Silhouette is the fifth studio album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records in 1988, and reached number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, number 8 on the Billboard 200, and number 10 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Through April 2011, the album has sold 25 million internationally.

Charles Lloyd teams with a different band here, replacing Bobo Stenson's piano with John Abercrombie's guitar, bassist Anders Jormin with Dave Holland, and drummer Billy Hart with Billy Higgins. The title references the feeling on the album in that Lloyd was going for more of a jazz sound, something more basic and lyrical as opposed to exotic and unusual.

“Sangam” is the first release from Charles Lloyd’s exciting new trio with Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain and Eric Harland, the gifted drummer from his ‘regular’ quartet. The album – Lloyd’s first live disc for ECM – was recorded in California in 2004. Taped at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara in the context of a memorial concert for Billy Higgins, it brings to the surface some ‘Eastern’ enthusiasms that have been part of Lloyd’s palette for a very long time.

Weather Report is generally regarded as the greatest jazz fusion band of all time, with the biggest jazz hit ("Birdland") from the best jazz fusion album (1977's Heavy Weather). But the group's studio mastery sometimes overshadows the fact that it was also a live juggernaut – so don't overlook the outstanding live and studio album from 1979, 8:30. This was a rare quartet version of Weather Report, with co-leaders in keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The bassist was the inimitable Jaco Pastorius, the drummer a young Peter Erskine. Pastorius is otherworldly on early gems like "Black Market," the breakneck "Teen Town," and his solo showcase, "Slang" (in which he quotes Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun"). Shorter is most involved on the CD's slower pieces like "A Remark You Made," "In a Silent Way," and his own solo piece, "Thanks for the Memory"; Zawinul and Erskine shine on the swinging version of "Birdland" and roller coaster ride of the "Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz" medley. Four studio tracks (composing what was side four of the original album version) close 8:30 with a flourish – and some surprises.

Charlie Hunter is the best kind of restless musician. Just about every new album brings another new ensemble and new possibilities. This time out, Hunter teams with drummer Bobby Previte (who he has recorded with extensively) and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes (who played on Hunter's 2003 album Right Now Move). Both players have been stalwarts of the N.Y.C. jazz scene since the late '70s but have played on any number of jazz, rock, and pop recordings. As players, they really know how to serve a song rather than put their imprint on it and Hunter takes full advantage with a really strong batch of tunes that play less like jazz and more like classic pop and soul tunes. They've got strong, catchy melodies, nice changes, and in-the-pocket grooves that can't be beat.

The San Francisco Bay Area rock scene of the late '60s was one that encouraged radical experimentation and discouraged the type of mindless conformity that's often plagued corporate rock. When one considers just how different Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and the Grateful Dead sounded, it becomes obvious just how much it was encouraged. In the mid-'90s, an album as eclectic as Abraxas would be considered a marketing exec's worst nightmare…

Modelling themselves on the street 'banda' of South America, this lively French brass crew - 20+ musicians strong - style their music as Fanfare Latino Roots, performing a repertoire of Colombian and Andean traditional tunes combining the power of brass with the sensuality and joie de vivre of Latin dance. This exuberant brew is showcased with joyous effect on this recording, which stems from a music and dance street show created by the band in 2013, also entitled Pachamama Coronada.

While looking through songbooks of traditional Galician music, Spanish saxophonist Xose Miguelez happened upon a recording by the ethnic musicologist Dorothé Schubart of a ballad, sung by his own Great-Aunt Amparo almost 40 years ago in Cerdedelo-Laza, a beautiful village hidden in the Galician hills. All of the compositions on "Ontology" come from a four-note motif at the beginning of that ballad. The idea came from Kansas City saxophonist Matt Otto, a friend and mentor to Xose and the producer of this recording. Though through the sounds of this dynamic, modern jazz quartet it may be difficult to discern the four-note motif, it is the very root and inspiration of this work. Listen to the end to hear Great-Aunt Amparo sing her song.

Trilok Gurtu's band is fantastic at this point in his career. All the instrumentalists are superb. The album flows very well from piece to piece. The guitarist David Gilmore (not Pink Floyd) is subtle and freely focused with his solos. Trilok astounds as always, but even more so on this record.

Trilok Gurtu's evolution from mere percussion wizard to innovative composer of global jazz fusion takes a quantum leap forward on this remarkable collection of African, Indian, American, and Asian music. Keeping his drum and tabla polyrhythms within the ensemble framework, save for some explosive solos on "Old African" and "Dinki Puriya," the Indian maestro focuses on making new sonic textures from cross-pollination. For example, "DJ Didgeridoo" blends the tones of the title instrument with Ravi Chary's sitar and soaring vocals from Zap Mama's Sabine Kabongo. "Big Brother" is an orchestral marvel of Indian and American strings and synthesizers topped by the magnificent voice of Mali's Oumou Sangare. Gurtu also reprises the song "You, Remember This" with his mother, the legendary singer Shobha Gurtu, and he teams up with vocalist Angelique Kidjo on two of the less adventurous tracks. The band, especially bassist Kai Eckhardt, provides robust, empathic support throughout.

Percussionist Trilok Gurtu comes from a long line of respected Indian classical musicians, but he's best known for his genre-blending fusions of world music and jazz. Crazy Saints is one of his most complex and challenging releases to date, enlisting the aid of jazz legends like guitarist Pat Metheny and Joe Zawinul to create a thoroughly modern sound that moves from razor sharp ensemble work to dizzying solos. The most effective songs are those that mine Gurtu's myriad world music influences, including "Manini" and "Blessing in Disguise," both of which are blessed with the haunting vocal ululations of Indian music legend Shobha Gurtu, the drummer's mother. The genteel balladry of "Ballad for 2 Musicians" and the excessive ambient noodling of "The Other Tune" may tax the patience of those with a lower tolerance for modern jazz wankery.

Ancient Future were formed in 1978 by guitarist Matthew Montfort. The band's inviting melodies, exotic instruments, and ethnic textures have helped popularize world music fusion. Dreamchaser presents world music at its best, with a sampling of influences ranging from the Andes to India to Bali and beyond. All of this, combined with great dynamics and a sense of drama, makes this a good choice for any store.

This 1977 effort continues their hitmaking streak of one of fusion and R&B's durable and respected units. While this album's predecessor, Back to Back, was credited to the Brecker Brothers Band and featured members including David Sanborn and Steve Khan, it came off as underdone and facile. Don't Stop the Music does present their gifts in a more cogent fashion, but not without a few odd detours.

On Out of the Loop, Randy and Michael Brecker stepped up to the plate with their second long-player of the '90s, 20 years after their first foray into the jazz-funk-fusion realm. The album is surprisingly strong, and any fears of a paint-by-numbers attempt to cash in on past glories are quickly dispelled with the opening "Slang," which is reminiscent of Amandla-era Miles. Here, as throughout the disc, Michael's sax solo burns with abandon, while brother Randy's trumpet glides across a tastefully smooth and melodic terrain.

Dark Magus is a live double album by American jazz composer and trumpeter Miles Davis. It was recorded on March 30, 1974, at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Davis' group at the time included bassist Michael Henderson, drummer Al Foster, percussionist James Mtume, saxophonist Dave Liebman, and guitarists Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas. He also used the show to audition saxophonist Azar Lawrence and guitarist Dominique Gaumont. Dark Magus was produced by Teo Macero and featured four two-part recordings titled after Swahili names for the numbers one through four.