In terms of skateboarding, Tommy Guerrero may be more well-known than in the music industry. Guerrero, a San Francisco native, joined Powell Peralta Skate Company and was one of the founding members of the fabled "Bones Brigade" squad. Along with his brother Tony, TG has been performing music since the late 1970s. Both brothers were reared on a regular diet... read full bio
Nerija, a group of musicians based in London who have won the Jazz Newcomer Parliamentary Jazz Award and been nominated for the Jazz FM Breakthrough Act of the Year, perform vibrant and unique music that draws inspiration from jazz, hip hop, afrobeat and South African Township. The seven-piece ensemble contains up-and-coming musicians including guitarist Shirley Tetteh (Maisha, Gary Crosby's Groundation), trumpeter... read full bio
From Austin, Texas, comes the instrumental quartet known as JaRon Marshall + the collective. It stars Michael Longoria (Bob Schneider, Patty Griffin), JaRon Marshall (Black Pumas), Brian Donohoe (Progger, Snarky Puppy) and Chris Loveland (Clunis). At Adrian Quesada's Electric Deluxe Recorders in Austin, Texas, they just recorded their debut album. They draw inspiration from contemporary spiritualists Kamasi Washington and Shabaka Hutchings... read full bio
Texan instrumental group Balmorhea is known for its harsh but bright pictures of emotional landscapes, defying simple classification. The ensemble has seven full-length albums to their credit, the most recent of which, The Wind, was their debut on the illustrious Deutsche Grammophon label. Balmorhea have played to audiences in cities such as Mexico City, China, Istanbul and Italy. They have... read full bio
The four-piece, self-described "Creole Afro-Futurists" Dowdelin, who are based in Lyon and have roots in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Armenia, spread the love with their addicting new foot shuffler Simé Love. Dowdelin make a comeback with their track Simé Love (Creole meaning Spread Love), their first new song since the Poul Wélélé EP. The ensemble, which has recently grown to a four-piece size,... read full bio
For the next generation, trumpeter, producer and composer Matthew Halsall is reimagining spiritual jazz. With his sinuous, infinite fusion of jazz and deeply contemplative influences that are in sync with the natural world, he has established himself as a key voice in UK music over the course of nine albums, several honors, and his taste-making label, Gondwana Records. His contemplative and... read full bio
In the early 1980s, while other kids were playing war with G.I. Joe action figures, Detroit native Marcellus "Malik" Pittman was cranking up his radio and listening to jazz performances by Rosetta Hines, "the Wizzard," and "Electrifying Mojo." Malik started working as a DJ for college parties, wedding receptions, and "old school parties" in the early 1990s. Malik collaborated with... read full bio
A multi-horn, multi-drummer and multi-singer brass funk beast from Niagara, Ontario is called My Son The Hurricane. The 12-piece brass-dance group has performed at some of the major events in the US, Canada and Europe. There is no live show like My Son The Hurricane, as evidenced by the over 45 sold-out performances. We defy you not to dance while the band... read full bio
Ghost-Note is an explosion of sound, led by the multi-Grammy winning percussion combo of Robert "Sput" Searight and Nate Werth from Snarky Puppy. The group, which includes members of Prince, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, Toto and more, is advancing funk music into the future by building on the uplifting, innovative foundations laid by artists like... read full bio
Walter Smith III started to take music extremely seriously at a young age. Despite the impression that Smith is a fresh face on the stage, many people know him as a talented musician, composer and innovative teacher. Smith's most recent album, In Common III, has been called "border pushing" and includes some of the world's most significant and well-known musicians, including... read full bio
Grammy-winning Mexican-American rock group La Santa Cecilia is based in Los Angeles. They use a variety of Pan-American rhythms, such as cumbia, bossa-nova, rumba, bolero, tango, R&B, jazz and klezmer music, to draw inspiration from around the globe. La Santa Cecilia, named for the patron saint of music, sings in both English and Spanish with a mesmerizing voice about love, sorrow,... read full bio
Adedeji is one of the most recent findings from Nigeria. At the age of six, he began singing, and he later enrolled in the University of Lagos to study music. Following that, he received his guitar degree in London and pursued a jazz specialty in the Netherlands. But Adedeji's music is anything but scholarly. Together with his very tight band from... read full bio
Butcher Brown is a jazz-funk fusion group that combines soul-jazz, psychedelic, and rock elements with jazz, hip-hop, funk, and soul. Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey, the group's most recent album, is a progressive and large-scale Concorde release that takes big band jazz and reconstructs it to fit the band's own aesthetic. With their live performance, they have sold out venues... read full bio
Ccile McLorin Salvant is a jazz vocalist. Her rise to stardom began with Salvants achievement winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. She released her first album shortly after winning the prize, and upon the release of her second album, WomanChild, she received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Her third album, For One to Love, received... read full bio
John McLaughlin has been cited as a major influence on many '70s and '80s fusion guitarists, including prominent players such as Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Mike Stern, Al Di Meola, and Scott Henderson. According to Pat Metheny, McLaughlin has changed the evolution of the guitar during several of his periods of playing. McLaughlin is also considered a major influence on... read full bio
Two-time Grammy nominated, four-time Gold-selling artist and six-time Emmy Award winner Josh Tesh announced that he would be launching a three-fold campaign for the next phase in his musical career. As a television host, recording artist, music director and syndicated radio show host, Tesh has explored and succeeded in all of these facets of the entertainment industry. With more stations... read full bio
The Manhattan Transfer have passed their 40th anniversary having produced over 29 albums and earned ten Grammy Awards over the span of their careers together. One of the most popular jazz recordings, Birdland", brought the group their first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. They made music history by becoming the first group to win Grammy Awards for both... read full bio
Following the paths of big band leaders like Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's brassy, upbeat sound has been embraced both by older fans nostalgic for the music of their youth and by legions of younger fans enamored of the elegance and sophistication of the Big Band era. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has performed at... read full bio
Michael Franks is a smooth jazz singer-songwriter from the United States, who has recorded with Who's Who of artists, such as Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, Art Garfunkel, and David Sanborn. His songs have been recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti LaBelle, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, Shirley Bassey and The Carpenters. After 22 years of smash hits and smooth jazz came... read full bio
Earl Klugh is an American smooth jazz guitarist and composer. His sound is a blend of jazz, pop and rhythm and blues influences, forming a potpourri of sweet contemporary music original to only him. His career rapidly progressed to working with the likes of George Benson, George Shearing, Chick Corea, and many others. For their album one on... read full bio
