Making the most out of what has truly been an extremely difficult year for musicians (and just about everyone), New York bassist Dezron Douglas and harpist Brandee Younger have released a brilliant and uplifting album, titled Force Majeure on Chicgao’s International Anthem label, featuring recordings from their weekly live-stream sessions “Force Majeure: Brunch in the Crib with Brandee & Dezron”.

Since the breakthrough of his 2016 album Day to Day, US-born, Indian-raised, London-based drummer, percussionist, composer Sarathy Korwar has been releasing some of the most forward-thinking records, fusing together East African, Sufi and Indian influences with jazz, electronic music, and hip-hop. On his most recent release for the Netherland-based Night Dreamer label, he teams up with an all-star group of musicians, under the name UPAJ Collective (“UPAJ” means “to improvise” inHindi), for a fully improvised spiritual jazz session.

For over a decade, composer, trumpeter, producer, DJ and founder of Gondwana Records, Matthew Halsall has consistently been at the forefront of UK’s thriving jazz scene. His 2012 masterpiece Fletcher Moss Park was named one of BeatCaffeine’s best albums of the decade. He returns with his first full-length recording as a leader since 2015, titled Salute To The Sun, featuring a brilliant new band that includes some of the finest young musicians currently residing in Manchester.

Earlier this year, Gilles Peterson‘s new reissue label Arc Records re-released, for the first time, Tino Contreras‘ independent 1978 psych-jazz recording Musica Infinita, introducing the 96-year-old Mexican artist to new generations of listeners. The musical relationship between Gilles, Tino, and musician/record collector Carlos Icaza, who first introduced the two, has continued with Gilles’ other label, Brownswood Recordings, releasing a great new album from the prolific composer and drummer, titled La Noche de los Dioses.