Mondo Jazz

Another week of sifting through the flood of recent and upcoming jazz releases, another playlist full of gems you won’t find on shuffle. The playlist features Simona Severini, Jacopo Ferrazza; Alexa Tarantino; Monfort, Nina Tonji; Adam O'Farrill; Yvonne Rogers [pictured]; Marius Neset, Anton Eger, Bergen Big Band Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22068742/Mondo-Jazz [from "Caravan" onwards] Happy listening! Photo: Alice Plati

This week we celebrate 80 years of music by the Metropole Orkest, the restless spirit of Michael League, and flying carpets made of percussions, pianos and Hammond organs that take the listener to a hypnotic new dimension. The playlist features Parlor Greens; Snarky Puppy; Metropole Orkest [pictured], Miho Hazama; Pedrito Martinez, Antonio Sanchez, Michael League; Booker Stardrum; Luca Dell'Anna. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22068742/Mondo-Jazz [up to "Yin--Yang"] Happy listening!

This time we celebrate 75 years of Bill Frisell through his own music and the wide creative wake it has left across today’s scene. This episode also spotlights newly unearthed choral works by Kenny Wheeler and several recent projects involving Italian saxophonist and clarinetist Francesco Bigoni, tracing a thread between enduring influence, rediscovery, and contemporary exploration. The playlist features Bill Frisell; The Westerlies; Zeno De Rossi; Billy Mohler, Hermon Mehari, Francesco Bigoni, Nate Wood; Pierpaolo Zenni; Dave Holland, Norma Winstone, London Vocal Project, Kenny Wheeler. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22033617/Mondo-Jazz [from "In My Dreams" to "Infant Joy"] Happy listening!

Moving from intimate, folk-tinged lyricism to expansive ensemble statements and thoughtful tributes, here is a set that reflects a contemporary jazz landscape defined by optimism, cross-border interplay, and a spirit of exploration that favors curiosity and forward momentum over nostalgia. The playlist also features Lucy Mellenfield [pictured]; Etienne Guéreau; Nils Wülker; Gregory Hutchinson; Niklas Lukassen; and Wayne Horvitz. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/21998024/Mondo-Jazz [from "John Neely" to "The Number of the Beast Is 666"]. Happy listening!

A heartfelt tribute to Michel Portal, a rare artist equally at home in jazz and classical music, a prolific film composer, fearless improviser, and true multi-instrumentalist. Drawing on recordings made as leader, co-leader, and sideman, the episode traces a career that helped shape a distinctly European jazz voice—rooted in American traditions yet independent in spirit—while remaining open to global influences, cross-genre dialogue, and boundless sonic exploration. The playlist also features Nels Cline; Richard Galliano; Henri Texier; Emile Parisien; Vincent Peirani; and Miroslav Vitous. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/21998024/Mondo-Jazz [up to "Surfing with Michel"].

Here's a playlist that follows a thread of rhythm, breath, and cross-cultural dialogue, bringing together composer-led projects that highlight the flute as a bridge between power and lyricism. From big band exuberance to intimate trio settings and a celebrated live document, the playlist moves through music that is vibrant, border-crossing, and deeply collaborative. It closes in a more contemplative space, where improvisation becomes a search for silence, resonance, and shared meaning. The playlist features Gareth Lockrane; Stéphane Galland, Lucia Pires, Louise van den Heuvel; Yilian Cañizares [pictured]; Al Foster; Yom x Ceccaldi. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/21962524/Mondo-Jazz [from "All the People" to "Sacred Lake"]. Happy listening!