Cecil Taylor—shown here performing in Cologne, Germany, in 1987—died April 5. He was 89.

When visiting Cerreto Sannita, the village in Italy where his grandfather grew up, guitarist Al Di Meola was greeted with a celebratory dinner in his honor.

Tutu Puoane had to be convinced to take on We Have A Dream, a project on which she interprets socially conscious compositions alongside the Brussels Jazz Orchestra.

Pianist Yelena Eckemoff said her “task as a composer is to provide comprehensive music material to musicians who can both read and improvise.”

Saxophonist Philipp Gropper works in many disparate contexts, playing in bands led by vibrant German musicians, including bassist Pablo Held and fellow saxophonist Wanja Slavin, in addition to co-leading the electro-acoustic foursome Tau.

The trio Norma Winstone (left) leads—which includes Glauco Benier and Klaus Gesing—has been augmented by a pair of supplemental players for the ECM album Descansado—Songs For Film.

In 2018, pianist Matthew Shipp has issued a pair of albums on ESP-Disk, as well as a three-album set alongside saxophonist Ivo Perelman and a live recording with bassist William Parker.

The album United We Swing features the Wynton Marsalis Septet and an array of guests, including Willie Nelson (left).

Guitarist Lionel Loueke says he’s frequently struck by inspiration while flying. He doesn’t know why.

​Vocalist Fay Claassen doesn’t have any immediate plans to tour the States, but says there’s “a very modern, free scene” in Germany.