Paquito DRivera's - NEA Jazz Master, multiple Gramm winner, Downbeat Hall of Fame Inductee - gained worldwide attention as a member of the Grammy Award winning Cuban group Irakere, a revolutionary ensemble co-founded with Chucho Valds in the early 1970s. Blending Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz, the band was a seminal force and marked a new era in Cuban music. His defection to the United States in 1980 was a turning point, as he became an ambassador of Latin jazz around the world, fusing cultures and genres effortlessly.

The keyboard wizard and his trio present their new European project.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on New Year’s Eve in 1944, Bernie Senensky has stood as a central figure in Canadian jazz for more than half a century. His musical journey began with classical piano studies at a young age, grounding him in a discipline and technique that would later underpin his jazz mastery. As a teenager, Bernie’s curiosity and passion for jazz began to take hold, initially nurtured by local teacher Bob Erlendson. From there, he largely taught himself the intricate language of jazz, developing a deeply personal approach that balanced sophistication, swing, and emotional clarity.

Bassist Matt Dwonszyk is best known as a hired gun, anchoring rhythm sections for saxophonists Julieta Eugenio and Jovan Alexandre, guitarist Tony Davis, and his regular drum partner Jonathan Barber. But, like many first-call sidefolk, the Hartford-based musician leads his own band as well. Live at the Sidedoor captures a gig at the titular club, featuring Barber, saxophonist Matt Knoegel, trumpeter Josh Bruneau, and pianist Taber Gable and a program of mostly originals.

John Coltrane was one of the greatest jazz innovators in the world. Dear Trane is born from the attempt to approach the emotional strength of the compositions of the great American saxophonist, making them relive with contemporary sounds, experiences and musical acquisitions. The songs on the album were "rewritten" by trying to imagine how Coltrane would have adjusted his songs if he would had composed them today. An arduous attempt, considering the magnitude of the composer, but just as pure and true to his intentions. The project idea comes from the certainty that the best way to remain faithful to Coltrane is the search for contemporaneity.

Spark presents a focused statement from the Aaron Irwin Trio, built on long standing collaboration, deep listening, and a strong sense of melody and form. The music moves fluidly between chamber jazz intimacy and upbeat, blues centered grooves, allowing lyricism, rhythm, and momentum to coexist. Guitarist Mike Baggetta and drummer Bill Campbell meet Irwin’s compositions with flexibility and restraint, shaping each piece through subtle shifts in color, pulse, and density. While space and patience play an important role, the trio is equally comfortable leaning into drive and forward motion. Subtle use of effects on saxophone and bass clarinet expands the trio’s palette without drawing attention away from the acoustic core of the music. The album reflects a distillation of the group’s language, favoring clarity, feel, and collective intent over excess. Spark invites the listener into an open, searching conversation that balances reflection with grit, warmth, and momentum.

NEA Jazz Master Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. is one of finest saxophonists of his generation. His resume includes long associations with Terrance Blanchard and Art Blakey throughout the 1980s. But the foundation of Harrison's music, and it’s the soul of his music, comes from his lifelong participation in the culture of New Orleans, his home town. Here he pays tribute to that rich culture, and accompanied by non other than the legendary Dr. John. Both artists, the embodiment of New Orleans’ music in their own right. The album features a mix of original compositions and jazz standards, all infused with the spirit and energy of New Orleans. Featuring the Mardi Gras Indian chants of The Guardians Of The Flame, this recording captures the magic of heritage New Orleans Mardi Gras music and wraps it all up in one package.

This album is the result of six years I’ve spent in Canada- years of studying with some of the country’s greatest jazz musicians and collaborating with artists throughout British Columbia. In that time, I’ve been fortunate not only to grow as a musician, but to make lasting friendships- people I can now say are my family.When it came time to record my first record, it felt only natural to bring those friends into the studio with me. Together, we have created a project that reflects the hard work, respect , love and dedication that has been poured into this music- the music of Jazz, of Black American tradition. The tunes you will hear on this record are ones that mean something to me personally.

Hangin’ In’ is Joan Fort’s second album as a bandleader and works as a personal narrative: that of a musician from a small town who, fascinated by jazz history, followed its echoes to New York and there found a community of musicians embodying the tradition from within. It’s not just a record of maturity, but the result of persistence and the decision to keep going when giving up seemed like the easiest option.

In New York, Stewart can be found playing at such clubs as Smalls, Lincoln Center, Birdland, SMOKE, The Kitano, The Jazz Standard and many more. Stewart has performed all over North America and Europe as well as in Japan, Brazil, and Taiwan.

Saxophonist Peter Weniger and keyboardist Hubert Nuss are ‘together again’! While both have enjoyed great recognition as solo artists, their long-standing bond and inspiring friendship have remained strong. Since their first duo album, ‘Private Concert’, released in 1991, they have been together regularly, sometimes as a duo, sometimes as a trio, and also as sidemen in each other's projects – always as a creative part of the respective creative act.

This wild jazz trio consisting of Javon Jackson on saxophone, Ron Carter on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums release an album consisting of both originals and standards. This album is part of the Chesky Records "Binaural +" series, recorded as a live performance on a single microphone capable of capturing spacial nuances to come as close as possible to imitating a live performance even through headphones.

Historical recordings of two exceptional musicians, Paul McCandless (Oregon) and Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group) - line-up: Paul McCandless (Oregon), Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones), Fred Simon (Larry Coryell, Ralph Towner, Beach Boys), Mark Walker (Oregon, Dave Liebman) Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group, Ramsey Lewis) All band members have been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards or have won Grammys in various categories - Audiophile listening pleasure thanks to sound engineering by Dan Feiszli and Steve Rodby (Chuck Mangione, Tom Paxton, Tyrone Davis, among others).

Within When I Return’s intimate musical universe, seven searching and deeply attentive musicians meet in a space where their individual voices are both nurtured and tested. The music unfolds in open, breathing forms, allowing each player the freedom to move within melodic frameworks where lines intertwine, separate, and reconnect in a constantly shifting collective expression.

This previously unreleased recording documents a unique session held in Barcelona on November 17, 1989, bringing together alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, tenor saxophonist Sal Nistico, pianist Frank Strazzeri, bassist Isla Eckinger, and drummer Peer Wyboris. The music alternates between quartet and quintet performances, capturing a meeting of strong musical personalities.