Acclaimed Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola is a rising star of the European jazz scene, and also the son of one of his homeland's most revered musicians, jazz-rock electric bassist and composer, Pekka Pohjola.
Gerry Mulligan, one of the giants of jazz's first century, would have been 90 this year.
Dividing his time between NYC and Europe has enabled pianist-composer Andrew McCormack to hone his craft, find direction and a coterie of like-minded conspirators to work with.
The career of long term John Zorn associate, composer and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Saft is notable for taking a series of musical zig-zags and sonic left turns.
The 50th anniversary this month of The Beatles' game-changing concept album Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has provided imaginative composer and multi-instrumentalist Django Bates with the motivation to deliver his own big band take on one of the Fab Four's most enduring works.
Chick Corea, the eternally youthful giant of jazz piano, shows no sign of slowing down as he continues the epic 75th birthday celebrations that saw him perform 177 concerts with 26 ensembles and some 60 musicians in his native New York at the end of last year.
From his prodigious debut, Be Who You Are, which garnered a Mercury Prize nomination in 1999, saxophonist Denys Baptiste has always set a high watermark for his work.
Since their formation 30 years ago, Australian trio The Necks have forged a mighty reputation for eclectic and decidedly epic improvisation.
The acclaimed jazz-folk supergroup of June Tabor, Iain Ballamy and Huw Warren, aka Quercus, make a welcome return with their sophomore suite on the ECM label, Nightfall.
From his humble beginnings discovering the blues as a teenager in post-war Doncaster, guitarist John McLaughlin was soon at the very heart of the international jazz scene thanks to his timely late 1960s stint in the house band at Ronnie Scott's jazz club.