Bridging the Gap November 12, 2025

*Makala Jazz Funk Band: "5 Sense" (Xake! 2015) Groove Jazz soul group led by Spanish DJ, prod. comp. & musician Makala (Mikel Unzurrunzaga Schmitz).

*Thievery Corporation: "La Force De Melodie feat. Lou Lou Ghelickhani" (Treasures From The Temple 2018) Amer. electronic duo of Rob Garza & Eric Hilton never wanted to limit themselves to one genre. That's why they are two of the most well rounded & eclectic prods. around. Lou Lou is an Austin TX singer & keyboardist.

*Isabelle Antena: "La Pecheresse A La Ligne" (Easy Does It 2005) Isabelle Antena is a French jazz & pop singer. She began as I Powaga in the group Antena but became very popular in Japan after recording her first solo album.

*New Visionaries: "Spiritual World" (Roadmaps 2024) Australian UK based artist prod. Joel Sarakula got together with Dutch musician prod. Phil Martin when he was stuck in the Netherlands for the Covid lockdown. They came up with some great music.

*Lemongrass & Alejandro Fernandez Lecce: "Amar (Lofi Jazz Version" (Collaborations - EP 2024) Germ. prod. & DJ Roland Voss is Lemongrass prod. electronic music spanning multiple genres. AF Lecce is a guit. keys player from Buenos Aires.

*Khruangbin: "Dern Kala" (The Universe Smiles Upon You 2015) Amer. band from Houston TX Khruangbin is a Thai word that means 'airplane' & is a tribute to the Thai funk/rock that inspired their formation. Donald Johnson on drums. Laura Lee on bass & Mark Speer on guitar & vox.

*Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media: "That's How I Feel" (WaJazz Legends... ) Sax/flutist Jiro Inagaki was one of the central figures in the development of Jazz/Rock in Japan beginning in 1970. Jiro passed away at age 90 in 2024.

*Kiyoshi Yamaya & Yonekawa Toshiko: "Saitaro-Bushi" (Waimono Groove... 2022) Jap. jazz comp. sax player & prod. Kiyoshi Yamaya had a long career in Jap. music. Toshiko Yonekawa was Jap. koto player & comp.

*Masayoshi Takanaka: "Oh! Tengo Suerte" (Seychelles 1976) Chin/Jap. guit. M Takanaka was born M Liu in Tokyo & made his pro debut subbing on guitar with HHosono's band Apryl Fool in his school uniform.

*Club Des Belugas: "Yadadey Samba feat. Iain Mackenzie" (Strange Things Beyond The Sunny Side 2019) Germ. nujazz band led by prod. comp. Maxim Ilion (Martin Kratzenstein) & prod. comp. Kitty The Bill (Katrin Stoffel.) Iain Mackenzie is a Brit. jazz singer.

*De-Phazz: "Suddenly feat. Karl Frierson" (Jelly Banquet 2022) Germ/Austrian downt. jazz band led by prod. comp. Pit Baumgartner. Amer. sing/songwr. Karl Frierson founded De-Phazz with PG in 1997.

*Tape Five: "She's Undressed To Kill" (Soiree Deluxe 2017) German bossa nova nujazz from songwr. multi-inst. prod. Martin Strathausen with a heavy leaning toward electro swing.

*Ursula 1000: "Slinky" (The Now Sound Of... 1999) U 1000 is NY prod. multi-inst. Alex Gimeno playing his "retro/future" sound.

HOUR 2

*Organic Grooves: "Cultural Patterns" (Force Of Gravity 2003) Italian DJ & multi-inst. Moreno Visini is a large part of Organic Grooves. He is also The Spy From Cairo & Zeb. Now based in NYC he has also been part of the Turntables On The Hudson events with Nickodemus.

*The Mackrosoft: "If It Bleeds" (Shirts And Skins 2013) Multi-inst. prod. comp. Aja West specialized in hybrids of funk, soul, jazz & electronic music until his death in 2022. He was a unique voice in the music industry.

*Luke Vibert & BJ Cole: "Party Animal" (Stop The Panic 2000) Brit. electronic music. comp. prod. aka Plug & Wagon Christ. BJ Cole is a Brit. pedal steel guitar player.

*Afrodream: "Bamako" (Guiss Guiss 2025) Afrodream is an Afrobeat/pop ensemble founded in Turin in 2019 from a collaboration between Senegalese vocalist/perc. Abou Samb & Italian guitarist Luca Vergano. African rhythms meld with Western melodies.

*Vito Lalinga: "Kalakuta" (Guru In The Jungle 2021) Italian funk meister Vito Lalinga aka ViMode Inc. Project brings  freshly produced tracks of afro and funk with his signature mix of Latin grooves.

*The Headhunters: "Yekola" (Evolution Revolution 2003) Amer. jazz fusion band orig. founded by Herbie Hancock in 1973. Herbie left the band in 2003.

*Grupo Fantasma: "Arroz Con Frijoles" (Sonidos Gold 2008) Austin TX Latin funk band feat. Adrian Quesada on guit. prod. Beto Martinez on guit. & Jose Galeano on vox & perc.

*Frente Cumbiero: "Soldaditos" (Cera Perdida 2021) Bogota Colombia band founded by Colombian Mario Galeano & Brit. prod. comp. Will Holland (Quantic.) 

*Empresarios: "Bailando" (El Sonido Magico 2012) Amer. Latin fusion band from Wash. DC are adept at mixing diverse sounds & cultures together led by Javier Miranda on vox perc. & production.

*Everliven Sound & Inf: "Lone Ranger" (Everlations Instrumentals 2012) Skit Slam & Cymarshall Law are Jamaican brothers born in the UK. They moved to NJ for better musical opportunities. Inf is Dutch beat maker Bas Te Break.

*RJD2: "Temperamental (Inst.)" (In Rare Form Vol. 2 2004) RJD2 is Ramble Jon Krohn out of Columbus Ohio. He is a record prod. & musician.

*Skeletons: "Firesticks" (Smile 2010) Wholly assembled by Nostalgia 77 prod. comp. Benedic Lamdin from scraps of sound leftover from a variety of sessions.

*St. Germain: "So Flute (Ludovic Navarre Amapiano Reprise)" (Extra Cabin Baggage 2021) Remixes of his own songs by Ludovic Navarre aka St. Germain.