Antibalas is an American, Brooklyn-based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra. Although their music generally follows the musical architecture and language of afrobeat, it incorporates elements of jazz, funk, dub, improvised music, and traditional drumming from Cuba and West Africa.
Anthony John Medeski is an American jazz keyboard player and composer. Medeski is a veteran of New York's 1990s avant-garde jazz scene and is known popularly as a member of Medeski Martin & Wood. He plays the acoustic piano and an eclectic array of keyboards, including the Hammond B3 organ, melodica, mellotron, clavinet, ARP String Ensemble, Wurlitzer electric piano, Moog Voyager Synthesizer, Wurlitzer 7300 Combo Organ, Vox Continental Baroque organ, and Yamaha CS-1 Synthesizer, among others. When playing acoustic piano, Medeski usually plays the Steinway piano and is listed as a Steinway Artist.
Nucleus were a British jazz-fusion band, which continued in different forms from 1969 to 1989. In 1970, the band won first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival, released the album Elastic Rock, and performed both at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Village Gate jazz club.
Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas. Since the acclaimed first album release of Bonobo's debut Animal Magic, the label has put out over 200 LPs, across genres from electronic, funk, soul and hip hop to jazz, tropical, grime and more. It has developed a reputation for releasing a wide variety of high-quality music.
Rain Dances is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. It was released in 1977 on Gama Records/Decca Records, and brought a major change to the band's lineup, by replacing bassist Doug Ferguson with ex-Caravan member Richard Sinclair and by adding saxophonist Mel Collins, formerly of King Crimson.
Man Man is an experimental rock band from Philadelphia currently based in Los Angeles. Their multi-instrumental style is centered on the piano playing of lead singer, songwriter, and lyricist Honus Honus. Honus is accompanied by a group of multi-instrumentalist musicians and vocalists. Instruments played by the band include clavinet, Moog Little Phatty, sousaphone, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, flute, bass clarinet, drum set, euphonium, Fender Jazz Bass, Danelectro baritone guitar, xylophone, marimba, melodica and various percussive instruments including pots and pans, toy noisemakers, Chinese funeral horns, spoons, smashing plates, and fireworks.
Sunny Jain is an Indian American dhol player, drummer, and Indo jazz composer. He is recognized as a leading voice in the burgeoning movement of South Asian-American jazz musicians. His albums have received international acclaim for their "groundbreaking synthesis", as he brings together the ancient sounds of his cultural heritage, jazz and a host of other sounds.
Bob B Boilen is an American musician and media personality. He is the host and creator of NPR's online music show All Songs Considered.
Angel is the ninth studio album by The Ohio Players, and the sixth album recorded for Mercury. The band grew from seven to eight members with the addition of Clarence "Chet" Willis on rhythm guitar.
V.S.O.P. is a 1977 double live album by keyboardist Herbie Hancock, featuring acoustic jazz performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, jazz fusion/ jazz-funk performances by the ‘Mwandishi’ band and The Headhunters. The concert was advertised as a "Herbie Hancock Retrospective," and Miles Davis, who was several months into his temporary retirement, was advertised as playing with the V.S.O.P. group. According to concert attendees, on the night of the show a handwritten sign was posted on the lobby door announcing that Davis would not be playing, but that Hubbard would be appearing instead.
The Crucible is an album by John Zorn. It is the fourth album to feature the "Moonchild Trio" of Mike Patton, Joey Baron and Trevor Dunn, following Moonchild: Songs Without Words (2005), Astronome (2006) and Six Litanies for Heliogabalus (2007). It also features Marc Ribot on guitar and Zorn on alto saxophone.
Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C.
Tank and the Bangas is an American musical group based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band won the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Contest and in November 2019, they were nominated in the Best New Artist category for the 2020 Grammy Awards. They have released two studio albums, Thinktank (2013) and Green Balloon (2019), with their third studio album Red Balloon set for release on May 13, 2022.
Laila's Wisdom is the second studio album by American rapper Rapsody, released on September 22, 2017, by Jamla Records and Roc Nation. It is Rapsody's first album released under her partnership with Roc Nation. The album features collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Busta Rhymes, Lance Skiiiwalker, Black Thought, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Musiq Soulchild, among others.
El Michels Affair is an American "cinematic soul" group led by New York-based musician Leon Michels. The group released its debut album Sounding Out The City in 2005. After touring behind Raekwon and other Wu-Tang Clan members, the group recorded the popular cover album Enter The 37th Chamber in 2009. After releasing other cover albums during the following decade, El Michels Affair released the original albums Adult Themes in 2020 and Yeti Season in 2021.
Djesse Vol. 3 is the third record in the Djesse series and fourth album by English musician Jacob Collier, released on 14 August 2020. Djesse is a collection of four volumes that was announced 29 October 2018. The title Djesse, which is pronounced with a silent D, is a reference to Collier's own initials. Each of the albums in the series has been described by NPR as representing different parts of the day, the third being described as night.
AOKOHIO is the sixth studio album by American band Why?. It was released by Joyful Noise Recordings on August 9, 2019. It was released with an accompanying visual album.
Free Nationals are an American R&B band formed in Los Angeles, California. The group consists of Jose Rios, Ron "T.Nava" Avant, Kelsey Gonzales and Callum Connor. They frequently accompany Anderson .Paak as his backing band.
Elise Solberg is a Japanese-American pianist, composer, and songwriter. She is best known for playing keyboards with Chloe x Halle and Chloe Bailey. Solberg is the founder of Turn Up Her Mic.
Mikey Freedom Hart is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He has worked with Bleachers, Taylor Swift, Empress Of, Dev Hynes a.k.a Blood Orange, ASAP Rocky, Lana Del Rey, and The Chicks. He has received two Grammy nominations.
