Tweet

Future Jazz - 6 Tracks That Show Whats Next

Having launched the Welcome to Jazz Club playlist series back in 2010 which primarily showcased music from 1965-1980, I thought It would be a good idea to show where the future of jazz might be going and so created this playlist of Future Jazz, showcasing the talents of the next generation of Jazz Musicians.

Here’s 5 of my top picks from this playlist, feel free to leave me a comment on your favourite from the playlist!

Allysha Joy- FNFL

Newly signed to Gondwana Records , Allysha Joy caught my attention with her stunning new album Acadie: Raw which wide and varied journey into various aspects of jazz belies her relatively young age, essential new release. 

Makaya McCraven - Young Genius

The French beat-scientists work is second to none as this piece eloquently and aurally describes a fusion of hip hop beats and spiritual jazz as interwoven, inseparable beings- joyful. 

 

Momo Pixel- Weak

Is it house? Is it jazz? Or maybe it simply lives in its own extra terrestrial sphere, lifting us off planet earth for a moment or two.

Ashley Henry- The World Is Yours

Ashley Henry's take on the Nas classic has depth, has several movements and dare I say it, it expands on the backbone of the original. A deeply satisfying listen and a real talent to watch out for over the next months and years. 

Star The Moonlight- Don’t You Think You Wanna

As taken from mini album Haven’t You Heard, Don’t You Think You Wanna was the track which tipped me over the edge into making this playlist and showcases an up and coming Neo soul / Jazz group with big ambitions, this is just a taste.

King Billy - King Billy

A collective of Tasmanian musicians who make  ‘soulful organic beat music’, King Billy’s sound is, they, say “a combination of jam sessions reworked into full length tracks”. This seriously groovy self-titled starter is hopefully just the beginning. 

Check out the full playlist here

ORLANDO JULIUS

Tweet

Afro-Jazz legend Orlando Julius has just teamed up with the Heliocentrics, who previously released with Lloyd Miller to create a new album called Jaiyede Afro, out now. I can't wait to pick a copy of this.

Check out this mini doc on the album at The Ransom Note, or just click play below.

There's also an afro futurism exhibition at the Watershed in Bristol in October which will be well worth a visit.

Love Supreme : 4th - 6th July

Tweet

Love Supreme, 4th- 6th July

Tucked away in a beautiful village in Sussex, England is a fledgling Jazz and Soul festival called 'A Love Supreme'. It's sponsored by Jazz FM and for the second year played host to some international stars of the genres as well as some local heroes.

Upon arrival you can tell it's all pretty plush. The grass is green, you walk under an villagey clock tower and of course, there is a country manor in the background - although it was fenced off to the riff raff, aka me, of course.

Despite the over-zealous bag searching and security, once inside it was a decent experience. The campsite was not over crowded, you could pick a spot, and the people all seemed very friendly and laid back.

During Friday night's initial perusal of the site i bumped into an old friend working at the Rough Trade shop and we scarpered off site to watch the Brazil quarter finals.

Saturday morning and some delicious columbian coffee was served from one of the stalls. It was good stuff, i had to go back Sunday morning!

So to the music. Midday Saturday and the first act i saw was Matthew Halsall. It walked straight into one of my gigs of the year. As a live experience his band play what Mojo mag described as if “Grooving through time on the spiritual sunship.”  It's modal, it's spiritual jazz, there was a harp, the musicianship was incredible and to be honest, nothing else could top this moment. When the band took it in turns for their solo's i would smile at the summit. Even the drummer gets involved on Patterns taken from new album 'When the World Was One'. Buy the album, it does not disappoint. That's what I did after the gig.

After that the Computers came and conquered the event stage with their rollicking, sweary Rock & Roll that had the whole audeience dancing. Not jazz but well done them.

Incognito on main stage got the crowd up and remembering some of their hits and later on the Saturday Lalah Hathaway (Donny Hathaways Daughter), was okay but such a slow pace, she seemed slightly pre-occupied at times. The 15 minute version of Gershwins summertime was just too long to hold attention. I needed something more upbeat ahead of Earth Wind & Fire so i snuck out after 45 minutes.

Earth Wind & Fire ripped through some of their classic songs which had the crowd dancing whilst Laura Mvula i thought was a bit dull, though pulled a huge crowd to sign her album afterwards.

After 11pm i went dancing in the jungle/dub reggae tent before Ty and Harleigh Blu played. 2am and exahusted i crashed.

Sunday started off with the playback of the Miles Davis Jazz classic 'Feeling Kinda Blue' which was presented by the Jazz writer for the independent and a Jazz FM DJ, a good start to the day.

Later on Brighton local Alice Russell got the crowd going ahead of sets by Courtney Pine, Jose James and later on Gregory Porter.

All in all a super festival and one which will only get better!

http://www.lovesupremefestival.com

★★★★

The clock you walk under as you go in

Campsite

The on site record shop was run by Rough Trade and did some very good business

Campsite at night

Best coffee around was this Colombian blend

Inside one of the tents

Playlist: Welcome To Jazz Club Vol. 3

Tweet

I wanted to wait until i had hit 250 subscribers across the first two Welcome To Jazz Club playlists before publishing the third, but it took a good 18 months to mature and get this set right.

I tend to base the track selection on personal discovery of music through various sources, whether a press recommendation, a friend, a late night internet discovery or hearing the song played somewhere.

This volume leans towards accessible end of Spiritual and Modal Jazz, because that's what i've been exploring more and more over the last 24 months. This includes both new and older more original aspects of the genre, and hopefully does a half decent job in linking them together. Pretty powerful stuff. This even influenced me to a point on the Campfire Surf Mix I did a while back.

So here's my take on a selection of tracks from this playlist (click to open and listen)

Kelan Philip Cohran And The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Ancestral
It's usually pretty tough to choose an opening track and in the previous two playlists i went for upbeat openers, but Spiritual Jazz being what it is, i went for this standout from Kelan Phillip Cohran's self titled 2012 album.

Sathima Bea Benjamin – Music
Taken from the African Songbird album re-issued on  Matsuli, this was originally recorded and released in 1976 on Rashid Vally's As-Shams (Sun) label. Broody modal jazz.

Christian Scott – Who They Wish I Was
AllAboutJazz said this album was "an antidote to all that is wrong with jazz today." and for me this was a real stand out from the New Orleans Trumpeters album.

Darryl Reeves – Paradise (feat. Rasheeda Ali & Carmen Rodgers)
Really enjoyed the futuristic artwork on this and also it's link from jazz to hiphop and soul courtesy of some nice vocals. Brings some beats to the jam and a little slice of positivity "it's so nice, it's a paradise" on loop is just fine with me

Sunlightsquare Latin Combo – I Believe In Miracles
Taken from a good comp on BBE records this is a latin relick of the Jackson Sisters classic.

Lonnie Liston Smith – Golden Dreams
Everyone should hear his record 'Expansions' but his album Cosmic Jazz & Spiritual Sounds issued via Ace Records contained this gem

Mulatu Astatke – Yègellé Tezeta
Ethio jazz in it's prime with Astake leading the charge. If you enjoy this, the Ethiopoques series is well worth checking out. (it's also an album that has been played so many times in the office that it was added to the 'banned' list!)

 

Theo Parrish: Black Jazz Signature

Tweet

"From beginning to end the mix is beautifully rich and energetic—not to mention enlightening."-Resident Advisor 

 

Detroit techno legend Theo Parrish, widely influenced by Jazz, recently compiled a set exploring the Black Jazz label from 1971-76

Although Parrish is usually bunkered in the studio creating intelligent electronica, the influence of jazz remains strong in his production work.

I wasn't too familiar with Black Jazz Records until i heard about this superb compilation, but Parrish has done a fantastic job of picking out some truly wonderful, rare jazz moments.

Occasionally cosmic, often expansive and with superb musicianship on display, the 11 tracks here contain Parrish's take on the best of the catalogue, with the label sending him every album they had on vinyl.

Highlights for me include Gene Russell's take on 'My Favourite Things', The Awakenings 'March On' with it's excellent 1 minute drum solo and hiphop break, the strutty 'Criss Cross' by Calvin Keys and album closer the organ tastic 'Blue Bossa' by Walter Bishop Jr.

It's not on Spotify but it is available on Amazon and iTunes. If you buy the CD on Amazon then auto-rip will actually let you download the 22 track digital version which comes with the tracks separately to the mix as well, so pretty good!

Yatha Bhuta Jazz Combo

Tweet

 

I received an email today from Sounds of The Universe which listed about 12 albums to check out. Some of them i knew, but the artwork on this one and description peaked my interest.

In a slightly tired state  i logged into spotify and searched for Yatha Bhuta , misspelling it about 3 times. Eventually copy and paste came to the rescue!

Having been getting into groups like Mulatu Astatke, Build An Ark, Lloyd Miller and the Skeletons over the last couple of years, my interest in Jazz is leaning more towards the spiritual element, so up comes this album which is presented as a tightly packed 33 minute LP,  from Parisian producer Onra and friend - fellow composer and arranger Buddy Sativa. Even though most tracks barely scratch the 4 minute mark, the ethos from both Onra and Satvia was very much a "spontaneity rules" approach which comes across in droves on this album.

Here is rare moment of a vocal track featuring Brooklyn poet Aja Monet from an album mostly of instrumentals::

Album out June 24th (or out now if you're reading this after that date!)

Isle of Magic

Tweet

This arrived to my headphones very recently but i've played it through almost every day since. If you like your Afro-Jazz and looking for something that sounds deeply authentic then look no further than the Isle of Magic album. The Italian producer Andrea Benini is the man behind Mop Mop and worked on the album with Anthony Joseph and JB's legend Fred Wesley.  The album was recorded between Germany and Italy with the use of vintage analog equipment to achieve a sound with all the “warm” qualities of vintage analog tape recordings, part of the reason this moody foray into percussive rhythms, chanting and Caribbean flavours works so well. Check out an album sampler below

Playlist: Welcome to Jazz Club Volume 2

Tweet

New York, New York

Right in time for Valentines! 18 months of hard toil and finally a hopefully half decent playlist to show for it.

Picking up where the first volume left off, this has a little bit of hiphop edge at the end for good measure, but continues the good work for the first outing, opening with Robert Glasper which soon walks to Syreeta's gentle classic Black Maybe, a record recently featured on the excellent MoWest compilation. Alice Coltrane, Gil Scott-Heron, Dave Pike Set and Marlena Shaw all effortlessly work their wares amongst heaps more of my favourites.

The artwork is quality too, crossing the Hudson, from my friend from Church (and the coolest!) Stephanie Imbeau.

Click HERE to listen, subscribe and pass on!

Simon

Tracklisting:

Robert Glasper – Rise And Shine
Syreeta – Black Maybe
Masequa Myers – Black Land of the Nile
Christian Prommer's Drumlesson – Strings Of Life
Alice Coltrane – Oh Allah
Emanative – Turn Your Lights On - Feat. Ahu
Georgia Anne Muldrow – The Black Mother
Gil Scott-Heron – Offering
Young-Holt Unlimited – Queen Of The Nile
  – I'm A Fool To Want You
Ambrose Akinmusire – Dreams Of The Manbahsniese
Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Sweet Tears
Marvin Gaye – Calypso Blues
Dave Pike Set – Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise
Gil Scott-Heron – Western Sunrise
Mundell Lowe – Johnny Staccato's Theme
Marlena Shaw – Ahmad's Blues
Guru's Jazzmatazz – Down The Backstreets
Digable Planets – Jettin'

A Fable

Tweet

Armenian born piano virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan releases his first album via the Verve imprint and impresses with the perfect winter album.

Having heard of this album and Tigran's American upbringing via Giles Petersons producer @cushtilla , I set about discovering more and was instantly hooked by the dramatic bounce of 'What The Waves Brought' and the pensive tinkering of 'Legend of The Moon', both just from watching on youtube.

Amongst several other moments of genius on the album are the scatty title track and 'The Spinners' where melancholy meets hope, originally an arrangement of the philosopher George Ivanovich.

When he plays live, hunched double over the keys, it's with such intensely that at times he mutters to himself like he's absorbed in another world. You can even hear his jitter on this concept album, where folk songs from his native Armenia are reworked to American jazz.

With jazz great Herbie Hancock calling him 'amazing', i'd definitely recommend checking this album out over Christmas :)

**** 4/5

Playlist: Welcome To Jazz Club Vol 1

Tweet

  
Welcome To Jazz Club Vol. 1

Over the last 4-6 months i've been compiling a playlist of some of the best traditional Jazz as well as more contemporary artists such as Elizabeth Shepherd, Esperanza Spalding, Build An Ark, Robert Glasper Trio, Nick Rosen and more. It felt kinda right to release it to the world at this present time, firstly because i didn't know what else to add or take away from the compilation. The twenty or so tracks, seemed to have a good harmony about them and secondly I felt that the records included had the right fit for an introduction and yet also those experienced in the genre might discover something new if i'd got it right.

The playlist is themed around accessible Jazz, but not necessarily ignoring the experimental. For instance, although we start with Nick Rosens uplifting morning of Twin Harbours and Blue Note's Robert Glasper Trio, soon pops up Rashaan Roland Kirk's cover of Ain't No Sunshine. Here is a Jazz record which is broody yet playful (Kirk tries to sing through his flute) and yet also from an artist of much repute, this one of his seminal works. Speaking of seminal works, the full version of My Favourite Things by John Coltrane also had to go in. The fact that the whole of the 4 track EP was recorded in 3 days and produced something which gets better with age is testament to the talent of the players involved. The vintage of Coltrane is nearly matched by the Egyptian Jazz of Pharoah Sanders who actually gets two spots on this hour long playlist. Firstly his record Astral Travelling, a classic from his LP Thembi, and secondly a group called Build An Ark who excellently covered You've Got To Have Freedom in 2004.

Roy Ayers, an artist who I own many albums by, appears with Mystic Voyage with an R&B come Jazz record. I guess this is really JazzFunk but it's groove is jazz and Ayers tinkling on the vibraphone is always something else.

Seven Bucks by Elizabeth Shepherd is one of the few fully vocalled records on this collection but the double bass, percussion, lyrics and upbeat message, for me adds to the idea that this genre is not easily date stamped.

Ronnie Foster's Mystic Brew was sampled to perfection by Tribe Called Quest, but the original stands the test of time, simply stunning lounge come R&B jazz. It wasn't available on Spotify but very much reminded me of Challenge by Travis Biggs for it's tempo.

Hank Mobley's Ballin- I love how this tune has a sort of hiphop name and starts with some flair; definite crowd pleaser. The harp is a much under appreciated/used instrument in Jazz, more often used in classical music, which is why Afro-Harping by Dorothy Ashby bucked the trend in 1968 using the harp as the main instrument and placing everything else around it. I chose to use the track 'Games' from the album but could have easily included anything else although it is very swinging 60's in places. What i'd liked previously about George Benson, whose track No Sooner Said Than Done is included here, was his work with Kenny Dope, Louie Vega on Masters At Work Nuyorican Soul album.

Beyond these selections, records by Azymuth, Weldon Irvine, Dave Brubeck, Pat Methany, George Duke, Terence Blanchard and more help to create this first compilation.

Full track listing below or click here to open the playlist in Spotify.

The next chapter has already started, but that can wait until 2011, keep posted here to see when that will be.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did putting it together..

Simon

Nick Rosen- Twin Harbours
Robert Glasper Trio- No Worries
Hank Mobley- Ballin'
Bobby Hutcherson- Head Start
George Duke- Alone 6AM
Build An Ark- You've Gotta Have Freedom
Elizabeth Shepherd- Seven Bucks
Rahsaan Roland Kirk- Ain't No Sunshine
Dorothy Ashby- Games
Pat Methany- Son of Thirteen
Esperanza Spalding- The Peacocks
George Benson- No Sooner Said Than Done
Pharaoh Sanders- Astral Travelling
Terence Blanchard- D's Choice
Azymuth- Butterfly
Weldon Irvine- Music Is The Key
Roy Ayers- Mystic Voyage
John Coltrane- My Favourite Things
Ronnie Foster- Mystic Brew
Dave Brubeck- Take Five
Eugene McDaniels- Jagger The Dagger