If the French horn can be hip, then there's still hope for the bassoonists of the world. The mellow tone of New York's Alex Brofsky (aka AB +) brings out the sultry side of the horn that's often hidden; the veteran jazz artist then blends it with the Jill Scott-like vocals of Jianda for a mellifluous R&B sound.

Say "French Horn" and most people think of the Blue Danube Waltz or an instrument that most of us avoided like the plague when we were in senior band, opting instead for the hipper sounds of the trumpet, bass or sax. However, Alex Brofsky is not most people. The native New Yorker has been a composer, arranger, producer and performer for most of his life. It would take a classically-trained musician like Brofsky, who embraces all forms of music, to put together the eclectic yet specific sound of AB+. His music is a finely blended collection of original songs including strong vocals with powerful arrangements that draw upon Brofsky's roots in classical music as well as his background in jazz and hip-hop. The multi-talented Brofsky has performed and recorded with jazz and pop greats such as Lenny Kravitz, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, McCoy Tyner and Sonny Rollins.