Yazz Ahmed – A Paradise In The Hold

It has been a long time since I had a chance to dig into the work of Bahraini/British trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s works.  She has a new album due on January 1, 2025, and judging by the one track available, it will be blending of deep fusion with Middle Eastern musical Continue Reading

Kalí Rodriguez-Peña – Mélange

Kalí Rodriguez-Peña is a Cuban-American trumpeter who is one of the leading lights of New York’s modern salsa scene.  Salsa isn’t a genre that normally gets caught by my radar, but recently I’ve had the chance to explore the works of artists like Johnny Colón, Hector Lavoe and Willie Colón, Continue Reading

Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari, Nelson Veras – Conversation #1: Condensed

Swiss drummer and percussionist Florian Arbenz was featured on our previous website, A Miscellany of Tasteful Music, some time in 2020 on a record he did with American saxophonist Greg Osby.  This album is equally as engaging. This slightly unusual line up of guitar, trumpet & drums might, at first Continue Reading

Amir ElSaffar – Inana

Inana is the fourth album by Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar which came out in 2011.  The trumpeter starts the album with eight tracks dedicated to Inanna, the Mesopotamian goddess of sex, beauty, war and political power.  ElSaffar mixes microtonal jazz with Arabic scales such as maqam, which seems to be Continue Reading