The Checkout

Charlie Haden left us five years ago, but his influence and musical contributions are still being felt today. Last year, Impulse! Records posthumously released a tranquil recording featuring the double bassist in an intimate duo setting with the pianist Brad Mehldau, titled Long Ago and Far Away . They performed together in 2007 at the Enjoy Jazz Festival in Germany.

The Mexico City-born artist Antonio Sanchez has always been outspoken about immigration, a subject he addresses on his new album, Lines In The Sand . For Sanchez, a five-time Grammy award-winning drummer and composer, activism came naturally; in a sense, he never had a choice in the matter. His calling as a crusader for human rights is indelibly linked to an immigration story in his family, which took place before he was born.

The title of Kendrick Scott’s new Blue Note album, A Wall Becomes A Bridge, suggests a provocative response to current events. But Scott — a generational talent on drums, and an acclaimed composer — says he had something a bit more personal in mind. In this episode of The Checkout, he speaks candidly about the struggle he experiences when creating original work — in particular, the voices of self-doubt in his head.

What’s the opposite of sampling when constructing a great loop? Kassa Overall has some ideas. On his recent album Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz , the Seattle-born, New York-based artist often lays the groundwork for a great song by capturing a stellar collaborative improvisation, steering the flow from behind the drum kit. Then he digitally modifies those organic performances to create precise hip-hop compositions that feature his own ethereal lyricism.

Pianist-composer Myra Melford isn’t one for dogmas. Whether she’s checking out the boogie-woogie of James P. Johnson, the fractured concepts of Cecil Taylor or Gnawa trance ceremonies in Morocco, openness guides the way she navigates life and music.

Reza Khota is a guitarist and composer from South Africa — born in Johannesburg, based in Cape Town — and he joins us for another edition of My Music on The Checkout. By soaking in the sounds of Igor Stravinsky and John McLaughlin, and combining them with his own rich musical Indian upbringing, Khota gives a voice to the subaltern.

Godwin Louis has been on a quest to trace the roots of jazz. In the last couple of years, the saxophonist has traveled to over 100 countries in study of the African musical diaspora. His findings inspired Global , a far-sweeping and personal debut album, which could also be seen as a manifesto. Louis believes we are all more connected throughout the Americas than we may realize.

Last summer, the Slovenian-born, Amsterdam-based pianist and composer Kaja Draksler was bestowed the Paul Acket Award at The North Sea Jazz Festival — one of the highest honors given to a contemporary jazz artist deserving of wider recognition. On this edition of The Checkout, Draksler shares new music from her octet of forward-thinking musicians trained in Baroque, new classical, and European free-jazz traditions.

Andrew Bird is mostly known for his tightly crafted and intricately layered pop songs. But this violinist also thrives in extremely loose and often chaotic environments — settings that favor unpredictability and ample space for improvisation — as we learn on this episode of The Checkout.

Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music grabs a lot of attention for its innovative use of synths and sampling, along with its next-level rhythmic designs. But Guiliana, a groundbreaking drummer, drum programmer and composer, frames the whole project in terms of human connection.

Kurt Rosenwinkel might be the preeminent jazz guitarist of his generation. He’s also an artist who has taken some unexpected turns in an already fascinating career. Once a stalwart on New York’s jazz scene, he left to pursue musical opportunities in Europe. Then he made a new creative shift, pointing his laser-like focus to another realm of possibility: the music of Brazil.

Dan Tepfer is a jazz pianist whose newest project, Natural Machines, brings virtual reality and algorithmic learning into the realm of the concert hall. He appears next Tuesday at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, where his audience will join him in an immersive audiovisual saga.

Moonchild consists of three self-professed "jazz school nerds" from Los Angeles, but their music is where silky-smooth R&B meets engrossing dream pop. They met while playing together on tour in a horn section. Then, one luminous night, they were stargazing on a friend’s lawn and decided to form their own trio, which required each member to become a multi-instrumentalist.

What exactly is HighBreedMusic ? Is it a Brooklyn recording studio? A digital music channel? An artist commune? For soul-pop artist Kimbra, tribal hip-hopper Farrah Boulé, and Fender Rhodes aficionado Marc Cary, it’s all of the above. This artist-friendly media platform is a safe place where musicians can find their zone, workshop ideas, and display their musicianship to the world.

The GroundUP Music Festival, which just wrapped its fourth edition in Miami, aims to dissolve the barrier between musician and fan. With a scarcity of VIP badges, famous artists mingling with festival goers, and jaw-dropping curation of unfamiliar international talent, this annual musical gathering cultivates an ethos of inclusivity.