Marta Sánchez — a pianist from Madrid, now based in New York City — is celebrated for her inventive use of counterpoint and rhythm, as displayed on her radiant new album, El Rayo de Luz (Fresh Sound New Talent).

Saxophonist and educator George Garzone may not be well known outside of Boston, but if you ask any woodwind player at the Berklee College of Music, he’s nothing short of a jazz legend.

When I landed in Turkey last summer for the 26th Istanbul Jazz Festival , I knew I was arriving at an ancient crossroads — where East meets West, old meets new, and culture still thrives in dazzling convergence. What I didn’t expect is how Istanbul constantly reminded me of New York City: the sheer density of the place, its relentless energy, its occupants rushing about the sprawling metropolis.

One thing I’ve noticed over two decades’ worth of interviews with Vijay Iyer, the award-winning pianist and composer, is that he doesn’t instinctively start talking about himself. He’s much more inclined to spread the musical gospel and teachings of the masters before him.

Vincent Peirani is an accordionist and composer who, earlier this month, won Album of the Year in the prestigious Victoires du Jazz, an annual awards ceremony in France. On this edition of My Music, we’ll join Peirani on a listening tour of his winning album, Living Being II - Night Walker (ACT Music).

We know Justin Stanton as one of the original members of Snarky Puppy, a band that thrives in a state of constant collaboration. But this trumpeter and keyboardist considers it important to find moments for himself, looking inward as a composer — as on his debut album, Secret Place . “Music is a very social thing and certainly in Snarky Puppy, it is a way to bring people together,” Stanton says. “To me, there is a special part of music where you experience it yourself and maybe you have the

As the French multi-instrumentalist known as FKJ boarded a plane early this year, he turned to his manager, Kate Cudbertson, and asked: “Why are we going to Bolivia, again?” The huge risk of filming a remote concert at Salar de Uyuni — the world’s largest salt flat, high in the Andes — was starting to sink in. But they both knew they might be on the verge of making something for the ages.

Samora Pinderhughes lives in a constant state of metamorphosis. Five years after his Transformation Suite , this brilliant pianist and singer-songwriter is ready to burst out of his latest cocoon with Venus . Pinderhughes says the name refers not to the planet but rather a line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet — “Venus smiles not in the house of tears” — that sets the bloom of love against the weight of tragedy.

What does our music sound like now? We mean “now” as in right now — fall of 2019? There’s no simple answer to that question, but The Checkout is here to help. Taking our cue from the WBGO Fall Preview , a rundown of 88 picks for the new season, we’ll explore some of the albums poised to make an impact in the weeks to come.

It’s easy to get excited about Pedro Martins, a young multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter from Brazil. On this edition of My Music on The Checkout, we’ll get to know Martins, who at 26 has toured with Kurt Rosenwinkel and released his own album on the guitarist’s Heartcore label. It was Rosenwinkel who gave Martins the confidence to step out as a vocalist — featuring him in that capacity on a song called “Kama.”