Following the success of "Trumpets of Michel-Ange" - praised by critics, amassing millions of streams, and giving rise to more than 140 concert dates around the world - Ibrahim Maalouf continues and deepens his project with the release of Volume 2. A new album that marks a decisive step in the musical and human adventure initiated around the quarter-tone trumpet.This second volume more than ever affirms the central place of the Trumpets of Michel-Ange: an ensemble of professional trumpet players trained and brought together around Ibrahim Maalouf thanks to a broad educational initiative aimed at making the quarter-tone trumpet, created by his father in the 1960s, accessible.

The fruitful collaboration of French-born saxophonist-clarinetist Robin Fincker and British pianist Kit Downes goes back decades. Their life paths have taken them from London to two different countries in Europe, and they met again five years ago when they teamed up with Irish singer Lauren Kinsella to set traditional songs and contemporary poetry to music. Their internationally acclaimed first album, Ombres (released on BMC Records in 2024) combined folk and contemporary music in the spirit of European jazz, resulting in a musical world that is sometimes magically beautiful, sometimes surprisingly rough. Two Minds follows a similar concept, but with a more polished sound that relies even more heavily on improvisation. Shadowlands thus continues its journey between old and new music, shedding light on the unheard corners of past songs whilst unfolding its own version of contemporary folk music. This new repertoire features traditional Sean Os songs alongside original compositions, completed by works of numerous poets – both men and women – from the 19th century to the present day.

"The Bird in My Heart" is a jazz album by French pianist Tristan Mélia, which is officially scheduled for release on June 12, 2026. The album is released by the No Problem Music label and consists of 9 tracks with a total duration of 48 minutes.

I Wish You Love is the critically acclaimed second studio album by the prominent Hong Kong audiophile jazz singer Susan Wong, initially released in December 2004 through Rock in Music. Known for her smooth, warm, and intimate vocal style, Wong reimagined several classic pop, rock, and jazz standards for this record.

Released in 2008 on the Green Hill label, Table For Two is a sweeping, beautifully executed double-disc collection from acclaimed pianist and composer David Huntsinger. Spanning twenty-three tracks and nearly one hour and forty minutes of music, this ambitious release finds Huntsinger applying his elegant touch, melodic clarity, and refined harmonic vocabulary to a definitive songbook of timeless romantic standards. Operating primarily in a sophisticated, intimate jazz trio and quartet framework, Huntsinger recreates legendary Great American Songbook classics with an extraordinary sense of poise and warmth. Listeners are treated to breathtakingly tasteful, gentle interpretations of generational gems like Unforgettable, Misty, My Funny Valentine, and Cheek To Cheek, culminating in a profoundly tender rendition of What A Wonderful World. The crystalline piano work remains front and center throughout, supported by a rhythm section that whispers rather than shouts, creating a soothing, classy, and deeply cohesive mood that serves as the perfect soundtrack for quiet evenings, fine dining, or intimate reflection.

Released in 1998 on Warner Bros Records, Indispensable serves as a definitive and beautifully curated retrospective celebrating the career of the master of sophisticated vocal jazz and smooth jazz, Michael Franks. Spanning an impressive sixty-nine minutes across seventeen tracks, this collection highlights Franks' unique gift for blending witty, poetic lyricism with breezy melodies, soft bossa nova rhythms, and impeccable pop-jazz sensibilities. The album captures his finest moments and fan-favorite compositions, including the playful breakthroughs Eggplant and Monkey See-Monkey Do, the timelessly elegant and sultry ballad The Lady Wants to Know, and the beautifully atmospheric, travel-inspired gems like Down in Brazil and Rainy Night in Tokyo. Backed by elite studio musicians and slick production throughout, Franks' soft, signature vocal delivery shines as a beacon of relaxed coolness and emotional warmth. This compilation stands as an essential, comprehensive introduction for newcomers and a perfect, nostalgic summary for longtime listeners, encapsulating the laid-back brilliance of an incredibly influential singer-songwriter.

Released in 1986 on the independent German label Moers Music, Got Something Good For You stands as a fiery, explosive documents of the short-lived avant-garde supergroup Phalanx. The heavyweight quartet brings together guitar pioneer James "Blood" Ulmer, powerful tenor saxophonist George Adams, lightning-fast electric bassist Amin Ali, and powerhouse drummer Calvin Weston. Operating at the thrilling intersection of harmolodic theory, raw blues expression, and heavy danceable grooves, the ensemble delivers a blistering performance that challenges the boundaries of traditional acoustic jazz. The eight-track program is relentlessly intense, offering sharp angular intersections between Ulmer's jagged, splintered guitar lines and Adams' deeply soulful, screaming saxophone flights, all anchored perfectly by the driving, propulsive harmolodic funk rhythm section of Ali and Weston. Tracks like Upside Down, Funky Lover, and the expansive closer Free crackle with spontaneous energy and raw urban friction, cementing this rare studio collaboration as an essential, high-octane masterpiece of the mid-1980s downtown free funk movement.

NOW Music will release Yearbook ’72 – Extra, a 3CD companion to the main Yearbook ’72 that was released last week. It features 61 songs including sizeable hits from Elton John, T. Rex, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, The Kinks, Hot Chocolate, Michael Jackson, Al Green, The Supremes, Bill Withers, Sly & The Family Stone, The New Seekers, Elvis Presley, The Moody Blues, The Hollies, Slade, Mungo Jerry and more. As usual, this ‘Extra’ is presented in a six-panel card sleeve and is only available on CD there’s no vinyl edition. Yearbook ’72 Extra will be released on June 2026.

UK three CD collection from the influential Jazz vocalist. While her life may have been tragic, her music has remained an integral part of American Jazz history and is constantly discovered by a new generation or rediscovered year after a year. This three CD collection features 78 tracks including 'God Bless the Child', 'Pennies from Heaven', 'Gloomy Sunday' and many others.

Sade made a strong comeback in 2000 with Lovers Rock, her first album in eight years. She sealed the deal in 2002 with Lovers Live, a collection of performances from her very successful summer tour. It's proof that Sade hasn't lost a note and her fans haven't missed a beat. Above all things, the record is smooth. Sade's new songs mix seamlessly with classics from every stage of her career. An energetic eight-piece band breathes new life to the old tunes and offers another look at the Lovers Rock material.

Diva Nancy Wilson was among contemporary music's most stylish and sultry vocalists; while often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets – and even hosting her own television variety program – she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Born February 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wilson first attracted notice performing the club circuit in nearby Columbus; she quickly earned a growing reputation among jazz players and fans, and she was recording regularly by the late '50s, eventually signing to Capitol and issuing LPs including 1959's Like in Love and Nancy Wilson with Billy May's Orchestra.

”Music and art without definite labels is a necessity for a better living - create your own individual genres and open up for more death-jazz-core-noise-metal-poetry to enter your world of destroying the local and global stupidities around us” -Mats Gustafsson

Proper, the famous British reissue label, has given the world a series of four-CD "Proper boxes" that contain essential recordings by legendary musicians. Proper's The Lester Young Story is an excellent introduction to this man's phenomenal artistry. Beginning with two instrumentals from his very first recording session on November 9, 1936, Proper skims along the surface of the first 13 years of Lester Young's career, touching upon his adventures with Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday, Una Mae Carlisle, Sammy Price, the Kansas City Six and Seven, pianist Nat King Cole, and numerous others who collaborated with Pres on records issued under his name. This musical odyssey is a colorful mosaic of historical recordings that originally appeared on the Vocalion, Columbia, Victor, Signature, Keynote, Savoy, Aladdin, and Mercury/Norgran/Verve labels. The survey closes with two extended jams from a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert held at Carnegie Hall on September 17, 1949. Although it stops short of dipping into the best of his later works, Proper's The Lester Young Story may serve both as a superb introduction and a tasty addition to already well-stocked jazz libraries.

Released in 2003 on the Narada World label, Life After That stands as a vibrant, deeply rhythmic masterpiece from the legendary Brazilian percussionist master Airto Moreira. This adventurous album serves as a dazzling sonic exploration that seamlessly bridges contemporary jazz, traditional Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and modern global fusion elements. Surrounded by an exceptional group of guest vocalists and instrumentalists, Airto crafts a rich, hypnotic tapestry of sound where organic, heavy percussion textures find perfect harmony with intricate melodic arrangements. The nine-track journey is exceptionally diverse, offering high-energy rhythmic celebrations like Ritmo Do Mundo, the deeply spiritual and multi-layered Baba And Malonga Went Home, and a breathtakingly raw, expressive Live Solo performance that highlights his unmatched improvisational genius. Throughout the entire fifty-four-minute session, Airto showcases his unique ability to turn complex polyrhythms into profoundly accessible, emotionally evocative stories, resulting in an essential, forward-thinking listening experience for enthusiasts of progressive world fusion and latin jazz.

Released in 2002 on the iconic Verve label, Directions in Music captures an extraordinary live concert recorded at Toronto's Massey Hall. The album serves as a magnificent, heartfelt celebration of the colossal musical legacies of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, honoring what would have been their respective 75th birthdays. Leading this monumental tribute is a spectacular multi-generational quintet featuring piano master Herbie Hancock, towering tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, and the brilliant trumpeter Roy Hargrove, backed by an elite modern rhythm section composed of bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. Rather than executing simple nostalgic recreations, the band delivers daring, highly inventive post-bop transformations of classic themes. Highlights include a fiery, seamlessly woven medley of So What and Impressions, Hancock's own elusive masterpiece The Sorcerer, and breathtakingly expansive, deeply emotional readings of Coltrane's Naima and Transition. Throughout the entire seventy-eight-minute performance, the interplay is fiercely energetic and creatively telepathic, establishing this recording as a timeless, brilliant milestone in modern live acoustic jazz history.