In a deeply impressive and magnificent synthesis of gospel, jazz and contemporary music, Uri Caine tells the moving story of Octavius Catto, born in 1839 in South Carolina to free African-American parents. Catto's family moved to Philadelphia in 1844, where he studied, became an educator, humanities scholar, top cricket and baseball player, and civil rights activist. Together with his fellow campaigners, he achieved the abolition of slavery and discrimination in elections based on race, color, or former serfdom, as well as the creation of educational institutions for African-Americans. Catto was murdered by Frank Kelly during riots on election day in 1871. Octavius Catto: "We shall never rest at ease, but will agitate and work, by our means and by our influence, in court and out of court, asking aid of the press, calling upon Christians to vindicate their Christianity, and the members of the law to assert the principles of the profession by granting us justice and right, until these invidious and unjust usages shall have ceased."

Yuko Mabuchi Trio thrills audiences with every concert. Her January performance opening for Branford Marsalis in the 1,800 seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall whet international jazz appetites. She next headlined the Arlington Jazz Festival in Texas, and Yuko Mabuchi Trio performed in Blues Alley in April as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D. C. European and Asian stages beckon. Yuko s debut recording on Yarlung, "Yuko Mabuchi Trio," was a top seller in the Yarlung catalog last year, in all formats. Yuko deserves this success. "The Absolute Sound" published a rave review of her Segerstrom concert. Elaborating further, Rick Brown writes in Yarlung News Yuko Mabuchi combines sexy athleticism at the piano with serious musical poetry. The young fans in the house responded to both with great enthusiasm. So did audience members in their 70s and 80s. This was a fast up tempo set resulting in thunderous applause with audience members yelling and stamping their feet for the standing ovation at the end.... I recognized some audience members who had driven from San Francisco or flown in from Hong Kong and different parts of the country for the event....

His new album "Dedication II" is an expansive affair (nine long songs provide a playing time of 73 minutes) and covers a lot of musical landscapes. Chick Corea once said that he made music to make people happy, and Moises P. Sanchez can certainly concur with this viewpoint. And "Dedication II" – the first "Dedication" album was released with the same line-up – is a bit reminiscent of the music of Chick Corea, who was open to the most diverse influences.

Olivier Le Goas: Recording a new album for piano–bass–drums trio felt like an important step in my career, since it is at the piano that I compose most of my music. Kristjan Randalu's rhythmic precision, the depth of his sound and the sensitivity of his touch confirmed without a doubt that he was the pianist who wasperfectly suited to my music.

The Leipzig pianist and composer Jonas Timm and his seven-piece band not only captivate the listener with all his senses, but also take him along in the variety of his emotions. What seems to begin like an acoustic film noir, becomes more cheerful as the album progresses, and continues to go through more and more emotional states without ever becoming predictable. Much is reminiscent of Latin American dances, French chansons, soundtracks from old films and sometimes jazz.

Oscar Pettiford. The Clash Art Blakey. A Tribe Called Quest. Charles Mingus (with Eric Dolphy). Only People Do The Killing. Cannonball Adderley. Primus. The Ornette Coleman Quartet. When Moritz Koser, bassist and composer from Frankfurt/Main, talks about points of reference and important influences, it goes all the way through music history. Gnar Gnar Rad, the quartet from Frankfurt, is his band. "Gnar Gnar Rad" is the album debut: a strong statement with which he effortlessly bridges the gap between jazz history and current trends.

Magic … is one of the most overused terms for describing music. You seldom hear something that is really magical. On the other hand, the American bandleader Ray Anderson is a magician if there ever was one. His magic wand is the trombone. He masterly breaks down the boundaries between magic and reality, spirit and the physical, tradition and utopia.

Drummer Mathieu Clement is only 21 years old, and he was only 20.at the time of recording “Coming Home”. Jazz is in the best hands with this young group, all of whom are younger than thirty. Mathieu Clement's sextet celebrates the balance between tradition and modernity with great enthusiasm and shows that the label "Jazz thing Next Generation" is a never-ending source.