City of Asylum Jazz-Poetry concert, North Side, Sept. 8

With Sampsonia Way lined with chairs and several hundred jazz and poetry fans, saxophonists Oliver Lake, Greg Osby, James Carter and Hamiett Bluiett established the mood and music for the evening. The music started with a simmer and reached a boiling point when the group launched into Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday."

Byham Theater, Oct. 18

With the use of chimes and grapevines, drums and bells, brushes, an old redwood tree and dozens of other instruments, Mickey Hart, Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, Nigerian talking-drum virtuoso Sikiru Adepoju and Latin percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo, demonstrated how world music has evolved from Latin America to have global influences.

Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, Dec. 6

Anyone familiar with Weston knows of his abiding love for Africa, and most of the music drew its inspiration from somewhere on the continent. Even when he performed "Bed-Stuy," a homage to the Brooklyn neighborhood where he grew up, the music was filled with African rhythms.

Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, March 16

It was two separate concerts but one amazingly exciting evening of music. The evening began with the Joe Lovano Quartet, featuring Lovano on tenor, soprano and double soprano, pianist James Weidman, bassist Esperanza Spalding and drummer Otis Brown. It was also refreshing to hear the experimental trio, The Bad Plus, in concert. The group, which features pianist Ethan Iverson, drummer David King and bassist Reid Anderson, performs some of the most progressive and original music I've heard in some time.

Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, Sept. 27

Most could only imagine accomplishing what saxophonist James Moody has musically -- Jazz Masters Fellowship Award and International Jazz Hall of Fame, to name a couple honors. Yet he remains gracious and considers himself a student of the music. Performing with his mature quartet, which featured drummer Dennis Mackrel, pianist David Hazeltine and bassist Todd Coolman, Moody kept the crowd engaged throughout the evening. Then came vocalist Jimmy Scott, who sat in a wheelchair as he belted "Embraceable You" and "Motherless Child" before making his biggest impression on "I Cried For You."

Carnegie Music Hall, Nov. 3

Nathan Davis' ability to assemble the right hybrid of performers continues to help make the annual University of Pittsburgh concert one of the highlights of the year.

Cabaret at Theater Square in Downtown's Cultural District, Oct. 19

If you're into Latin music, especially salsa, you didn't want to miss Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends Orchestra. It was a night of endless dancing and gyration.

Gullifty's, Squirrel Hill, May 20

Pianist Rachel Z has emerged from the shadows of Peter Gabriel to form one of the most innovative trios to come along in some time. Z has long been adept at bridging genres, and her group, Dept. of Good and Evil, continued on that path.