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Susheela Raman's voice, whether solo or in unearthly harmonies, performs it's unique magic drawing the musical world together. With it's bold meddling with tune and tempo, this fresh set of songs threatens not to work but achieves a compelling integrity. Susheela Raman's Ghost Gamelan is a rich new landscape unlike any of her previous work and quite unlike anything else. Born in London to South Indian parents, singer Susheela Raman, alongside producer/guitarist Sam Mills, has released a chain of adventurous albums and is known as an intense, captivating live performer. Spirited encounters with musicians from a wide range of backgrounds has been a hallmark of her work. Now a new ambitious collaboration with Indonesian musicians is bearing fruit. Raman has delivered this extraordinary album, the body of which was recorded in Solo, Indonesia in 2016. The album is a collaboration with Javanese contemporary gamelan composer Gondrong Guanarto and his team of virtuoso gamelan players. Gamelan, for non-initiates, is the music of Bali and Java, played mostly on tuned gongs, which has long inspired smart western music makers from Debussy, Messaien, Philip Glass and Steve Reich to Sonic Youth. Traces of it's shimmering, loopy DNA are over everything from modal jazz to electronic dance music.

This album marks the return of a Master. Salif Keita is devoted to the cause of Albinos in Africa but after 5 years, he is back with his enchanting voice and his unique sense of groove, surrounded by an outstanding band (Alune Wade, Paco Sery, Herv� Samb...) and first-class featured guests: Ang�lique Kidjo, MHD, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Yemi Alade). This is a major musical and cultural event! Salif Keita is an afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali. He is notable not only due to his reputation as the "Golden Voice of Africa," but also for his albinism. He was born a traditional prince in the village of Djoliba. He moved to Paris in 1984, where his music reached a world-wide audience.

2009 two CD release from the French singer/songwriter, often compared to Serge Gainsbourg. Including guest appearances from Jeanne Cherhal and Valeri Donzelli. Naive.

A posthumous record? "Nothing to declare!" as Rachid would have said, leaning on the bar counter, with messy hair, bright eyes, and a raspy voice. He's there, you can't miss him. He may be laid to rest in Algeria, but he hasn't left us. He knew that those who are allegedly missing are well and alive: "Do you really know the others?" the master of rock-Cha�bi once asked, quoting the greats Johnny Cash, Oum Kalthoum, and Andy Warhol in a prophetic song titled Andy Walhoo. He wrote this arabic-punk-electro piece with guitars, balafon, and mouth harp before succumbing to a heart attack on September 12, 2018. With boundless energy, Taha wrote eleven songs together with Toma Feterman for his eleventh solo album, diving deep into his roots as usual. First, Algerian Cha�bi, so subtle, yet so complex. Then rock, which took the world by storm during the postwar period, and punk, it's offshoot, in the style of The Clash. Finally, electronica, the musical revolution of the late twentieth century, as hypnotic as the Gnawas guembris or Sufi trance sounds.

Born in Bordeaux in 1945, Christian Morin’s varied career and talents have taken him down the paths of illustrator, poster artist, cartoonist, renowned TV presenter and most importantly here, a leading clarinet player. He’s played with great French and American musicians including Henri Salvador, Buddy Tate, Milt Buckner, Jo Jones, Buck Clayton, T. Bone Walker, among others. His newest album, Blue Indigo, finds him in the company of French compatriots for an album full of fine American standards.

Harrison Kennedy's voice, banjo, spoons and guitar, Jean-Jacques Milteau's imaginative harmonica and Vincent Segal's lyrical cello converse and play as the members of this inspired trio pay homage to their roots without sacrificing to nostalgia, inventing no less than the future of the blue note in the process. Kennedy owes forbearers who traveled the Underground Railroad all the way to Ontario, fleeing the Southern plantations where they were enslaved. Harrison has kept from this aching heritage a deep respect for the Mississippi and Tennessee roots he nurtures to this day in a truly original and personal fashion. The proud holder of a 2016 Juno Award and recipient of the 2015 Blues Prize granted by Académie, Charles Cros got his start at the height of the soul era. After making a noted debut on the prestigious Motown imprint joined the stellar group Chairmen of the Board, traveling across the world and sharing the stage with the likes of Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, and Tom Jones, among others. Eclecticism remains to this day the dominant trait of an artist who has always combined tradition and innovation. Jean-Jacques Milteau needs no introduction. This French harmonica wizard is a respected specialist of the blue note whose fruitful work with Eric Bibb around the repertoire of old-time songster Lead Belly has recently been acclaimed. Milteau, the winner of two Victoires de la Musique has worked, in the studio and on stage, with the likes of B.B. King, Little Milton, Mighty Mo Rodgers and Sam McClain. As for Vincent Segal, winner of an impressive number of Victoires de la Musique and with twenty years on the road with Cyril Atef and the duo Bumcello under his belt, his cello has graced an impressive number of projects in a wide variety of musical styles.

Dimitry Sinkovsky is a dazzlingly multi-talented artist -a brilliant violinist, countertenor, conductor, and founder in 2011 of the ensemble La Voce Strumentale. In Virtuosissimo, his fifth venture with Na�ve, he has teamed up again with the ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro, his partners in numerous recordings and concerts, to cast more light on Pisendel, a celebrated violinist and composer who led the prestigious Dresden Court Orchestra, and a Vivaldi devotee who copied out several of the Venetian master's concertos for performance in Dresden. Virtuosissimois a photography of an influential moment in music history. With this new album, Dmitry Sinkovsky goes beyond Vivaldi and his influences: as well as Pisendel, he plays works by Locatelli, Tartini, Leclair and Telemann, all of whom enriched the early 18th-century violin repertoire with opulent, highly personal works focusing on soloistic bravura. A century later, Paganini was to draw on this baroque heritage. All the concertos here have inspired high-wire performances to Dmitry Sinkovsky: fiery exchanges with the orchestra, cunningly crafted cadences, vertiginous harmonics, startlingly unexpected bowing, sharp-edged attacks, daunting double-stopping... Sinkovsky seems to completely embody these five concertos, as if propelled by an inextinguishable flame: the electrifying result is truly 'virtuosissimo'.

Bach: Praeludien & Fugen

Following a breathtaking Vivaldi album, Russian violinist and countertenor Dmitry Sinkovsky is turning to Bach music. Once again, he combines his unrivalled virtuosity in both arts to create an outstanding recording in which 3 famous violin concertos are paired with vocal hits by Bach: "Erbarme Dich", "Es ist vollbracht" and "Agnus Dei" from B minor mass. Russian virtuoso violinist Dmitry Sinkovsky has been a prizewinner in multiple international competitions, including the Bach Competition, Musica Antiqua Competition, and Romanus Weichlein. In 2011 he founded the La Voca Strumentale ensemble in Moscow, and was a conductor of Il Complesso Barocco from 2012 to 2014. He currently serves as a professor at the Moscow Conservatory where he teaches both violin and viola.

Handel, Scarlatti, Corelli, Stradella, Muffat ... From 1650 to the beginning of the eighteenth century, Rome exercised an immense power in attracting composers from all over Europe and experienced an intense moment of musical activity, because of - or in spite of - the papal administration. It was a prosperous period with a melting pot of influences. The programme devised here by the Roman conductor, Rinaldo Alessandrini, offers a complete and personal vision of the time, passionate and secular, lyrical (made sublime by Sandrine Piau) and orchestral, romantic in every way. Rinaldo Alessandrini is one of the leading figures in the international early music scene. His predilection for the Italian repertory and his constant preoccupation with the expressive characteristics specific to the Italian style of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are the decisive factors that orientate his musical approach and interpretative options, both as the head of Concerto Italiano, of which he is the founder and director, and as a soloist and guest conductor.

For several decades, as solo harpsichordist and director of his ensemble Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini has been exploring not just the Italian repertoire that he is so passionate about, but also the works of Bach –as in his benchmark recording of the Brandenburg Concertos in 2005. In this new recording, Ales-sandrini has mounted a challenge to all currently available recordings of those four Orchestral Suites that Bach called ‘Overtures’, after their imposing opening movements. We don’t know when these dance suites were composed, nor where they were first performed, but they were certainly played in Leipzig at the time Bach was directing its celebrated Collegium Musicum. Here Alessandrini has once again sifted all available sources, putting the composer’s entire output under the microscope to identify the most authentic details of style and orchestration. The result is a subtle balance between Bach’s intricate contrapuntal writing and the spontaneity of his dances, with their French and Italian influences. Together with these majestic, festive, radiant works by J.S. Bach, Concerto Italiano presents two Overtures in the same instrumental mold by Johann Bernhard and Johann Ludwig Bach –two composer cousins with whom Johann Sebastian enjoyed lifelong ties of mutual friendship and esteem. During his Leipzig years he had their Overtures copied out, so he could perform them with the Collegium Musicum. Here then is a welcome opportunity to hear these two superb orchestral pieces in the contemporary context of Bach’s own music.

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REVIEW:

Fans of these players won’t need much encouragement to purchase this, indeed, it should act as a reminder that Concerto Italiano and Rinaldo Alessandrini haven’t gained their reputation without good reason.

The sound quality is very immediate, especially for the winds, but not tiring. The notes, which run to nine pages on the music, are erudite, tracing in detail the history of the JSB works and their connection to the Leipzig Collegium Musicum. – MusicWeb International

Naïve is particularly proud to release the first recording from the orchestra recently founded by conductor Mathieu Herzog: Ensemble Appassionato. A favorite composer for the orchestra, who other than Mozart to bear witness to the recording debut from this ensemble? An ensemble born under the most auspicious circumstances, full of members from France’s major string quartets. The last three symphonies, a triptych as monumental as it is mysterious - we know almost nothing about the circumstances surrounding their composition - are probably the works that best symbolize the projects thus far of Mathieu Herzog and the Ensemble Appassionato. Their fresh vision, modern and chamber-like, plus a multitude of eclectic repertoire. A vision galvanized by the desire to share music with everyone. Listening to this recording nourished with as much passion and ambition as respect and humility, a more human and personified Mozart appears before us, more luminous than ever. Clear timbres, instrumental cohesion, balance, well-rounded characters, full-bodied tempi ... Mathieu Herzog demonstrates here a vision and an inherent know-how, placing him immediately in the pantheon of great conductors.

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REVIEW:

At root, these are modern-instrument performances that digest the historical discoveries of our time and offer a full-bodied chamber presentation. These three performances are, in their own ways, individual, minutely considered and thus, perhaps inevitably, not to every taste. The ensemble sound, however, is one of the glories of this set. As chamber players and therefore soloists in their own rights, the contribution of each player is palpable.

– Gramophone

Vita

Armenian piano virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan returns with Manifeste, out February 6, 2025-a powerful fusion of jazz, progressive rock, and Armenian folk. Recorded across five countries, the album blends rhythmic complexity, cinematic depth, and spiritual intensity, featuring longtime collaborators and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir. Manifeste is a bold declaration where the human, digital, and sacred unite in sound. Following The Bird of a Thousand Voices, Hamasyan continues his artistic exploration with Manifeste (2025)-a bold, multi-dimensional statement recorded between 2023 and 2025 across studios in Yerevan, Athens, Moscow, Los Angeles, and beyond. Entirely composed and produced by Hamasyan, Manifeste fuses his signature rhythmic complexity and spiritual depth with a more cinematic soundscape, where Armenian folk roots, progressive rock intensity, and choral mysticism intertwine. The album unfolds like a ritual sequence-from the meditative "Prelude for All Seekers" to the powerful "National Repentance Anthem. " Collaborators include longtime partners Marc Karapetian (bass) and drummers Arthur Hnatek, Arman Mnatsakanyan, Matt Garstka, and Nate Wood, alongside contributions from cellist Artyom Manukyan, trumpeter Daniel Melkonyan, guitarist Nick Llerandi, and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir conducted by Kristina Voskanyan. Each piece radiates Hamasyan's fascination with transcendence and transformation, whether through the fiery rhythmic drive of "Dardahan" and "Ultradance, " the haunting choral layers of "One Body, One Blood, " or the intimate dedications "Years Passing (For Akram)" and "A Window from One Heart to Another (For Rumi). " In Manifeste, Hamasyan brings together the human, digital, and sacred-a declaration of unity through sound, where modern technology meets ancient resonance. In addition to awards and critical acclaim, Hamasyan has built a dedicated following worldwide, as well as praise from Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, and the late Chick Corea. "With startling combinations of jazz, minimalist, electronic, folk, and songwriterly elements. Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You'll hear nothing else like this. " (NPR)

Armenian piano virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan returns with Manifeste, out February 6, 2026-a powerful fusion of jazz, progressive rock, and Armenian folk. Recorded across five countries, the album blends rhythmic complexity, cinematic depth, and spiritual intensity, featuring longtime collaborators and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir. Manifeste is a bold declaration where the human, digital, and sacred unite in sound. Following The Bird of a Thousand Voices, Hamasyan continues his artistic exploration with Manifeste (2025)-a bold, multi-dimensional statement recorded between 2023 and 2025 across studios in Yerevan, Athens, Moscow, Los Angeles, and beyond. Entirely composed and produced by Hamasyan, Manifeste fuses his signature rhythmic complexity and spiritual depth with a more cinematic soundscape, where Armenian folk roots, progressive rock intensity, and choral mysticism intertwine. The album unfolds like a ritual sequence-from the meditative "Prelude for All Seekers" to the powerful "National Repentance Anthem. " Collaborators include longtime partners Marc Karapetian (bass) and drummers Arthur Hnatek, Arman Mnatsakanyan, Matt Garstka, and Nate Wood, alongside contributions from cellist Artyom Manukyan, trumpeter Daniel Melkonyan, guitarist Nick Llerandi, and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir conducted by Kristina Voskanyan. Each piece radiates Hamasyan's fascination with transcendence and transformation, whether through the fiery rhythmic drive of "Dardahan" and "Ultradance, " the haunting choral layers of "One Body, One Blood, " or the intimate dedications "Years Passing (For Akram)" and "A Window from One Heart to Another (For Rumi). " In Manifeste, Hamasyan brings together the human, digital, and sacred-a declaration of unity through sound, where modern technology meets ancient resonance. In addition to awards and critical acclaim, Hamasyan has built a dedicated following worldwide, as well as praise from Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, and the late Chick Corea. "With startling combinations of jazz, minimalist, electronic, folk and songwriterly elements. Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You'll hear nothing else like this. " (NPR)

Following a large number of multi-award-winning jazz albums, in solo, trio and quintet, Baptiste Trotignon now turns to songs in two ways: either by taking over some French classic songs, mostly in solo (Brel, Barbara, Gainsbourg...) or by composing and interpreting them with guest artists. Song Song Song is Trotignon's vision of the universal art of song and features guests artists from several universes, influences and cultures: Melody Gardot (performing, in French, Mon fantome), Monica Passos, Jeanne Added, Christophe Miossec...

Badakhchan Concert

After the success of Lagrimas Mexicana's, this fourth record proves Vinicius' ability to mix Brazilian Bossa Nova and sophisticated modern music from New York.

Mon Yiddish Blues

EPHEMERA

COSA NATURAL

Brahms: Violin Sonatas

Schumann, R.: Cello Concerto, Op. 129 / Fantasiestücke / 5 P

Avishai Cohen, one of the most innovative bassists and composers today, will release Gently Disturbed, his first release with his newly configured trio, from May on his own Razdaz Recordz label. While to outward appearances the trio would seem to be the standard piano-bass-drum formula, the music they've created on Gently Disturbed is far from the standard jazz trio repertoire. Featuring nine original compositions (written either by Cohen or by the trio collaboratively), including one traditional Israeli song, Gently Disturbed is an amalgamation of melody and groove, complexity and simplicity that nearly redefines the concept of jazz. With the departure of long-time pianist Sam Barsh, Cohen has slightly reconfigured his trio with the addition of Israeli pianist Shai Maestro. Since Cohen is an accomplished pianist in his own right and has performed on bass with such acclaimed jazz pianists as Danilo Perez, Brad Mehldau and of course Chick Corea, and because the previous keyboard players in his bands (Sam Barsh and Jason Lindner) have been exceptional, it is even more striking to note that Maestro is just 21 years old. Rounding out the trio is the brilliant Mark Guiliana on drums, who has been playing and touring with Cohen since 2003 and who Modern Drummer Readers Poll 2007 cited as "one of the best up-and-coming stars of today's drumming scene." Cohen's releases on Razdaz, which he founded with manager Ray Jefford in 2003, have consistently earned critical approbation, beginning with 2003's Lyla, followed by at Home in 2005, and through to 2006's critically acclaimed Continuo then followed by last year's Double Live CD/DVD release, As Is... Live at the Blue Note (Razdaz / Half Note).

Because Avishai Cohen’s previous outing—a 2017 album titled 1970 (Sony)—was his most commercially successful release thus far, one wouldn’t blame him for revisiting a similar artistic wellspring. Instead, for his 17th leader date, the bassist went in another direction, recruiting an entirely different set of musicians for the deeply personal, nostalgia-fueled Arvoles. Half the program here consists of trio recordings with pianist Elchin Shirinov and drummer Noam David, and on the other half, the band expands to a quintet with trombonist Björn Samuelsson and flutist Anders Hagberg. - DownBeat Magazine Editors' Pick

Click here to read the full review at DownBeat Magazine