Halsall; Sun-Mi Hong; Marilyn Mazur; Song Yi Jeon, Vinícius Gomes; Mikkel Ploug; Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Camille Bertault. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16663757/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Les Goemons"). Happy listening!

Plato, Mingus and Seinfeld? What could they possibly have in common? Not much; or a lot…; depending on the plasticity of your mind. You'll get the answer if you listen to this edition of Mondo Jazz, digging forward and back with a precious new compilation showcasing the Detroit Artists Workshop. The playlist features Timothy Norton; Dezron Douglas; Abel Mireles; Nadje Noordhuis; Lyman Woodard; Kirk Lightsey; Charles Lloyd; Dierk Peters. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16634147/Mondo-Jazz (from "More Coffee Please" onwards). Happy listening!

This week a catchy and eclectic playlist, which straddles across many stylistic lines and influences, opens in the spirit of Zappa and ends with Zappa himself and yet another gem recently uneearthed from his bottomless vault. The playlist features Fred Pallem; Flat Earth Society Orchestra; Gaia Mattiuzzi; Wojtek Mazolewski; Yosef Gutman; Jussi Reijonen; Arild Andersen; Ari Joshua, Billy Martin, Jason Fraticelli; Frank Zappa. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16634147/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Black Napkins"). Happy listening!

In this set we focus on Hammond jazz, brass-heavy projects, North-European bands and a series of albums that have John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Wayne Shorter and Terri Lyne Carrington as common threads. The playlist also features Jupiter; Michael Blake; Trio Grande; Fredrik Lundin & Odense Jazz Orchestra; Marco Pacassoni, Antonio Sanchez; Dave Stryker; Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Chris McBride; Leo Genovese, Esperanza Spalding. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16606019/Mondo-Jazz (from "Stratos" onward). Happy listening!

We are back after a brief hiatus, during which new and upcoming albums have been piling up on our desk, so let's get right to it... We start here with a batch of genre-defying projects focusing in particular on adventurous vocalists that blend acoustic and electronic music, or that bring different music cultures together. We end with two invigorating projects that bring together improvisation and hard hitting experimentation. The playlist features Shotnez; Francesco Diodati, Leïla Martial, Stefano Tamborrino; Sirintip; Andrea Motis; Louis Cole; José James; Gyedu-Blay Ambolley; Alhaji Waziri Oshomah; Titan to Tachyons; Mats Gustafsson's Nu Ensemble. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16606019/Mondo-Jazz (up to Mats Gustafsson). Happy listening! Photo credit: Ashira Boonchoo

Inspired by Leo Sidran's latest single, "There Was a Fire", this week we look into various threads of memory--making (or memory--keeping) that can be found in projects that bring together various cultulal traditions (West-African or Cuban, Mitteleuropean or Japanese), bring new light to old repertoires, pay tribute to earlier composers or music-genres. The playlist features Eve Risser; chuffDRONE; Jamaaladeen Tacuma [pictured]; King Klavé; Shoko Igarashi; Antonio Sanchez, Dave Matthews, Pat Metheny; Leo Sidran; Dave Douglas; David Chevallier, Laurent Blondiau, Sébastien Boisseau, and Christophe Lavergne. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16474585/Mondo-Jazz (from "Gamse" onwards). Happy listening! Photo credit: Žiga Koritnik

Unbridled fun, the long tail of Hal Willner's work, an all-star band that celebrates 40 years of the Jazz sous les pommiers Festival, and jazz inspired by Maurice Ravel, soul, funk, gospel blues and folk are at the heart of this week's edition of Mondo Jazz. The playlist features The New Mastersounds; The Harlem Gospel Travelers; Doug Wamble; Beth Orton [pictured]; Robin Holcomb; Bill Frisell; Franck Tortiller, Yves Rousseau, Bojan Z, Louis Winsberg, Andy Sheppard, Thomas De Pourquery, Airelle Besson, Anne Paceo, Théo Ceccaldi, Fidel Fourneyron; Dieter Ilg; and Russ Lossing. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16474585/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Grey"). Happy listening!

This is the second part of an edition of Mondo Jazz which explores the repertoire built over the years by countless women composers, which are in part included in "New Standards", the collection of 101 compositions by women composers curated by Terri Lyne Carrington for Berklee Press, and in part we hope they will be included in a near future. For our selection we focus on instrumental tunes by musicians that are alive, and possibly still young. The playlist features Susie Ibarra; Nubya Garcia; Co Streiff; Airelle Besson; Anke Helfrich; Patricia Zarate Perez; Courtney Bryan [pictured]; Anna Högberg; Kris Davis; and Tomeka Reid. The detailed playlist is available at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16445708/Mondo-Jazz (from "Azul" onwards). Happy listening!

In the wake of the recent publication of "New Standards", the collection of 101 compositions by women composers curated by Terri Lyne Carrington for Berklee Press, this week we feature some of the compositions featured in the new book, and a few more that we hope may appear in a future expanded edition. The playlist features Jaimie Branch [pictured]; Jenny Scheinman; Dinosaur; Bria Skonberg; Rita Marcotulli; Miho Hazama; Simone Baron & Arco Belo; Caroline Davis; Arcoiris Sandoval; Marilyn Crispell; Sylvie Courvoisier, and Mark Feldman. The detailed playlist is available at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16445708/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Éclats for Ornette"). Happy listening!

A playlist that focuses on fascinating new releases and a preview of great upcoming concerts in New York. The playlist features Jeff Denson, Brian Blade, Romain Pilon; Patricia Brennan; Hermon Mehari; Eric Vloeimans, Will Holshouser; the Michael Leonhart Orchestra; Sky Creature; Enrico Rava, Fred Hersch; Omar Sosa; Cheick Tidiane Seck [pictured]. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16420871/Mondo-Jazz (from "Daily Jubilee of Dancing Herbie D." onward). Happy listening!

Music by, or inspired by, Brazil, Charles Mingus, Mal Waldron, Humanity... and the Convulsionaries... To know more... click on the embedded player and happy listening! The playlist features also Anat Cohen [pictured]; Roberto Ottaviano, Alexander Hawkins; Cristina Mazza, Sean Bergin Daniele D'Agaro Bruno Marini Jean-Jacques Avenel Sangoma Everett; Angelica Sanchez; Matt Ulery, Zach Brock; Jasper Høiby; Trevor Dunn; Julian Lage; Jeff Parker, Eric Revis, and Nasheet Waits. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16420871/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Wait").

September offers an opportunity to refocus on our inner energies and start a new cycle with renewed awareness and intentions – basically back to school and beyond… This segment of the show features more songs inspired by this month, with a special focus on five masterpieces that were recorded during a magical couple of weeks in September 1962. The playlist features Johnnie Taylor; Dakota Staton; Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays; Mats Eilertsen; Coleman Hawkins; Quincy Jones; Duke Ellington; Chico Hamilton; John Coltrane; Gerald Wilson. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16393563/Mondo-Jazz (from "It's September" onward). Happy listening! Photo credit: Chuck Stewart

September is a rather auspicious month musically, as you will hear through a playlist of songs inspired by September... or by things associated with the month of September... or featuring musicians born in September. The playlist features James Brown; Freda Payne; Itai Kriss; Earth, Wind & Fire; Chris Pattishall; Don Grolnick; Les McCann, Eddie Harris; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten; Fiona Apple; and Dave Douglas. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16393563/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Sapphire Sky Blue"). Happy listening!

It’s hard to believe but August is already over, and just like the months keep getting by at the speed of light so do new CDs and LPs… And this is why we are here with another edition of Mondo Jazz for which we have cherry-picked some of the best new albums and singles out there. The playlist features Stéphane Kerecki; Tom Harrell; Clemens Kuratle; Ernesto Jodos; John Escreet; Kristin Berardi [pictured]; Run Logan Run, Annie Gardiner; Mysteries of the Revolution; Yussef Dayes Experience. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16366777/Mondo-Jazz (from "The Booster" onward). Happy listening!

Tributes to Miles and Mingus, Camille Bertault, Theo Croker, and the German label ACT Music are some of the threads of this playlist, which also features one of the most surprising albums of the year... but you have to listen to find out what that is... The playlist also features Chris Dave; Mitglieder der Berliner Philharmoniker, Magnus Lindgren; Ethan Philion; David Helbock; Oan Kim; Erik Friedlander; Tigran Hamasyan; Trio Xolo. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16366777/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Obsidian Eucalyptus"). Happy listening!

One of the traits that we love most in jazz is its ability to promote encounters and mixtures… and mixtures is what this set is all about. The playlist features Leyla McCalla [pictured]; Lyle Lovett; Antares Flare; Elvin Bironien; Marco Bardoscia, Paolo Fresu, Dino Rubino, Daniele di Bonaventura; Samuel Mösching, Isaiah Collier; Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Darek Oles; Alan Broadbent; Roberta Piket, Harvie S, Billy Mintz. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16340214/Mondo-Jazz (from "Nan Fon Bwa" onward). Happy listening!

Here we go again, finding a path of beauty through countless new and upcoming albums, and sharing the most memorable moments of this journey with you. As usual, we like the path less travelled, and so we hope that you’ll enjoy the surprises that we find along the way... The playlist features Flash Pig; Jeremy Rose [pictured], The Earshift Orchestra; CKRAFT; Caleb Wheeler Curtis; Steven Bernstein; Kalí Rodríguez-Peña; Laufey; Radka Toneff, Steve Dobrogosz; and Flavio Perrella. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16340214/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Soli abbagli"). Happy listening!

Another set dedicated to new and upcoming releases, with a special focus on recent Hammond Organ Trios and Quartets; jazz from, or inspired by, Africa and the Antilles; a tribute to 40 years of the French festival Jazz à Vienne; plus the savory “free-range sonic stew" served by Jessica Pavone [pictured], Lukas Koenig, Matt Mottel. The playlist also features Jack McDuff; Matthieu Marthouret; Wil Blades, Charlie Hunter, George Sluppick; Nduduzo Makhathini; Aldo Romano, Louis Sclavis, Henry Texier; Maher Beauroy, Sélène Saint-Aimé; McCoy Tyner; Abraham Réunion. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16314803/Mondo-Jazz (from "Walkin’ the Dog" onwards). Happy listening! Photo credit: Yuan Liu.

Going through hundreds of new jazz albums is a trying job. But somebody’s got do it. And we do it so you don’t have to. So please sit back, relax and enjoy some the most delicious bites of the gargantuan meal that artists and labels have been cooking out... The playlist features Laura Jurd; Quentin Ghomari; Jon Irabagon [pictured]; Miguel Zenón; Gustavo Cortiñas; Spanish Harlem Orchestra; Seamus Blake; Emanuele Filippi Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16314803/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Points of a Star"). And a musical bon appétit!

The life affirming power of the human voice, from the modern spirituality of Jimetta Rose & Voices of Creation to the irreverence crazy eclecticism of André Minvielle [pictured], or the haunting elegance of Piers Faccini with Simone Prattico, opens a wide ranging set which is then closed with another tribute to Frank Kimbrough. The playlist also features Babx, Thomas De Pourqueray; Papanosh; Basher; Or Bareket; The Supreme Court; Curtis Fowlkes; Billy Drummond; Micah Thomas. The detailed playlist is available at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16303620/Mondo-Jazz (from "Spirits Up Above" onwards). Happy listening! Photo credit: Caroline Pottier

We are back with another set-list chockful of exciting new and upcoming albums, from the cinematic atmospheres of the James Taylor Quartet and the mysterious Louis Fontane, to the explorations of Sam Gendel or Hailey Naiswanger's and Mia Garcia's OHMA; from the physchedelic journeys of Wax Machine and Kalaha, to the sounds of London's Total Refreshment Center courtesy of the Neue Grafik Ensemble and Chelsea Carmichael. The playlist also features Michael Benedikt; Hilal Kaya, Aarhus Jazz Orchestra; Marquis Hill; Makaya McCraven; Takuya Kuroda; Jeremy Cunningham, Dustin Laurenzi, Paul Bryan. The detailed playlist is available at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16303620/Mondo-Jazz (up to "New Dust"). Happy listening!

A few of the many accents through which today’s Lingua Franca, jazz, is spoken around the world. The playlist features Snarky Puppy; SNACKTIME; Black Jesus Experience; James Brandon Lewis feat. The Messthetics; Julia Hülsmann; Frank Kimbrough; Kansas Smitty’s; Jonathan Pinson. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16263414/Mondo-Jazz (from "Bet" onwards). Happy listening!

This week we feature some great examples of how tradition continues to fuel modern jazz projects, and the many ways in which jazz incorporates elements from other musical traditions (from Korea to Spain) and genres (from the blues to rave music). The playlist features Bobby Previte, Charlie Hunter; Bobby Previte; J.D. Allen; Angles; Koma Saxo, Sofia Jernberg; Roxana Amed; The Comet Is Coming; Baum Sae; Potsa Lotsa Xl, Youjin Sung; James Taylor; Charles Lloyd. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16263414/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Dorotea's Studio"). Happy listening! Photo credit: Michael DiDonna.

You know how scientists say that, statistically, every person has roughly six look-alikes around the world? Well the same seems to be true in the music world, where one can find quite a few songs that appear to be sound-alikes of other compositions we’re familiar with… This does not have to be necessarily the result of plagiarism but can often be the outcome of the fact that certain melodies can enter a musician’s brain and come back out later in their own compositions, almost involuntarily, completely metabolized. The playlist features Rickie Lee Jones, Joe Henderson, Robben Ford; Enrico Rava; Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden; Dean Martin; Steely Dan; Keith Jarrett; Bruce Hornsby; Bob James; CeeLo Green; Peggy Lee; Tony Coe. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16238325/Mondo-Jazz (from "Dat Dere" onwards). Happy listening!

Music geekery is at the heart of this week's edition. Over the years, time and time again I have come across songs that left me thinking… "Wait… there’s a melody in this chorus or this solo that really reminds me of another song… but I can’t quite put my finger on it…" And every time I’d play that song the same question would pop in my head at that same chorus or solo! I’m sure you’re all familiar with that feeling. Here's a playlist featuring pairs of songs, usually a jazz and pop or rock song, which, to my delight, I was able to connect because of what seem to be short and random similarities… at least to my ears! The playlist features Jovanotti; Sarah Tandy; The Rolling Stones; Kevin Eubanks, Orrin Evans; Duke Ellington; Paolo Conte; Charles Mingus; Sting; Dionne Warwick; Lee Ritenour. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16238325/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Isn't She Lovely"). Happy listening!

A mystery project bearing the DNA of the late Hal Willner and Sun Ra, a project inspired by the poetry of that same Herman Poole Blount, tributes to Carla Bley and Lars Gullin, saxophonists on the rise, and a teenage sensation. The playlist features Meditations on Crime, King Khan, Sun Ra Arkestra; Miles Okazaki; Kurt Elling; Owl Trio; Steve Cardenas, Ben Allison, Ted Nash; Jeanne Michard; Chet Doxas; Randal Despommier, Ben Monder; Maggie Jean Martin. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16213009/Mondo-Jazz (from "We the People of the Myths" onward). Happy listening!

It’s been another hot sweaty week… and so we decided to open today’s edition with some hot sweaty genre-defying music courtesy of Moon Hooch, Too Many Zooz and Meute, then we keep the simmer pretty steady, deep and beautiful. The playlist features Moon Zooz; Too Many Zooz; MEUTE; Gunther Sommer, Lucaciu 3; Claire Michael; Sam Reider; Vadim Neselovskyi; Gard Nilssen; Elsa Nilsson; Sachal Vasandani, Romain Collin. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16213009/Mondo-Jazz (up to "No More Tears"). Happy listening!

From Africa to Brooklyn, and a few stops in between, a playlist replete with a diverse range of new and upcoming albums. The playlist features Kamil Piotrowicz; Sasha Berliner; Omri Ziegele; Camilla George; Tumi Mogorosi feat. Andile Yenana; Stan Killian; Theon Cross, Emre Ramazanoglu; Fussyduck; Subconscious Trio; Carmen Staaf, Allison Miller; Bennie Maupin, Adam Rudolph; Kirk Knuffke; John Yao. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16185792/Mondo-Jazz (from "TFE" onward). Happy listening!

Last week we took a look back at some of our favorite songs that were released in the first six months of the year. This week we’re back to our uncontrollably growing pile of beautiful new and upcoming albums. The playlist features Fred Pallem; OJKOS; Makaya McCraven; JoVia Armstrong; Moor Mother, Orion Sun, Jason Moran; Pablo Ablanedo; Shabaka; Francesco Bigoni, Mark Solborg, Emanuele Maniscalco; Philippe Côté, Marc Copland. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16185792/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Circadia"). Happy listening!

Here are some of the tunes that we have loved the most during these first six months of the year. Surely there are tens more of equal value, but this is not a scientific exercise… Rather–since jazz is all about living in the moment–we made our selections based on the strong, and lasting, impression that those tunes elicited when we first listened to them. The playlist features David Krakauer; Kahil El'Zabar; Steven Bernstein; Benjamin Koppel; David Virelles, Julio Barreto; Laufey, Dodie; Pipe Dream; Byard Lancaster; Heroes Are Gang Leaders; Joona Toivanen. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16162274/Mondo-Jazz (from "North Country Square Dance" onward). Happy listening!

Since 2022 has been barreling down at breakneck speed… it’s July already, which is actually the perfect moment to take stock of what the first half of the year had to offer to jazz fans. Please enjoy some of the tunes that have brought us most delight during the first six months of the year! The playlist features Pernille Bévort; Michael Leonhart; Daniel Villarreal; Benny Bock; Louis Matute; Jun Miyake; Anthony Fung; Bill O'Connell; Johannes Wallmann; and I AM (feat. Isaiah Collier & Michael Shekwoaga Ode).Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16162274/Mondo-Jazz (up to "The Vessel Speaks"). Happy listening! Photo credit: Carolina Sanchez

It’s just early July and there’s no denying that we’re already feeling the effects of climate change, with unusually high temperatures and extreme events like floods or severe thuderstorms. When it comes to music, however the downpour of new releases is a very welcome development… especially when they sound so delicious! The playlist features Mamud Band; Amanda Whiting; Marco Mezquida; David Virelles, Julio Barreto; Lisbeth Quartett; Trish Clowes; Will Bernard; Ches Smith. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16104145/Mondo-Jazz (from "Equalization" onwards). Happy listening!

Oscillating between the funky good times of yesterday (Oneness of Juju; Milt Ward) and today's grooves (Snacktime, Kneebody, Ray Anderson's Pocket Brass Band) this week's playlist confirms that good music is timeless, and quirky to boot (Amanda Ekery, Esthesis Quartet). Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16104145/Mondo-Jazz (up to "Yo Cats"). Happy listening!

This week we focus on new and upcoming albums featuring emerging guitarists like Reinier Baas and Gilad Hekselman, electro-acoustic projects and more... The playlist also features Johannes Wallmann; Bill O'Connell; Roxy Coss; Deadeye; Eric Harland; Antoine Berjeaut; Freakson; Mark Turner, Jason Palmer, Joe Martin, Jonathan Pinson. The detailed playlist is at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16060706/Mondo-Jazz (from "Precarious Towers" onward). Happy listening!

An Hammond B-3onanza! Ronnie Foster is back, with a reissue of "Two-Headed Freap" and the first new album in almost four decades, "Reboot", and so is the Gentle Giant of Danish jazz drummer-turned-Hammond player Kresten Osgood. A compare and contrast between Gerald Clayton and Melissa Stylianou, Gene Bartoncini and Ike Sturm, as well the new gems by Ghost Horse and Liquid Saloon complete a playlist that is all killer, no filler! The detailed playlist is at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/16060706/Mondo-Jazz (up to "London Pride"). Happy listening!