It's jazz season again, with some programs already under way, others in the works and plenty of good music on tap in the coming weeks and months.

The Agharta Prague Jazz Festival, which began last month, kicks into high gear next week with a standout: Mino Cinelu is a world-class musician who is noteworthy above all for his attempts to create a new sound in jazz — an effort very few jazzmen in his class are concerned with.

French-Caribbean Cinelu, born in France in 1957 but based in New York for the past 20 years, became known in jazz circles after being discovered by Miles Davis in the late '70s. During his 10 year–plus stint drumming for Miles, he also played with Herbie Hancock and Weather Report, among others. In the '90s, he branched out to play with notable rock and pop musicians like Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos and Sting.

It wasn't until 1999 that Cinelu put out his first solo album. He wrote, composed, arranged and produced his remarkable self-titled debut, as well as his second solo release, Quest Journey (2002), an overlooked gem in contemporary jazz.

On Quest Journey, Cinelu takes his deep jazz pedigree and merges it with thumping DJ beats, pop, hip hop, rock, Indian — you name it. And it all works because he is a master musician, clearly in love with many different types of music.

This open-minded approach also informs his latest project, Mino Cinelu & The Flame and Co Trio, which features two well-known flamenco guitarists, Paco El Lobo and Miguel Mipuente.

Reached just before he was returning to New York from France, Cinelu had this to say about his new project: "I have always enjoyed flamenco, and I've recorded with the great Tomatito and Vicente Amigo. In Paris, as in many other cities in the world, people gather for the 'Juerga Flamenca' [a flamenco jam]. Miguel and Paco are among my dearest friends, and invited me several times. It was not long before I decided to invite them and include their wonderful talent to this voyage as well. This was the birth of The Flame And Co Trio."

Cinelu refers to his recent musical projects as journeys, excursions of exploration and self-discovery. "Quest Journey was very different than the first album, and I am almost sure that my next voyage will be different as well."

For his March 13 Prague show, Cinelu says he's planning to include some music from his earlier solo projects along with the flamenco. The old material will be "revisited, of course," by a lineup of new musicians with different instruments. And the trio is currently writing new pieces for a future CD and DVD.

Cinelu says he's looking forward to his show in Prague. "I have been lucky enough to come several times to Eastern Europe, and every time I was moved by the warmth of not only the public, but also the people I met during my travels. Traditional music from that part of the world is, in my view, among the most soulful I have ever heard. I just can't wait to return."

There's another great show the following night: Jazz Meets World is bringing the intriguing singer and performance artist Erika Stucky to town. A Swiss-American based in New York, Stucky is touring to promote her 2005 CD, Princess, which was recorded in Berlin. Stucky is a subversive jazz singer with a Tom Waits–sounding lounge band that often veers into Laurie Anderson-style sound-art excursions, or unusual covers of songs by Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson and Elvis. Her lyrics are compelling — confessional, comical and sometimes outrageous, all under a dramatic bed of brass, accordion and electronica.