Billy Cobham had always incorporated elements of disco and funk into his solo recordings; however, this is the most painful example. Even his die-hard fans haven't forgiven him for this embarrassment…

The shifts in Weather Report's personnel come fast and furious now, with Narada Michael Walden and Chester Thompson as the drummers, Alex Acuna and Don Alias at the percussion table, and Alphonso Johnson giving way to the mighty, martyred Jaco Pastorius…

Kazumi Watanabe was only 17 when his debut Infinite was released in 1971, with his display of guitar skills establishing him as a young prodigy. As the late 70's continued, Watanabe created over a dozen jazz fusion albums, while also performing guitar segments on other musicians' albums. He travelled with Yellow Magic Orchestra on their tour in 1979 and was a key collaborator with many of the musicians involved, in particular with Ryuichi Sakamoto…

This features an array of exceptional musicians who perform a broad series of jazz-related musical textures. The album stretches from solo piano and string quartet to 13-piece, three drummer ensembles, with special guests including Chris Potter and the Amika String Quartet, amongst others.

Naurora is undoubtedly Dewa Budjana's most ambitious work yet. Progressive, fresh, engaging, technically brilliant. Budjana’s tunes consistently clasp his listeners in a drape of gorgeous melodies, showpiece guitar parts and astounding ensemble passages that have a spacious air. Naurora, has is an exhilarating mix of styles, it delivers a succession of memorable motifs. It melds East Asian music with progressive jazz fusion and some occasional elements of rock, but most of all it delivers an idiosyncratic sound that is instantaneously identifiable as Dewa Budjana’s own.

For more than five decades, John McLaughlin has deployed his peerless guitar technique, compositional gifts, and imagination in service of a deeply personal higher calling, forging a vast legacy unmatched in improvised music. Now as the world reels from the toll of the ongoing viral-induced global lockdown, McLaughlin reflects on both the perils and potential of this challenging moment with 'Liberation Time'.

Recorded by Yoshihiko Akiyama at The Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, NY Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 - Artists at Noguchi.

Jaga Jazzist (also known as Jaga) is a Norwegian experimental jazz band, that rose to prominence when the BBC named their second album, A Livingroom Hush (Smalltown Supersound/Ninja Tune), the best jazz album of 2002.

Like many serious musicians, John Stein was trying to find a way to reach his audience following the Covid-19 breakout. He had just released Watershed, a career- defining recording to mark his planned retirement from Berklee College of Music, where he was an acclaimed educator.

The band’s new recording, Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man, communicates with a clarity and simplicity that belies its ultimate depth. “I want to cast a spell,” explains Parks, “to lull you into a trance where you think you know where you’re going, and then take you somewhere unexpected, almost without realizing how you got there.”

On Exoplanet, Rob Frye generates an atmosphere in which drummers and improvisers orbit synthesizers, inhabiting a Goldilocks zone of electronic and biotic components. Some of the tracks were created spontaneously or composed of strict loops, but two of the arrangements are melodic adaptations of the song of Musician Wren.

Ruby Rushton return to 22a with a four track album teaser combining a fusion of sounds from across the jazz spectrum in their own distinctive style. The band have forged an instantly recognisable sound since their debut release ‘Two For Joy’ back in 2015, hitting the sweet spot by simultaneously sounding classic and forward-thinking.

Seigen Ono is a composer, musician, recording and mastering engineer. For over 40 years, he has engineered for renowned artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto (Merry Christmas Mr.Lawrence/1983), Sadao Watanabe, Manhattan Transfer, Joe Jackson, The Lounge Lizards, Arto Lindsay, John Zorn, and David Sylvian.

Seventeen compositions written during a global pandemic. Recorded remotely – thirty musicians, individually, most in their own homes. A lot happened during this year, personally, professionally, nationally, globally. This music represents my thoughts on and reactions to these events: 2020 in hindsight.

Johanna Klein (saxophone), Nicolai Amrehn (bass), Leo Engels (guitar) and Jan Philipp (drums) are all based in Cologne and have known each other for many years. Together as the Johanna Klein Quartet, they move between modern jazz and free improvisation, whilst also incorporating elements of pop and rock.