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Summer may be ending, but things are really heating up with in terms of Jazz in the area. The  57th annual Monterey Jazz Festival has come to to town as well as some great sounds to KZSC. The charts remain dominated by Concord and Bluenote favorites, but some new artists from the international stage are rightly making their presence known on the airwaves and in the station. Most notably, young vocalist Malika Tirolien and Mexican pianist Alex Mercado (and his quintet). Canadian based artist, Malika Tirolien is increasingly getting critics attention with her smooth blend of R&B and Afro-Carribean infused jazz, which adds to a fresh new sound to jazz. Mexico City may not be known for jazz, but has given birth to one special pianist that makes us take a second look south for what’s new in jazz. Classically trained Mexican Pianist, Alex Mercado debuts his masterful skills on his album Symbiosis, which is steep in melodic improvisations and virtuosity. If the summer has taught me anything, it’s that it has surely set the stage for the upcoming school year for jazz.

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Malika Tirolien

 

Charts:

1    BAD PLUS    Inevitable Western    SPEAKEASY
2    MALIKA TIROLIEN    Sur La Voie Ensoleillee
3    BOSSACUCANOVA    Our Kind Of Bossa    Six Degrees
4    JOSE JAMES    While You Were Sleeping    Blue Note
5    JOSHUA REDMAN    Trios Live    Nonesuch
6    BRIAN BLADE AND THE FELLOWSHIP BAND    Landmarks    Blue Note
7    YELENA ECKEMOFF QUINTET    A Touch Of Radiance    L and H
8    MELISSA ALDANA AND CRASH TRIO    Melissa Aldana And Crash Trio    Concord
9    LISA HILTON    Kaleidoscope    Self-Released
10    DR. JOHN    Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit Of Satch    Concord

Adds:

1    YELENA ECKEMOFF QUINTET    A Touch Of Radiance    L and H
2    AFRO BOP ALLIANCE    Angel Eyes    Zoho
3    ALEX MERCADO TRIO    Symbiosis    Fornarte Latino
4    BOBBY BROOM    My Shining Hour    Origin
5    MOON HOOCH    This Is Cave Music    Palmetto-Hornblow