lupe

Oops...Thanks pointing it out, it's of course Chano Domiguez, I corrected in the initial post. Now, if you want to discover Nino Josele, I really recommend his masterpiece, "Paz", with beautiful takes of Bill Evans' compositions. One of my favorite albums of all times. Other very good albums I often listen to is "El Sorbo", together with Javier Limon, and the more recent "El mar de ni ventana". If "Chano & Josele" attracts you to Chano Dominguez, there is is the excellent "Piano Iberico", issued a few years ago (2010).

Thanks kh1958, I knew about the location, the album has indeed a very intimate feeling. If you like the combination of kora and other string instruments, you will also appreciate very much "Clychau Dibon" by Catrin Finch & Seck Keita. I like pretty much everything Vincent Segal does this days; the other collaboration I included in the list ("Songs of time lost", with Piers Faccini) is of a different nature but equally beautiful. I

Dear friends, I would like to share with some recent (and less recent) collaborations that I've been listening during the last months. I find all these albums of the highest quality and inspiration: everything that I'm really looking for when I'm listening to a jazz album. Here is the list, in no particular order: 1. Uri Caine & Paolo Fresu: Think 2. Vincent Segal & Ballake Sissoko: Musique de nuit 3. Chano Dominguez & Nino Josele: Chano & Nino 4. Mohamed Abozekry & Heejazz Extended: Ring Road 5. Orlando Julius & the Heliocentrics: Jaiyende Afro 6. Kayhan Kalhor & Erdal Erzincan: Kula Kulluk Yakisir Mi 7. Tigran Hamasyan & Yerevan State Chamber Choir: Luys i Luso 8. Stefano Bollani & Hamilton de Hollanda: O que será 9. Catrin Finch & Seck Keita: Clychau Dibon 10. Omar Sosa & Paulo Fresu: Alma 11. Piers Faccini & Vincent Segal: Songs of time lost I hope this could be helpful for the ones who are looking for recommendations. I'm also looking forward for any reviews from the ones who have already discover any of these.

I feel the duty to come back to this post and thank everyone who contributed. Throughout the year, I discovered and repeatedly listen to some of the suggested albums, mostly with great satisfaction. This is a list of the ones recommened by you - hope I don’t forget any : From the South-African scene: Next Stop Soweto Vol 3: amazing compilation; there is not a single average track. The 16-minute Batsumi’s “Itumeleng” is simply a masterpiece. Louis Moholo “Spirits Rejoice”: a classic indeed. Masekela's 'Home is Where the Music Is': made me change my mind about Masekela’s overall contribution to the evolution of SA jazz From the north: Roswell Ruud/Toumani Diabate “Malicool”: exactly what I was looking for! A great fusion between two styles of music. The opening “Bamako” has one of the most beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard. Dhafer Yousef “Malak”: sometimes goes beyond my taste, but overall a good album from a very talented artist Trio Ifriqiya ”Petite Planete”: great record, with good impros and a very human feeling; I would have dropped the singing... From elsewhere: Mombasa- African Rhythm & Blues: One of my favorite African groups. Solid playing, great inspiration. Henri Texier “Suite Africaine”: A very enjoyable album, successful experimentation and very atmospheric. Again, thanks to everybody who posted, and ... I'm ready for more suggestions !

Thanks for these suggestions. I have a good selection of Bebo Valdes and the Gilles Peterson's "Havana Cultura". But the works of Guillermo Klein and Chris Washbourne are relatively unknown to me, so I will definitely check them out. Other recommendations are most welcome...

The term "Latin Jazz" has been widely used since at least the forties, to describe several kinds of music coming from the Central and South America, and even beyond. The occasion for this post is given to me from a mind-blowing album that I have enjoyed to listen a lot during the last years: "Zamazu" by Roberto Fonseca. I find this record as one of the most inspirational and ground-breaking masterpieces of the new century; and I admit that I place it even higher that most of the jazz records that are considered the best of all times. This is not the case for other albums of the same artist that I have, such as "Akokan" et "Elengo", which are good but nothing more than that. At the same time, I try to follow the work of similar artists, such as Omar Sosa (“Sentir”), the late Anga (the fabulous “Echu Minga”), the old Chucho Valdes (“Chucho’s steps”) or the young Harold Lopez-Nussa (“Herencia”). What some call Afro-Cuban Jazz has definitely still much to offer us in the future. So, what would-you have to recommend to somebody who is looking something similar to the above-mentioned records?

A belated correction: Yes, I know, Seeline, you are right. I however decided to include this album on the initial list, just because with the addition of Anja Lechner (a European) the overall feeling and atmosphere gets very close to the one of the other albums. I was basically trying to help people understand what kind of recommendations I was looking for. I think you would like "Ojos Negros", it's a very intimate and sentimental album.

Thanks Tony: Yes, I appreciate very much Nino Josele and think that "Paz" was first class! But thanks for the Jorge Prado suggestion; I don't have any albums of him. Seeline, thanks for the "Jerry Gonzales y Los Piratas del Flamenco" suggestion – I have not heard the album yet. Italian jazz is of course a whole separate chapter; I have several albums, but your ideas on Paolo Angeli, La Banda, Paolo Damiani & Marco Zurolo seem very interesting..

A previous thread on African Jazz provided me with some excellent suggestions of albums that explore the links and interaction between African traditional music and mainstream western jazz. Few of them touched the fusion with North African / Middle East popular and improvisational music, which have gave us several interesting albums during the last years. I would like now to move a little bit further north and cross the Mediterranean towards the Iberian Peninsula. The jazz translation of local music traditions (flamenco and others) has produced some real masterpieces throughout recent music history – which occupy a very special place in my collection. Here is a list (in no particular order) – of great albums that I have in mind for this thread. 1. Michel Camilo y Tomatito: Spain 2. Niño Joselé: Paz 3. Buika & Chucho Valdez : El ultimo trago 4. Hadouk Trio : Baldamore 5. Dino Saluzzi & Anja Lecher: Ojos Negros 6. Miquel Gil : Eixos 7. Michel Camilo y Tomatito: Spain Again 8. Renaud Garcia-Fons: La linea del sur 9. Bebo & Cigala: Lagrimas Negras 10. Dave Holland & Pepe Habichuela.: Hands Each one of these works may come from different starting points and inspirations; but they end up in creating a very particular atmosphere and "feeling" directly linked with the region and its music. Based on these personal preferences, I would be glad if people could recommend other albums that fit in this category and are worth to discover.

Dharef Yousef seems a good suggestion, King ubu. Thanks

I consider "The Party" to be one of the three greatest comedies of all times that I had the chance to see. It's still physically painful for me to watch it. On the other side, "The days of wine and roses" is a masterpiece, the kind of movie that stopped being produced in the last 30 years. A devastating look on alcoholism inside an amazing film atmosphere and photography.

I did not have the chance to see Anouar Brahem live, but I enjoy very much some of his albums. Though we can argue a lot about how much improvisations he and his musicians apply, I do not particularly consider this fact important for "labelling" his work. His music - as well as the one of Rabih Abou-Khalil and Gilad Atzmon - is definitely jazz; of course they are rooted on the traditional music of the Middle-East region, as much as American jazz is rooted in traditional music of America. You are right about the (mostly Congolese and West African) bands who used the world "jazz" in their names, thought they were playing pop music and rumbas. In order to avoid any misunderstanding, I included a list of albums that I had in my mind when asking for recommendations in my initial post.

True! Though I think with myself, I'll rather go for some African music with more contemporary stuff, rather than for African jazz. Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté... here are a pair though: Can Walk On Sand Omri Ziegele Where's Africa Triow/Irene Schweizer & Makaya Ntshoko Tommi Meier - Root Down and their second one (which I don't know yet): Tommy Meier - Root Down: The Master and The Rain Root Down is a pretty wild mix of grooves, horns, some electronics... some Fela Kuti, some Chris McGregor & BoB... it's quite great, in my humble opinion! The Where's Africa Trio release I mentioned before elsewhere. It's a solid and likeable release. You certainly have a point. I indeed have a lot of contemporary African music - actually so much that it starts to sound quite repetitive and it becomes more and more difficult to be surprised. However, both Omri Ziegele and Tommy Meier are completely unknown to me and I'm looking forward to discover them; especially the first one looks quite close to what I'm looking for. Thanks very much !

Thanks king ubu, the box looks indeed a good deal, though the volume 3 is the one I'm really interested to. I am currently listening to some of the other suggestions of this thread, which are very good. One thing I regret is that most recommendations concern older musicians and albums. I suppose this is not by accident, and one can feel it only by watching what kind of music Africans themselves like to listen to today. However, almost all the favourite albums that I included in my initial post are contemporary; and I'm sure that there are some more out there.... :blush2:

Thanks for this suggestion, Tony. I think there is only one album of them ("Petite Planete"), so I will definitely try it. Yes, I also mentioned a couple of Turkish artists (Kudsi Erguner, Taksim Trio), since they match the general style of the North African / Mediterranean jazz. One other fabulous record of collaboration between artists of countries of this area is "Kanza" of Abdel Salameh and Naziha Azzouz. It's less jazzy and more traditional, but very beautiful nevertheless. Any other suggestions are really welcomed !!!