Shahin Novrasli - Bayati (2014)

Shahin Novrasli is an eclectic Azerbaijani musician, who – like compatriot pianists Vagif Mustafazade and Aziza Mustafa Zadeh – has built a reputation beyond his homeland for a tumultuous fusion of American jazz and the local mugam folk tradition. Novrasli was a local classical star in his teens, and his jazz virtuosity is often breathtaking – like Brad Mehldau's contrapuntal-improv approach delivered at blazing tempos, or Herbie Hancock's left-hand chording reworked with jarring harmonies and wilful rhythmic diversions.