Welcome to the September 2016 issue of Black Grooves, sponsored by the Indiana University Archives of African American Music and Culture.

This month we’re featuring a wide variety of new jazz releases, including violinist Scott Tixier’s Cosmic Adventure, vocalist Catherine Russell’s Harlem On My Mind, drummer Will Calhoun’s Celebrating Elvin Jones, trumpeter Marquis Hill’s The Way We Play, Allen Toussaint’s tribute to jazz and New Orleans R&B greats on the posthumous album American Tunes, British jazz/funk band Incognito’s In Search of Better Days, Bob Baldwin’s double album The Brazilian-American Soundtrack, and the Austin-based band Hard Proof’s Public Hi-Fi Sessions that fuses Afrobeat, funk, and jazz.

Under classical music, we’re featuring South African coloratura Pretty Yende’s debut album Journey.  New blues and R&B releases include the Mike Wheeler Band’s Turn Up!!, Macy Gray’s Stripped, Vaneese Thomas’ genre blending album Long Journey Home,  and Atlanta singer-songwriter Anthony David’s The Powerful Now. Michael Franti & Spearhead’s summer release, SoulRocker, showcases their socially conscious pop and hip hop-infused reggae. New DVD/Blu-ray releases include three Robert Mugge Films celebrating Louisiana music, with an emphasis on Zydeco.

Tying in with the back-to-school theme is Numero Group’s compilation Afterschool Special: The 123s of Kid Soul. Also featured is Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsy’s Machine Gun: Live at Fillmore East 9/30/16 (the first official release of their unedited first set), plus the first release on CD of the Isley Brothers’ “lost live album” from 1980, Groove With You…Live!

Wrapping up this issue is our list of August 2016 Releases of Note.