Kamil Rustam-New album: “Listen Up!”

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Kamil Rustam / Nouvel album Listen Up! avec Eddie Brown, Billy Valentine, Amy Keys, Arnold McCuller, Patrice Rushen, Pino Palladino…

Sortie le 15/04/2026 chez Can U Feel It Records
Release Party à Paris le 10 juin au Théâtre de l’IA

Guitarist Kamil Rustam returns on April 15, 2026, with his second album, Listen Up!. After 25 years immersed in gospel, funk, and soul across the United States, he unveils a new project alongside an exceptional group of collaborators. Following the immediate success of his debut solo album Cosmopolitain (2017), recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, Rustam comes back with a record that fully embraces his funk and soul roots.

Featuring eight tracks, Listen Up! is both a return to his origins and a tribute to the late ’70s soul-funk era. For this new chapter, he brings together a dream team of longtime collaborators, including musicians who have contributed to the sound of icons like Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, John Mayer, and Joe Bonamassa.

While Rustam’s distinctive guitar style remains the thread throughout, Listen Up! places vocals at the center for the first time, highlighting remarkable vocal performances. The album features an outstanding lineup of artists, including Eddie Brown, Billy Valentine, Amy Keys, Arnold McCuller, Patrice Rushen, and Pino Palladino, among others.

Driven by groove, emotion, and the spirit of live performance, Listen Up! reflects a musical journey spanning two continents—an album that feels vibrant, soulful, and timeless.

Le guitariste Kamil Rustam est de retour le 15 avril 2026 avec son second album Listen Up! Après 25 ans d’immersion dans le gospel, le funk et la soul aux Etats-Unis, ce musicien d’exception signe enfin son second album avec un casting hors norme.

Après le succès instantané de son premier album solo Cosmopolitain (2017), enregistré dans les légendaires Sunset Sound Studios à Hollywood, Kamil Rustam revient avec Listen Up! un album qui assume pleinement sa fibre Funk & Soul. 

Composé de huit titres, cet album marque un retour aux sources et une célébration de la soul-funk de la fin des années 70.  Pour ce nouveau chapitre, Kamil Rustam a réuni une “dream team” de collaborateurs de longue date. On y retrouve des musiciens ayant façonné le son de légendes telles que Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, John Mayer ou Joe Bonamassa.

Si l’identité instrumentale de Kamil reste le fil conducteur, Listen Up! place pour la première fois la voix au centre de l’œuvre. L’album brille par des collaborations vocales d’exception. Découvrez sur le disque un casting exceptionnel de voix et d’instrumentistes comme Eddie Brown, Billy Valentine, Amy Keys, Arnold McCuller, Patrice Rushen, Pino Palladino, et bien plus encore…

Porté par le groove, l’émotion et l’énergie du live, Listen Up! est le reflet d’un parcours musical entre deux continents — un projet à la fois vibrant, soulful et intemporel.

Pour découvrir la vidéo de Warped Memories feat Patrice Rushen :

« Cet album me tient particulièrement à cœur. C’est un retour à la source, une musique qui m’a construit et accompagné tout au long de ma vie en Californie. » — Kamil Rustam

Guitariste, compositeur et arrangeur français de renommée internationale, Kamil Rustam mène une carrière de plus de 35 ans jalonnée de moments marquants. Lauréat des Victoires de la Musique en 1985 comme « Meilleur Arrangeur de l’année » — aux côtés de Manu Katché et Gabriel Yared pour Unis Vers l’Uni de Michel Jonasz — il est également élu « Meilleur musicien de studio » en 1986 et 1987.

En France, il collabore avec Serge Gainsbourg, Michel Berger, France Gall et Michel Jonasz. Installé aux États-Unis depuis 1996, il y côtoie Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Aaron Neville, James Ingram, Peabo Bryson et John Mayer, tout en officiant comme guitariste pour l’émission The Voice US. Pendant quinze ans, il se nourrit aussi de la culture gospel au cœur des églises américaines.

Après le succès de son premier opus instrumental Cosmopolitain, le guitariste et compositeur de renommée internationale Kamil Rustam annonce la sortie de son deuxième album, Listen Up! prévue pour le 15 avril. Composé de 8 titres, cet album marque un retour aux sources viscéral et une célébration de la soul-funk de la fin des années 70.

Inspiré par ses 25 années passées aux États-Unis, Kamil Rustam livre ici son projet le plus personnel à ce jour. Enregistré entre la France et Los Angeles, l’album puise sa force dans l’héritage du gospel et de la soul, musiques fondatrices de l’identité artistique du musicien.

Guitariste, arrangeur et compositeur de talent, Kamil Rustam est une figure incontournable de la scène musicale internationale. Son parcours, jalonné de collaborations prestigieuses entre l’Europe et les États-Unis, fait de lui un trait d’union rare entre les cultures musicales. Avec Listen Up!, il affirme une maturité artistique qui font de cet album un classique intemporel de la soul.

Release Party à Paris le 10 juin au Théâtre de l’IA, 10 rue de la Vacquerie, 75011 Paris

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JazzWorldQuest WorldMusicMix

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2026: Arshid Azarine Nouvel album Trio + Guests Live / Sortie vinyle et digitale le 24/04/2026 (Ohrwurm Records)

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Arshid Azarine – New album: Trio + Guests Live (Ohrwurm Records)

French-Iranian pianist Arshid Azarine returns on April 24, 2026, with the release of Trio + Guests Live, following his 2024 album Vorticity.

Joined by percussionist Habib Meftah (known for collaborations with Trio Joubran and Titi Robin) and bassist Hervé de Ratuld, Azarine presents an organic and expressive work inspired by the theme of freedom in Iran.

The album was recorded in Paris in 2025 at the 360 Paris Music Factory during the Au fil des Voix festival, as well as at the Sunside Jazz Club. It captures the immediacy of live performance—marked by tension, precision, spontaneity, and emotional depth.

Guest appearances include vocalists Nuria Rovira Salat and Golsa, along with a recorded vocal contribution from Golshifteh Farahani.

Trio + Guests Live unfolds as a music of transition and transformation, where harmonies take on shifting, atmospheric textures and rhythms are both grounded and exploratory, drawing influence from diverse musical traditions, including those of the broader Middle East.

Arshid Azarine – Nouvel album Trio + Guests Live – Sortie vinyle et digitale le 24/04/2026 (Ohrwurm Records)
Le pianiste franco-iranien Arshid Azarine est de retour le 24 avril 2026 avec l’album Trio + Guests Live. Cet album fait suite à l’album Vorticity sorti en 2024. Accompagné par les polyrythmies du percussionniste Habib Meftah (Trio Joubran, Titi Robin), et la basse de Hervé de Ratuld, Arshid Azarine signe une œuvre organique dédiée à la liberté en Iran.

Enregistré à Paris en 2025, au 360 Paris Music Factory lors du festival Au fil des Voix et au Sunside Jazz Club, cet album capte ce qui ne se répète pas : la tension, l’écoute, le risque, l’émotion. On retrouve en invités Nuria Rovira Salat (voix), Golsa (voix), et la voix enregistrée de Golshifteh Farahani. Une musique de passage, de transformation, où les accords prennent des couleurs aériennes et mouvantes, où les rythmes s’ancrent autant qu’ils s’échappent dans des contrées orientales.

Arshid Azarine est aussi radiologue cardio-vasculaire. Il observe les flux, les turbulences, les mouvements invisibles. Et dans la musique comme dans l’image, il cherche la même chose : le cœur. Le premier extrait s’appelle Abann à découvrir avec un clip en animation signé Sarah Tabibzadeh. 

Pour découvrir le clip d’Abann : 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRk1CVcOxq0

Pianiste franco-iranien, Arshid Azarine tisse depuis plusieurs années une œuvre à la croisée des mondes, où les racines de la musique persane rencontrent l’espace ouvert du jazz. Une musique de passage, de transformation, où les accords prennent des couleurs aériennes et mouvantes, où les rythmes s’ancrent autant qu’ils s’échappent dans des contrées orientales.

Le live est pour lui une manière d’entrer en relation, de créer, de partager. À ses côtés, deux musiciens d’exception : le percussionniste Habib Meftah dont le jeu polyryhtmique porte en lui les mémoires africaines du sud iranien, et le bassiste Hervé de Ratuld. Ostinatos, pédales, lignes de basse souples. Ensemble, ils forment un trio traversé par les cultures, habité par une même quête : celle du mouvement. Car la vie n’existe qu’en mouvement. Après 7 Djan (2015), Sing Me a Song (2019) et Vorticity (2024), ce nouvel album marque un retour à l’essentiel : le live, la forme qui se construit en temps réel. Écoute, interaction, respiration collective. Enregistré à Paris en 2025, cet album capte ce qui ne se répète pas : la tension, l’écoute, le risque, l’émotion. Il est dédié à celles et ceux qui se battent en Iran pour la liberté. Là où jouer du jazz peut être passible de prison, chaque note prend une autre densité. Ici, la liberté n’est pas acquise : elle est ressentie comme un miracle, un instant fragile.

La version digitale ajoute un inédit « Erevan-Tabriz-Téhéran », récit musical d’un voyage réel devenu mémoire. « Ce titre est né d’un souvenir très personnel : il retrace le voyage en voiture, entrepris pour rejoindre le mariage du pianiste Tigran Hamasyan à Erevan (Arménie).

Entre mémoire et présent, science et sensation, ancrage et vertige, Arshid Azarine Trio + Guests Live est un album de circulation. Une musique qui cherche moins à dire qu’à faire ressentir. Une musique qui, simplement, vit. Sans peur, au-delà des frontières et des barres de mesure.

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JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2026

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2026: ROBERTO MAGRIS / DENIS RAZZ QUARTET-In Action

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With the release of the double album “In Action” released by the well established Kansas City label JMood Records, Italian pianist Robero Magris adds to his long and esteemed career another exciting European collaboration, this time teamed-up with three excellent jazz musicians from Croatia.

The band embarks on a varied program that features original material and a couple of standards written by Coltrane, Shorter, Tyner, Lateef, Washington/Young, Smith along with two Sun Ra’s compositions less re-visited by jazz musicians. The energy of the album suggests a live performance full of joy and the freshness of the moment.

Roberto Magris puts his stamp as composer, arranger, playing acoustic and electric piano, Hammond organ and even…Mexican whistles, getting in the spotlight with spirited solos, interacting with the band members, stepping back to let others shine.

Unforgettable is the warm and ample introduction followed by a lively interaction with the saxophone with a jazz rock scent on Il Mare il Fiume composed my Magris.

Anoher highlight is the soulful exchange between Roberto Magris and Karlo Ilić, electric guitar on ‘Double Matrix.

Denis Razz is at his best delivering a series of exciting interventions in which his energy catalyzes the entire group who join him with frenzy on the captivating version of Wayne Shorter’s Black Nile.

The album excells in lyrical moments of great finesse, such as the warm ballad composed by McCoy Tyner You Taught My Heart to Sing.

On Echoes from the Depths Rajko Ergić contributes a compelling soprano sax improvisation over the mysterious background provided by Magris on the keyboards. Also notable is the version of Left Alone a beautiful ballad in which Magris excels adding lyrical twists in full harmony with Razz’s inspired sax.

The two discs of this album, rich in high-class jazz moments, demonstrate so wonderfully that jazz and musical creation, have no borders, the sensibilities of the four musicians complement each other so harmoniously that the result is not only delightful but above all is touching the soul.

JMood Records

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2026

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2025: HII Trio(Brazil)-Connections

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The Brazilian jazz scene has been enriched recently with a new release — the debut album by the trio of pianist/composer Henrique Mota, acoustic bass player Iury Batista and drummer Igor Willcox, united into creativity under the name HII Trio.

Alongside the three seasoned musicians, the album benefits from a fruitful collaboration with a number of celebrated voices in contemporary jazz such as Bob Mintzer, Tony Lakatos, Seamus Blake, David Binney, Bob Franceschini, and Rachel Therrien.

The eight original tracks are impressive, revealing strong compositional ability and a remarkable freshness in their interaction driven by the energy they navigate the modern jazz landscape where Brazilian and modern jazz influences merge with each individual’s personal sensibility.

The playful opener “Consciência Plena (Mindfulness)” lets the magic begins in full force. Piano, bass and drums meander freely through rhythms and harmonies continously broadening boundaries of the improvisational territory.

On the syncopated “Talking In Traffic,” renowned trumpeter Tony Lakatos channels the energy of his presence to the piano and bass, while Igor Wilcox’s drums dynamically raise the heat, driving the mood toward a burning peak.

Worth noting the perfect balance in interplay between musicians and the vividity of the dialogues in “Connections” featuring veteran saxophonist Bob Franceschini.

In “Um Voo Sem Destino,” saxophonist Bob Mintzer introduces a warm, lyrical touch that shines amid the intense rhythmic dialogue between bass and drums.

The next highlight of the album is the synergistic energy on “Wine Glass,” where David Binney’s saxophone weaves into the composition with his distinct voice, intensifying the track’s fiery atmosphere.

“Sambatino” tackles a Brazilian theme — with the saxophone of Seamus Blake in tune with the piece’s Latin groove.

On “New Cycles” we hear the virtuosic trumpet of Rachel Therrien improvising with her usual expressiveness in perfect connection with the three Brazilian musicians.

The album ends with Anonymous introduced by the bass lines of Iury Batista— we are enchanted by a solid sense of rhythm and flow that permeates the adventurous interplay among the three band members, combining improvisational idioms with dexterity. together in their exploration 

On the closing track “Anonymous,” introduced by Iury Batista’s bass lines — we are drawn in by a strong sense of flowing rhythms permeating the bold interplay among the three musicians engaged in a stunning exploratory journey.

Connections is a smart titled jazz album — a seamless blend of creativity, melody and rhythm connected to the creative and adventurous spirit these three outstanding musicians bring to their art.

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2025

JazzWorldQuest Showcase 2025: Roberto Magris-Lovely Day(s)-JMOOD 025

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After a long artistic jazz carreer leading bands on both sides of the Atlantic, playing along jazz luminaries, Italian pianist‐composer Roberto Magris is back with a new release through Kansas City’s JMood Records, this time with his first solo album.

In the framework of the bands he played in, Magris’ solos are well-known and admired by those who have listened to his records over the years, but this time we are witnessing a compelling demonstration of virtuosity and inventiveness captured live.

The program is a showcase for his mastery and a window into his musical preferences, all pieces assembled to keep a consistent stylistic path and vibe clearly perceived throughout the musical journey.

The album begins with the powerful original composition “Blues Clues,” opening the program with intensity and spirit, filling the sonic space with that emotion and enthusiasm that permeates the whole album.

Andrew Hill’s “Reverend Du Bop” receives a buoying and bold treatment giving an adventurous edge to the original. “Bemsha Swing” continues the unconventional approach while expanding the boundaries with sparkling inventivity. The lyricism of the “Laverne”,  another Hill’s composition, retains the original flavor to reach  a beautiful spiritual stage that continues on “The time of this world is at hand” where the gospel vein is running subtlety through the meanderings of Magris’s vision. The piece echoes a needed social awareness clearly in tune with our troubled times.
We hear a vibrant  “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing” recreated to naturally accommodate a cascade of innovative deviations.
“Let’s cool one” fast paced and modernized to embrace new striking colors. “Lonely Town” hits a reflective chord, not lacking energy; on contrary the melodic line is strong and clear, Its airy impressionistic touch bringing an exquisite tone to the piece. The album ends on a spiritual “mysterious” note with “the Saga of harrison crabfeathers” by Kuhn, carrying a cinematic impressionistic quality.

Through his music Magris sends a message to the world: freedom is the key of the artistic creation and essential as societal foundation. “Lovely day(s)” stands as an essential listen for those interested in listening one of the best voices of contemporary jazz

JMood Records
JazzWorldQuest 2025 Showcase

JazzWorldQuest WorldMusicMix: East of West(Australia) -Pastorale

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East of West

Info about song/album:

‘Takt’ is an album cut from the new release ‘Pastorale’ which is a collaborative effort between the East of West trio and renowned pianist Romano Crivici. —— – – This album began with a small piano being crammed into the back of a family car. Malindi, our percussionist, was on a mission to buy a piano that could fit in our tiny apartment. After visiting and rejecting a number of them, Malindi found a beautiful old spinet upright. She called the owner, we drove to the suburbs, walked behind the house – and there was the piano, sitting on the grass, covered in a tarpaulin, in the middle of the rainy, sweaty Brisbane summer. Our hearts sank deeper than our feet into the suburban floodplain mud. The owner’s ex had turfed the piano and all his music gear out of the house to the mercy of the subtropical summer weather. He offered it to us for zero dollars.

Malindi bargained the price up, three of us somehow loaded it into the back of Subaru Forester and took it home. The piano tuner worked hard to give the piano back some self-respect, and on it I sketched out the compositions on this album which were played by the remarkable Romano Crivici to complement East of West’s oud, double bass and percussion. We recorded on a beautiful Steinway piano with an equally interesting story, but we’ll leave that for another time

Recorded live in Brisbane by the extraordinary sound engineer Siiri Metsar, this collaboration further extends the band’s unique sound and style, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in its finely-crafted soundscapes and improvisations.

Over the seven years of their collaboration, East of West have developed an intuitive musical relationship, flourishing through their dynamic interplays, virtuosic unison melodies and expressive soloing. Gajić’s compositions explore gentle melodic motifs nested in uptempo passages set to Balkan-influenced rhythms, interspersed with moments of mesmerising musical sparseness.

Bandcamp

JazzWorldQuest WorldMusicMix