He stands in a long line of virtuoso Cuban-born musicians based in New York. In a live performance, the pianist hears the island's percussive sweep as modern, electrified jazz.
Manuel Valera's New Cuban Express: Live In Concert
Benny Golson (right) and pianist Sharp Radway perform at the KPLU studios in Seattle.
Justin Steyer/Jazz24hide caption
Golson, who recorded his first album as a bandleader 55 years ago, is responsible for some of the most memorable songs in the jazz canon. Watch the tenor-sax legend perform at KPLU in Seattle.
Kendrick Scott.
Armeen Musa/Berklee College of Musichide caption
toggle captionArmeen Musa/Berklee College of Music
He's got a kitchen sink for a palette and a natural flow around even the most jagged rhythms. He writes music, too: The fluid drummer Kendrick Scott takes his band to his alma mater for a live preview of his upcoming album.
Kendrick Scott And Oracle In Concert
Al Foster.
John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.comhide caption
toggle captionJohn Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com
The great drummer made his debut at the club with Sonny Rollins in the late '60s. Foster has been a sideman to the stars ever since, and now he leads his own band of young guns.
Tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin has long been known as an exceptional jazz soloist. Lately, he's been on a funk-fueled electric bender, and if this dubby, space-age show is any indication, his band won't unplug any time soon.
Donny McCaslin Group In Concert
Adam Rogers.
John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.comhide caption
toggle captionJohn Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com
The guitarist may be best known as a modern jazz musician, but he's never shied away from his funk and rock upbringing. Case in point: Rogers' new trio, full of skronky shredding and biting backbeats, performs live in concert.
Adam Rogers' DICE Trio In Concert
Galactic performs at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 23, 2012.
Mito Habe-Evans/NPRhide caption
Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club was home to a night of New Orleans soul and funk when Galactic took the stage for a performance, originally webcast live on NPR Music Feb. 23.
There's a tradition in many New York City jazz clubs: Monday nights are reserved for big bands. The Village Vanguard, the most storied of clubs, has observed this practice since 1966.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Live At The Village Vanguard
Leala Cyr (left) and Ricardo Vogt.
Rafael Sanchez/Berklee College of Musichide caption
toggle captionRafael Sanchez/Berklee College of Music
She's from a small Midwestern town. He's from Southern Brazil. But they've been collaborating for years — she with voice and trumpet, he on guitar — and they demonstrate their blend of musical traditions in a live concert broadcast.
One of the world's foremost jazz trumpeters delights with two masterful performances of time-honored standards.
Arturo Sandoval: The Music In His Heart
Mark Turner (left) told JazzSet, "I consider myself an economical player, not at the top of my voice on every song no matter what, and Paul [Motian] is like that."
John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.comhide caption
toggle captionJohn Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com
A drummer re-scores the Stevie Wonder songbook for two singers, two saxes and a jazz rhythm section. Hear classics like "Golden Lady" and deep cuts alike reinterpreted in a live concert recording.
E.J. Strickland Project: Live In Concert
Alicia Olatuja of Olatuja Project.
John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.comhide caption
toggle captionJohn Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com
A husband-and-wife team makes genre-crossing music which reflects the West African diaspora in sound, from talking drum to gospel music and keyboard synthesizer. Hear a live concert recording from New York.
