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Yamandu is a guitar player, composer and arranger that does not fit into a single music style, yet he creates his own when he combines all of them playing his 7-string guitar.

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A vibrant, sophisticated, contemporary classical CD of pulsating, rhythmic works recorded live in Brazil by renowned violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and duo guitarists Sergio & Odair Assad, Originis will have listeners falling in love with Latin America. [...] It features the musicians performing with the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP) in “Originis,” and as a trio in works by Ginastera, Piazzolla, and Clarice Assad, Sergio’s daughter and award-winning composer/pianist in her own right. [...] one unique CD not to be missed!

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Gisbranco, the piano duo formed by Bianca Gismonti and Claudia Castelo Branco, have released their second CD, entitled Flor de Abril.

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Bladik is essential listening and offers no recourse for the faint of heart. Easily one of the dominant free-jazz releases of the 1990’s. The English jazz scene in particular is alive and industrious with the advent of “Bladik and Mujician” to name but a few. (Source: allaboutjazz.com)

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Michel Portal, one of the greatest clarinettists, and Yaron Herman, an impressive young pianist— welcomed by Thomas Duroux, Managing Director and oenologist (as well as a keen jazz enthusiast)—will familiarize themselves with the world of Château Palmer and have a preview tasting of the 2010 vintage of Château Palmer and Alter Ego. (Source: allaboutjazz.com)

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... this is an immensely creative threesome, with Guy's combination of abstract percussive vehemence, cello-like purity and avant-swing an inevitable focus. Chords chime urgently over bass-drum rumbles and seamless bass flurries; the Paul Bley-like Zahori features a Guy maelstrom of big, sliding chords; Mourning has a Spanish feel in its melody and snare-drum tattoo but the bass rubs improv squeals against it; and Bad Plus fans might appreciate the cinematic sweep in the later stages of Can Ram. The live set reprises material from this remarkable group's earlier Aurora CD. ~John Fordham, The Guardian, 06 Jan 2011

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On Prelude: to Cora, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire offers a wide-open musical perspective, inviting a wealth of influences to shape a personalized approach to improvisation and composition. Akinmusire seems content with allowing the music to fall where it may; eschewing trends and any pre-conceived notions about what is expected from a debut recording. ~John Barron, allaboutjazz.com

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Swiss drummer and percussionist Pierre Favre put together an impressive line-up for this early (I believe his first) recording. The "quartett" consists of Favre himself, Evan Parker on sax, Irène Schweizer on piano and Peter Kowald on bass.

I noticed recently that I have over the years accumulated several CDs entitled "America" and thought it might be a good idea to post them together as my contribution to the upcoming 4th of July celebrations. The fourth member in my quartet, "Not In Our Name" does not have America in its title, but there is no doubt what it is about.

Rena Rama was a formation of mainly Swedish jazz musicians that existed in the 70s, 80s and early 90s and recorded a number of albums under this name. Key members were Bobo Stenson, Lennart Åberg and Anders Jormin. The group also collaborated with well known international artists such as Marilyn Mazur and Don Cherry. This live recording documents such a collaboration.

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Entirely instrumental, Echoes of Brazil finds Badi Assad making the acoustic guitar her sole focus and paying tribute to some of Brazil's many heroes of the instrument. [...] Assad, whose only accompaniment is acoustic bassist David Finck, salutes everyone from Garoto and Laurindo Almeida to Egberto Gismonti, Baden Powell and Luiz Bonfá. Much to her credit, she doesn't become a slavish imitator of any of them, and consistently demonstrates that she is a distinctive and impressive representative of the guitar herself. ~Alex Henderson, All Music

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This is first solo outing by pianist Bojan Zulfikarpasic, which is mainly composed of originals, including a jerky and troubled reprise of the moving "Zulfikar-pacha." The remnant of the program pays tribute to his influences, covering Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, and longtime cohort Henri Texier, and salutes his roots with a traditional Macedonian theme. [...] In a nutshell, Solobsession is a remarkable and tasteful statement by an already accomplished pianist. ~Alain Drouot, All Music

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In one of the concerts while touring Germany, Maria João had a special spectator: Japanese free-jazz pianist Aki Takase, who invited her to begin a duo project. She left the quintet to tour Europe with Aki and her piano. From 1987 to 1990, singer and pianist challenged their limits, risking everything on the slippery field of improvisation, astounding the audiences of Jazz Festivals all over Europe that surrendered to the freedom and irreverence of their music. João and Takase recorded two live albums together – “Looking for Love” (1997) and “Alice” (1990).

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This live recording from the Village Vanguard in 2005, featuring Valdés alongside bassist Javier Colina, resembles a fireside chat among old and trusted friends, spanning decades of classic Latin American and Caribbean pieces as well as a few jazz standards and several of Valdés’ originals in an intimate setting that makes the listener feel like a welcome guest in the Valdés living room. ~Rebeca Mauleón, jazztimes

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In 2010, Hiromi was invited to Jazz in Marciac for a solo performance as a "warm up" for Ahmad Jamal. The audience must have been close to overheating by the time the main performer got on the stage...

This is the audio rip from a DVD that was produced by television station "mezzo" in conjunction with the festival organizers.