Kelly Moran, courtesy Brandon Bowen. I chose to delve into some instrumental songs this week; there were a bunch to choose from. From the wind instrument leads of Charles Lloyd to percussive piano by Kelly Moran, retro, Afro-Latino flow by Jahari Massamba Unit, electronica by Prefuse 73 and a…

The best albums of 2020 include (clockwise from top left): Benny the Butcher, Sault, The Soft Pink Truth, Jacob Collier, Lucinda Williams, Jahari Massamba Unit, Bruce Springsteen, Loyal Lobos, Soccer Mommy and Crack Cloud. Welcome back to RIFF’s year-end album roundup! If you’re joining us just now, you’re here…

Jazz, as the cornerstone of practically all modern American music, doesn’t always get critical acknowledgment—particularly in an era where people are increasingly listening to eclectic and peculiar genres like folktronica or vaporwave. Hip-hop producer legends Madlib and Karriem Riggins, who teamed up once again as Jahari Massamba Unit on Pardon My French,…