Music Factory Records announces the April 25 release of “Blurry Face,” a raw, exhilarating trio performance by guitarist-composer Ari Joshua alongside John Medeski (organ, clavinet) and Billy Martin (drums), the storied rhythm team of Medeski Martin & Wood. Tracked live at Applehead Recording Studios in New York, the piece distills the crackling spontaneity that defines great improvisational music.

Kupferberg Center for the Arts proudly presents Chucho Valdés: Irakere 50, a powerful tribute to the legendary Cuban ensemble that transformed Afro-Cuban jazz. Taking place on Thursday, May 8 at 8 PM at Colden Auditorium, this special performance celebrates the 50th anniversary of Irakere, the groundbreaking band led by Chucho Valdés, a visionary pianist, composer, and arranger who was recently named NEA Jazz Master 2025 by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Through a recently announced partnership with Strata-East Records, Mack Avenue Music Group releases audiophile quality reissues of Charles Tolliver & Music Inc.’s Live at Slugs’, Volume I & II, and Stanley Cowell’s Musa: Ancestral Streams, and Charlie Rouse’s Two Is One. The three albums are available today on 180-gram vinyl, CD and digital platforms.

Fresh off a run of sold-out shows, genre-bending Louisville collective Houseplant unveils their latest evolution: the addition of Ben Atkind, former founding drummer of chart-topping jam act Goose. Atkind’s arrival marks a seismic shift for the band, merging his storied improvisational prowess with Houseplant’s signature blend of indie-rock lyricism and kaleidoscopic grooves.  

Nearly a decade ago, when sent photocopies of her late, wayfaring grandfather’s poetry and short stories, singer-songwriter Leslie Jordan knew that the treasure trove would eventually make its way into her musical story. He wrote short stanzas of evocative poetry, short stories of provocative men and women, and long journal entries about his love affair with alcohol and his brother's wife, Sylvia.

Crucial Reggae Sundays, the free, family-friendly reggae music series, makes its May debut at the historic Bandshell in Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse. Produced by Illuminate LIVE in partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, the series runs every Sunday through mid-November, bringing the island rhythms of Jamaica to San Francisco’s most iconic outdoor venue.

The performer lineup has been revealed for the Recording Academy® and GRAMMY Museum’s® 2025 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame® Gala, taking place Friday, May 16, at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

One of the most inventive and influential bands in the history of popular music, 10cc will be returning to the US to continue The Ultimate Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour, kicking off August 27 in Napa, California.

This June, WAR will release Why Can’t We Be Friends? (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition), celebrating the multi-million-selling, blockbuster album that topped charts and left an indelible mark on music history. This deluxe 3CD and digital set commemorates 50 years of some of the band's most iconic songs, including its timeless title track, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?,” the perennially cool “Low Rider,” “So” and more. First released in 1975, Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Critically acclaimed Canadian roots-rock band The Commoners are back and ready to kick off their biggest year yet!

Riding high off the strength of their previous releases, Find A Better Way and Restless, The Commoners return to the EU/UK in May 2025 for a four-week tour across five countries, bringing with them a brand-new offering: a nine-song live album, The Commoners: Live in the UK, recorded during their 2024 tour. The album will be released by Gypsy Soul Records on May 16th.