Mondo Jazz

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!

Enjoy a playlist of music that slips through the cracks, rewards the open ear; and often crosses cultural and stylistic borders.

The playlist features Olivier Hutman, Lamine Cissokho; The Messthetics, James Brandon Lewis; Tigran Hamasyan; Mammal Hands; Trish Clowes & Louise McMonagle [pictured]; Julia Hülsmann; Noah Garabedian; and Kerry Politzer.

Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/22033617/Mondo-Jazz [up to "Alternate Route"]

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!

Moving fluidly from New York’s new generation to Europe’s creative hubs and onward to Havana and beyond, this playlist underscores the music’s global dialogue, its openness to diverse traditions, and a shared spirit of curiosity that connects bold experimentation, reflective balladry, and socially aware themes within today’s evolving jazz landscape.

The playlist features Caelan Cardello; Dave Douglas; Gonzalo Rubalcaba [pictured], Daniele Sepe; Melissa Aldana; Robert Lucaciu; Julie Campiche; Roberto Fonseca, Vincent Segal; Max Nagl; and Simon Hanes.

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"].