This California-born trumpeter graduated from Berkeley High School before studying at the Manatthan School Of Music. He has played with the likes of Joe Henderson, Joshua Redman and Steve Coleman. He is credited as a collaborator on some twenty records by great names...

We're dealing here with one of the most important hip-hop artists of the 2010s and beyond. Listing her track record would be too tedious. We've lost count of her gold and platinum records, as well as her Billboard chart-toppers. Quite simply, she has been nominated...

Sonia Spinello is a jazz singer, composer and author. She teaches singing at the Four Music Scholl school she founded and runs in her home town of Borgomanero, Italy. She is also artistic director of several jazz festivals in her region. Despite her many activities...

Anglo-Italian-born Piers Faccini came to music almost by chance. After art school, he initially set his sights on painting, with which he earned a living, and saw music as a hobby. The trend began to reverse in 1997, when he performed in public with the group Charley...

Born into a family of Guinean Griot, this singer and guitarist from Conakry was, appropriately enough, immersed in music from an early age. He first learned to play the balafon before devoting himself to string instruments, encouraged by his father and especially his...

For those who don't know her, the Egyptian Umm Kalthum (or Oum Kalsoum) was perhaps the most popular singer in the Arab world from the 1930s onwards, equalled in fame almost only by the Iranian Fairuz. Her life could be the subject of a biopic: she learned to sing by...

Jowee Omicil was born in Montreal of Haitian parents, and soon joined his father's church band. By the age of 15, he had mastered the saxophone and a number of wind instruments. After his studies at Boston's Berklee College Of Music, he went on to play and record with...

This band from California made their name by playing many free concerts from the moment they formed in 2005. Following the release of their first full-length album, they went on to support Nine Inch Nails on their 2008 tour. Finally, the production of video game...

Star Wars fans will agree with me that Mickaël Montaroux is not the most skilful when it comes to choosing his stage names. After recording two albums with the band Flèche, the French singer-guitarist was keen to give his compositions a more personal touch. To this...

While still a student, Lodewijk Fluttert mixed at parties and produced a few sounds. In 2012 he released two EPs. The second featured the track "Vandaag", with samples of Martin Luther King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech. This track went to No. 1 in several European...