Indie jazz double bassist Avishai Cohen has been wowing audiences around the world. He comes from a musical family where music just runs in the blood. He was born in Kibbutz Kabri, Israel to a family of mixed origins from Spain, Greece, and Poland. He started playing piano at age 9 but after listening to the music of legendary jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius he switched to bass guitar. He left Isreal by age 22 and moved here to NYC to pursue his career. While working odd jobs he

There used to be a time when you really didn't see women playing the drums but nowadays that's all changed. Meet jazz drummer extraordinaire Sarah Thawer from Toronto, Canada. To see her perform is watching art in motion. Her beats are just sick and at the same time mesmerizing. She started playing at age 2 and performing on stage by age 5. She is a free spirit and does not limit herself when it comes to jazz. She also has played a variety of drums from the tabla, Indian con

When I first heard the music of this band I was picturing a cumbia band from Columbia or Ecuador, but I was pleasantly surprised. Los Bitchos band members who are from several countries around the world are comprised of Serra Patale, guitarist(Western Australia), Agustina Ruiz, keytar(Uruguay), (Josefine Jonsson, bassist(Switzerland), and Nic Crawshaw, drums(London, U.K). The music is what you call electrified cumbia with a dance feel to it. The band all met in London's under

World music singer-songwriter, Yasmin Levy makes the kind of music that is both hypnotic and rhythmic. Born in Jerusalem, Israel she is a singer of Ladino music which is part of the Sephardic Jewish heritage. It is the language of the Jews that were expelled from Spain. She grew up with music at home since her parents were both singers. What makes her music so distinct is the fact she mixes in modern sounds and instruments such as the oud, darbuka, violin, cello and piano. Sh

Discovering new artists and especially those that are double bass players is always exciting. Listening to jazz double bass player, Matt Ridley's album, The Antidote was mind-blowing. Based in London, U.K he started playing piano by age 6 and in his teens started playing bass guitar. He started playing professionally by age 19. Matt Ridley is a child of the '90s and fell in love with the electric bass just watching Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers he also loves Pearl Jam an

Nothing I love more than listening to some good folk-rock music. I came across this singer-songwriter and guitarist and was enthralled. Melissa Laveaux from Montreal, Canada mixes folk, rock, and elements of her Haitian heritage into her music. Her guitar picking style is reminiscent of the style used in Afro-Caribbean music. She was born in Ottawa, Canada, and has since moved to Paris, France but found she needed to know more about her parent's country of origin. She immerse

Beautiful and talented singer-songwriter Naika Richard or Naika as she's professionally known is an indie lover's dream. Born in Miami, Florida to a Haitian mother and Malagasy father, her musical influences are a mix of European, Caribbean, and African. Growing up her dad's job had them move around a lot which had them living in such countries as Europe, the South Pacific, Africa, and the Caribbean. These experiences of cultures and music influenced her musical taste. Keep

When I first heard this jazz saxophonist's music I was enamored with his sound. The beauty of his songs makes you feel relaxed and painting musical landscapes in your mind. The Norgewian jazz saxophonist born in Ardalstangen, Norway has been mixing different styles of music for quite sometime. His marriage of mixing jazz with folk music, and world music has me falling in love again. Karl Seglem has been making music since 1988 with several jazz groups and ensembles as well as

This week on our jazz cafe feature I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to feature this super jazz trio and their album, Trio Grande. Each of the members of this supergroup is sought-after jazz musicians but together they are something else. All of the members are band leaders and between them have more than 50 years of playing and composing experience. Will Vinson is a British alto and soprano saxophonist who relocated to our hometown of New York City from L

Jazz trumpeter, Aquiles Navarro is an exciting jazz artist to keep your eyes on. He is not only a musician but also a DJ and mixes jazz with music from his Panamanian heritage of salsa, reggae, and folkloric music. The groove created will make you want to get up and dance. He studied jazz trumpet in his native Panama and when he arrived in the U.S. he studied and graduated with a degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory and a Master's degree from the Unive

Latin music in recent years has been taken over by reggaeton which is male-dominated until Ivy Queen, the first Latin female reggaeton artist changed that. Since then more and more Latin female rappers have been recording music. La Ross Maria, real name Rosa Maria Pineda from the Dominican Republic at just 17 has been making music and has hit records in her native country. She has been featured on songs by several Reggaeton and Bachata singers and rappers such as Yomel El Mel

In the past 2 years, more and more women are being signed that are not only writing and producing but also have started their own indie labels to release their music. This talented rapper/poet hails from Limerick, Ireland, and has been making quite a splash on the music scene. Born in Zambia, Africa her family migrated to Ireland in 2012 and has fully embraced her dual citizenship, which is actually the title of one of her songs. Her father, a doctor accepted a position in Li

This exciting multi-instrumentalist has finally made his debut. His name, Danny Keane from London, U.K. has been playing for several years with some of the best in Jazz and with well-known world music musicians. He grew up in a musical family that spanned the arts from Ballet to Irish folk music, no wonder he became a musician, it was already in the genes. At 8 years old he started taking formal lessons on the cello but he felt he wanted to learn more because of the sounds h

The British these past few years have such an appreciation of Jazz that more and more jazz artists are popping up throughout the United Kingdom. The mixing of music genres from several countries like Africa, Cuba, Brazil, and more make the combinations colorful and full of amazing rhythms. One such band is Teotima from London, U. K. They are a 10-17 piece band that mixes Jazz with Soul, Funk, Latin, and world rhythms to create an unmistakable funky beat that you can't just s

If you are like me and love discovering new artists then this singer is one to check out. Thandiswa Mazwai was born in Eastern Cape, South Africa and her upbringing was not your typical musician or singer story. She was born during the Soweto uprising and grew up almost entirely in Soweto, Johannesburg. It was a time of violence during the apartheid. Both of her parents were journalists and anti-apartheid activists and there were plenty of books around the house. She read man

Jazz is the type of music that you can incorporate many different rhythms from other music genres. Jazz saxophonist, singer, and composer, Antonio Lizana does just that. He was born in San Fernando, Cadiz, Spain. The country where Flamenco originated and is part of its culture. Antonio Lizana's love of music started at age 8 when his father a rock fan, played a recording by Deep Purple. He is classically trained and learned how to play the saxophone by age 10 and later in li

In past several years many artists coming out of Africa are mixing their traditional music with different music genres. Kolinga from France via Africa is one such band. They sing both in English and French as well as Lingala, a language spoken in the Congo. Kolinga's music has a groove and the mixing of those tribal drums brings an invigorating infectious sound that you can't stop moving to. Kolinga has released a new album called, Earthquake. After you listen to them you w

Babatunde Lea, aka Michael Lea from Danville, Virginia grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. He took his name from Nigerian drummer, Babatunde Olatunji. He began drumming at age 11 and without any drumming experience helped a drumline get their rhythm right. Talk about natural talent! Babtunde Lea has played with such Jazz greats as Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson and more. Check out this amazing Afro-Cuban Jazz and Worldbeat drummer. Support Indie music Worldwide! Happy

Aly Keita is well known for playing the balafon, a mirimba-like instrument that is native to West Africa. The sound is somewhat to the xylophone but much richer and louder and made completely out of wood. Aly Keita made his name by bringing this instrument into modern music. His mix of African rhythms along with Jazz make a beautiful marriage of native African sounds with Jazz rhythms. Check out this amazing artist and his music. Support Independent artists Worldwide! Noussan

A rarity int he music world, Israel’s Noa Dresner is one of the most prominent women to be known for playing Flamenco and Spanish guitar. Well-traveled, she spent discovered Flamenco along the way, a style unfamiliar to her. She eventually spent a decade living in southern Spain. Absorbing local musical influences, she studied Flamenco guitar techniques with leading artists from the country, performing in festivals throughout Spain, Israel and elsewhere. Drezner’s debut albu