The Japanese pianist Aki Takase is a veritable typhoon of power and clarity. Her playing shows what can happen when the European rules of melody, harmony and rhythm come face to face with a distinctly Asian way of thinking!

For more than 20 years, this quartet has been a musical melting pot, artfully blending American jazz, European classics, Indian and African music into an instantly recognizable, meditative sound experience.

Egberto Gismonti is a totally exotic musical missionary from Brazil who seldom gives solo concerts. Here he gives an unforgettable performance on piano and 8-string guitar. On Guitar: 28' On piano: 26

The two musicians Terje Rypdal and Miroslav Vitous recently found a kindred spirit in the Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu, who manages to play drums and percussion simultaneously on the drum set he designed himself.

The form, rhythm and tone of Rabih Abou-Khalil's music usually follow the pattern of Arabian instrumental music, but for his amazingly cosmopolitan sound Abou-Khalil has created a synthesis of Arabian music with Western classical and jazz idioms.

Live from Paris 1977

ESP 2 is the true legacy of the music of Miles Davis, kept alive by his former sidemen who are now bandleaders in their own right. Together they honor the heritage of the legendary trumpet master.

Norbert Beilharz captures the Swiss choreographer Heinz Spoerli's work methods on film, basing his portrait on the development of the Swiss master's new ballet: "Goldberg Variations".

This performance is a very intimate meeting of three great artists of Jazz, featuring music ranging from Argentinian Tango to international musical favourites. Very rarely has the vibrant intensity of a performance been captured with such atmosphere.

Barbara Thompson has long been acknowledged as the first lady of the sax. Together with her band "Paraphernalia" and Jon Hiseman, she ranks among the world's top Jazz-rock ensembles.