Woodwind master and composer Adam Kolker has experimented with ensembles of various sizes, musicians of differing approach, creative studio work and eclectic genre blending to create his oeuvre, one that is highly distinctive in its communicability and artful expression. For the past couple of years, Kolker has led a dynamic and wide-ranging trio featuring Billy Mintz, an outstanding drummer and composer with whom Kolker has played with regularly for years, and the brilliant guitarist Steve Cardenas. The empathetic interaction between the three musicians makes for fascinating, moving music.

Our light shines brightest in the darkness and things in life don’t always turn out the way that we have planned. It is with these maxims in mind that the brilliant pianist and composer Shamie Royston presents her new recording, Beautiful Liar. Her second release is a testament to perseverance and the proposition that learning from mistakes will help in the pursuit of goals and subsequent triumphs. Though the path might not have always been an easy one, Royston’s light is luminous and her music has served her in establishing herself as a leading voice in the jazz world. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Royston has been an integral part of the New York jazz scene as a performer and educator. Her contributions as a pianist can be heard alongside celebrated leaders like Tia Fuller, Ralph Peterson, Sean Jones and Terri Lyne Carrington.

Jazz aficionados are often concerned with lineages within the music and the passing of the torch. There aren’t many musicians left who have witnessed and assisted in the development of jazz and improvised music as much as saxophonist Lee Konitz has. From the height of bebop to the current avant-garde, Konitz has established himself as a cornerstone and link between many adventurous musicians.

In recent years, it has been common for stars to be born through the means of social media. The immediacy of the Internet and the demand for content has made it possible for savvy artists to find their audiences and develop them. Though occasionally, there is the story of a whim turning into an opportunity. During the early summer of 2015, French vocalist Camille Bertault began utilizing her special talents of solo transcription and vocal dexterity to record herself singing remarkably to famous solos by jazz legends. She made videos of the performances and posted them to Facebook without much thought. The result was an immediate landslide of attention, but more than just acknowledgment of a quirky video, true fans began to call.

A new cast album of Cole Porter’s musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate, based on the current hit production from the Roundabout Theatre Company will be available for download and streaming this June. The show is directed by Scott Ellis, choreographed by Warren Carlyle with music direction by Paul Gemignani and features a book by Sam and Bella Spewack, and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.

A mellow blend of jazz and soul – served up in that great style that Ketty seemed to have totally wrapped up in these mid 60s recordings! The approach is less bluesy than that of Gloria Lynne, with some of the class of Nancy Wilson, but a larger approach to the backings that's a bit more formal overall. Titles include 'Lover Man', 'Where Is Love', 'My Romance', 'That's All', 'Deep Purple', and 'Love Locked Out'.

Pianist and composer Denny Zeitlin is heralded for his innovations in the world of jazz music. His consistent ability to find creative ways to expand and adapt within and beyond the genre throughout his tremendous career has been remarkable. Zeitlin remains a fan of the music and other innovators, including the singular saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, whose amazing compositions are featured on Zeitlin’s new recording, Early Wayne.

Having lived in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem for five years, pianist Kevin Hays couldn’t escape the vibrations of the historic neighborhood. He was reminded of the deep musical history of Harlem when he photographed a wall that was uncovered in the midst of the City’s continuous redevelopment. The wall was festooned with concert posters from decades past, an image Hays interpolated for the cover of his new recording, North.

In ancient Roman mythology, Janus was the god of time, passageways, beginnings and endings. With his two diametrically opposed faces, he looked simultaneously backwards and forwards in time. Janus is thus an ideal title for the new duo recording by pianist Nick Sanders and saxophonist Logan Strosahl, which mines centuries of compositions to create music entirely of the present moment. The pair also share a unique chemistry, honed over nearly a decade of working together, that echoes Janus in its suggestion of two voices sharing one mind.

On The Killing Floor is the 1989 bootleg album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Taken from the two shows performed in Stockholm, Sweden at Konserthuset on 9 January, 1969, this was released by The Swingin' Pig.