We may regret not having been around when some of our idols were writing the pages that have now become foundations of the music we love. There is not much we can do about that, other than fantasizing about those times and those musicians. What we can do however is feeling lucky to live at a time when there is a number of modern masters in action. One of them is trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire [pictured], for whom 2023 was a remarkable year. Here we focus on the wide range of releases he has worked on, as well as on those of other adventurous musicians.

This is the last hour of Mondo Jazz for 2023. Thank you for your attention and support in the past 12 months. We look forward to sharing more beauty in the key of jazz in 2024.

The past four episodes were dedicated to a retrospective and a celebration of the many good things that happened in the jazz world in 2023, through a focus on our favorite songs of the last few months. This time we revert to our regular overview of recent and upcoming releases… some which could also have been included in our favorites, but we just didn't have enough space in the last four playlists.

For the past few episodes we have been looking back at albums released this year which we've been most fascinated by, and we cherry-picked songs from those albums that struck us the most… To wrap up this retrospective here's the last batch of sonic gems.

A playlist with a few more among the songs that we have been collecting through the past 6 months with a plan to share them, all at once, in an attempt to close a challenging year under more than a few good notes, a right of passage from one phase of our lives to another.

It's that time of the year when we look back at the past twelve months and realize that Jazz continues to be possibly the only thing that doesn't let us down, while the world is getting crazier by the hour. So here we are again, sharing a few mores tunes we've loved the most in the past few months.

This week we focus on the songs that have made us smile, tap our feet, reflect and keep our optimism in spite of the dire state of the world during the past six months. We hope they'll have the same effect on you.

If this episode of Mondo Jazz could be summarized in a flow-chart it would be someting like: West-African tinged European Jazz -> jazz meets (symphonic or chamber) classical music -> electro-acoustic chamber jazz.

Here's an episode mostly dedicated to the proposition that piano jazz has a very beautiful future, if we have to judge by what emerging pianists like Micah Thomas, Nitai Hershkovits [pictured], Dexter Goldberg, Joona Toivanen or Fergus McCreadie are putting on record. Before and after this piano segment, thrilling new albums.

Emerging saxophonists, emerging guitarists, established masters, and the good feeling that we're in the middle of a great time for jazz lovers where tradition and innovation bring about tons of good music.

Stevie Wonder, Maya Angelou, Ryuichi Sakamoto, the crazy world we live in, and the world immigrants left behind are some of the sources of inspiration of the intriguing music featured this week on our playlist.

This time we play with an unusual idea, alternating big band albums with albums recorded by vibraphone players. Why?, you may ask... For no particular reason, other than the fact that we realized the tunes we selected flow well together in this sequence.

We open this week's edition with a few projects that represent the essence of world fusion which is taking place in these modern times, and we close with a few projects that gravitate around that music catalyst that {{Carlos Niño}} is. In between, projects that will let your fantasy fly.

This episode features music inspired by {{Miles Davis}}, {{Andrew Hill}} and {{Buddy Emmons}}, but also by the Amazon Forest and the rivers of the Brazilian North-East.

This time we try to bring you jazz that refuses to respect boundaries, or "Somethin' Else from Somewher' Else". Here is an episode illustrates how jazz may well be the most welcoming music genre there is, perfectly able to blend with musical traditions from all over the world, from Native American and Latin American roots to Fado, Flamenco, Baroque British music and more.

From wall of sound albums to projects of sparse beauty, this week we cover the whole sonic gamut, with a special attention to the trio format, because... three is the perfect jazz number!

A playlist featuring musicians paying tribute to the music that inspired them to do what they do, be it electric jazz or R&B of the 70s and 80s, the Mississippi Blues of the '40s and '50s, and the music of their mentors. The second half features three compelling albums featuring tight bands lead by forward looking bass players.

Mark Turner is here, is there, is everywhere--both on the East Coast where he was once based and on the West Coast where he moved to. And this playlist features some of his recent recordings as leader or sideman. The rest of the playlist features remarkable medium and large size ensembles, and the beautiful album by Henry Hey and his trio of sound-wave pilots.

Putting together an episode of Mondo Jazz feels like an experiment, requiring research and analysis leading to a synthesis of the most interesting specimens from the current world jazz flora. Here some of the most significant discoveries of the last week.

Artistically ambitious, a rare woman in a male dominated scene, taking the road less travelled, or even the road never travelled, and with her feet well on the ground business-wise side to ensure her artistic independence, Carla Bley played a key role in giving today's music scene the shape we know. This week we concentrate on some of her signature compositions, focusing on her Church side, her Big Band side, her catchy side, her electric side, and some of the musicians that embraced her work early on.

We could spend hours talking about the many things that made Carla Bley unique, and made her passing a huge loss for the world of jazz. This week we decided to focus on her songbook, as interpreted by many of the peers that admired her work.

Swedish saxophonists Per "Texas" Johansson and Marius Neset both have two new albums out; Swedish bassist Petter Eldh is on--at least--three new albums, including some by Johansson and Neset. This and much more on a playlist largely focusing on music from the Berlin and Scandinavian scenes.

We look at the music we love not only as source of sonic delight, but also as a metaphor of how societies could work, in harmony and respect regardless of place of origin and without boundaries, to create something higher than themselves. So this week we focus on music that may provide either hope or relief at a time when another war has erupted.

A mysterious new producer, Church Chords; the unearthing of a gem; jazz divinations; blood diamonds and bloody belly comb jellies... here for you a playlist that reads like a thriller story, and is as gripping as one.

Welcome back for yet another edition of Mondo Jazz bursting at the seams with gorgeous new and upcoming albums and music about the lockdown, incarceration, reincarnation, multi-tasking, astral projections, and how beautiful it is to play with musicians of different cultural backgrounds.