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.

In this performance, Pharoah Sanders, one of the innovators of the saxophone, explores the possibilities of the instrument. This programme includes moments of sounds exploding with rhythmic intensity, plus pieces full of silent excitement.

"Jazz en clave" is a septet especially put together by Chucho Valdés for the Jazz Open Stuttgart 1999, and features artists like Giovanni Hidalgo, Claudio Roditi and Juan Pablo Torres who together with Michel Camilo belong to the best Latin Jazz…

This particular performance shows world-class piano player Joanne Brackeen with a quite unusual line up, consisting of Pat Metheny's drummer Danny Gottlieb, Lonnie Plaxico of Steve Coleman's Five Elements Band and Donald Harrison, a unique sax player…

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.

The members of the ensemble are all distinguished soloists who represent a high level of artistry. This is traditional Indian folkloristic music at its purest, presented with a high level of interaction between the musicians.

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.

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.

A sample of today's finest jazz artists, providing an overview of the variety, internationality and fascination of today's world of jazz.