Adrián Royo Trío

The instrumental trio Azymuth modernized the sound and style of Brazilian jazz with their electronic instruments, angular arrangements and ingenious synthesis of jazz, funk, rock and samba. After the passing of founding keyboard player José Roberto Bertrami in 2012, Alex Malheiros (bass) and Ivan “Mamão” Conti (drums) recruited synthesizer samurai Kiko Continentinho to the trio as it continued to build on their sound, now in their fifth decade of pushing the boundaries of their beloved samba.

Adrian Belew’s long and winding career as an innovative guitar visionary enters yet another new phase with the pending release of Pop-Sided, the Covington native’s first solo album in 10 years. But don’t think the ever-restless singer-songwriter and prolific session guitarist has been sitting on his hands over that time: he created FLUX, a fascinating iOS app that plays random snatches of his sonic creations; he toured multiple times with the Adrian Belew Power Trio, which featured songs from across his versatile four-decade career; and he continued to contribute singular guitar parts for artists like Nine Inch Nails.

Coursing through the cosmic pulse of Jazz-Funk is the inimitable influence of Lonnie Liston Smith. For over five decades, the legendary keyboardist and bandleader has been a driving force in shaping the genre's sound. Smith made his recording debut as a sideman for heavyweights Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Gato Barbieri and Leon Thomas. He later formed his own ensemble, Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes which delivered an incredible run of classic albums through the 1970s. His music has served as the foundation for immortal hip-hop samples and ecstatic dancefloor revelry. In late February 2020, Smith headlined Jazz Is Dead’s Black History Month series, giving many jazz fans what would be their last taste of live music before the nightmare of COVID-19 that took over in the weeks that followed. Now, he reunites with Jazz Is Dead to deliver Lonnie Liston Smith JID017 - a full-bloom tribute to the multitude of sonic strains that all lead back to the fingertips of the maestro himself.

Argentinean pianist, arranger, and composer Adrián Iaies got involved in the jazz fusion scene in the mid-'80s when the talented musician formed a band called Touch, recording Ventanilla 16, released by Cirse Records in 1989, and La Lluvia es Sagrada, made in one session on May 26, 1993. That same year, Adrián Iaies created a project called Adrián Iaies Trío, issuing Nostalgias y Otros Vicios in 1998 and Grammy-nominated Las Tardecitas de Minton's in 1999. Later, concentrating on a solo piano record called Una Modica Plenitud. In the year 2000, after performing at New York's Brazilian-Argentinean Jazz Festival, Adrián Iaies moved to Barcelona, Spain, to make Tango Reflections.