10 Hot Jazz and R&B Releases to Check Out

January 31, 2012

Michael Kiwanuka is one of several artists with albums that are off the beaten path.

Q-Tip's Return to Grace

The artist's forays into singing prove that he’s a better rapper than he is a crooner. But “Kamaal/Abstract“ is still a good record.

Meshell Ndegeocello Is Back With a New Album—‘Devil’s Halo’

“I get a lot more criticism,” says the jazz-funk veteran, “from people of color when I’m in a relationship with someone outside my race.”

Why We Should Celebrate Woodstock

What does America's historic counterculture movement mean for black folks?  

When Jazz Meets Hip-Hop

In their latest albums, Robert Glasper and Terence Blanchard explore new sounds and arrive at common musical ground.

Welcome Back, Maxwell!

It’s been a rough summer for black music. Maxwell’s latest album is the elixir we need, arriving just in the knick of time.

Blipsters' Bust

SA-RA Creative Partners' new release shows what's beneath the skinny jeans. (Hint: Not much.)

Classical Music’s Latest Bloomer

A conversation with composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr. about his sublime marriage of jazz and classical music.

M. Nahadr's Eclectic Artistry

A conversation with performance artist M. Nahadr on her latest disc, 'EclecticIsM,' and what she calls her uniqueness.

Why Wynton Marsalis Should Never Do Spoken Word

The soaring music of the trumpeter’s latest disc, “He and She” almost saves it from its open-mic interludes. Almost.