Bakithi Kumalo

Bakithi Kumalo’s bass playing can be found in the heart and soul of the modern day anthems that have shaped our sense of music and culture as we know it. Ranked among the top 50 bass players in the world by Bass Player Magazine, Bakithi Kumalo is a five-time Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist. Born in the Soweto township of Johannesburg, South Africa and surrounded by relatives who loved music and actively performed, Kumalo landed his first job at the age of seven filling in for his uncle's bass player. Kumalo worked as a session musician in South Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s, eventually becoming a top session bassist and accompanying international performers during their South African tours.

Fretless guru Steve Bailey has returned with a new solo album, or more appropriately, duet album. Carolina is an amazing 17-song collection that showcases the six-string wonder with a wide array of artists. Bailey is joined by vocalist Becca Stevens, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, Lukas Nelson, and more. A particularly special moment is his duet with Willie Nelson on the legend’s own “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground.”

Gershwin's World is a tour de force for Herbie Hancock, transcending genre and label, and ranking among the finest recordings of his lengthy career. Released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's birth, this disc features jazzman Hancock with a classy collection of special guests. GERSHWIN'S WORLD won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group. "St. Louis Blues" won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s).

Pioneering all-female Sixties band Ace of Cups have announced the new release date and track list for their sophomore studio album, Sing Your Dreams. The 12-song set drops on September 18th, one month after it was originally scheduled, via High Moon Records.

Made Up Mind, the second studio album from the Tedeschi Trucks Band, contrasts considerably with Revelator in that it showcases the strength of an 11-piece band willing to experiment as they assimilate inspirations – from Stax, Muscle Shoals, Motown, Delaney & Bonnie, blues, and jazz – and incorporate their various experiences into a new whole. Co-produced by Derek Trucks and Jim Scott, there is an increased emphasis on songwriting and more sophisticated arrangements. At the behest of Sony, Susan Tedeschi and Trucks invited other songwriters (some old friends) to contribute to these songs, adding perspective.

Ruben Rada (born 1943; moniker "El Negro Rada") is an Afro-Uruguayan percussionist, composer and singer. He is closely associated with Candombe, an Afro–Uruguayan rhythmic style music, which is based on the sound of three types of drums: ґchicoґ, ‘repique’ and ‘piano’. Rada has recorded more than 30 albums, which today are considered Uruguayan classics. On November 9, 2011 Ruben Rada was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Latin Grammy Award.