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.
I've been enjoying curating the Songs of Sunshine & Struggle playlist since late January when the nights were dark and long.
Now it's May and London is getting sunnier, and warmer, days. Much like the changing of the season, there are moments of radiant sunshine, and then long days of darkness and sadness. Which is where this playlist comes from in its outlook.
Here are just 5 of the songs, chosen from the 250, that have really gotten to me. Some are just about having a good time- thats the sunshine!- but some really identify with those times of suffering and trouble.
Meadows spent years trying to escape himself. He's anything but selfish, so he'd find a way to get away-- a bottle, a bag, a sermon -- and he'd share it with anyone. Underdogs is an encouraging clarion call to those who feel like they're at the back of the queue.
This took me straight to mid-west America, a close community, and a heck of a good time on the weekend
The Minneapolis singer takes us somewhere that people arrive and go - The Airport. Leaving our troubles behind, she suggests we 'leave our burdens at the boarding gate'
I'm a big fan of Courtney's album released earlier this year. Isn't the world be better with the Kindness of Strangers?
"He ain't coming back here again, they're passengers on a ship that can't go back from where it's come." - Will Overman
I've really been enjoying curating the seasonal folk playlist on the Bristol Funk channel recently, and over the last 6 months, these songs have really stood out ::
We all have someone we'd like to be at home again
The opening lyrics of Overland, recorded close to Bristol, cut straight to the heart. I love the harmonies and unity of the 3 band members here
As a fan of Agnes Obel and Lisa Hannigan Mree's 'In The Kitchen' really got to me. The chorus is so soothing, like Kate Bush but with a cup of herbal tea. A folk song that starts so light then progresses and builds with a certain depth and increasing purpose. A hell of a record.
"Hate can't be the face of the American Dream" pleads Raye Zaragoza. Herself part Native American Indian, she wanted to re-address the balance and like the classic protest songs of yore, it has as much hope as it does sadness. An under-rated record that deserves to be much bigger than it is.
Cat Stevens was there on so many car journeys with my parents so I was really pleased when he released a new album last year. This was my favourite track from his 'Laughing Apple' album
Another playlist that was about 6 months in the making for me is Soul Trip 3! Looking at some classic music from 1970 until 1974, this time round it's about the covers, we have a little bit of the Ruffin brothers, performing the classic Hollies track 'He Aint Heavy..' . Then there's Sarah Vaughn's super version of Inner City Blues by Marvin Gaye and Joe Bataan's The Prayer, from his 1971 album 'Mr New York And The East Side Kids' a very good vocal album and different to some of the his other work, it's a beautiful song.
Also chipping in we have some instrumentals, first up MFSB's keyboardtastic version of Family Affair, which is preceeded by O'Donel Levy's Carpenters cover- 'We've Only Just Begun'. Emotive jazz guitar from his Breeding of Mind album where the top line is often replaced with his heartfelt strum.
Other appearances come in from Soul brother number 1, James Brown who makes the cover star for the playlist, an early Chaka Kahn joint, Al Green, Leroy Hutson, Gil Scott Heron's Black & Blues project , Howard Tate and Ann Peebles amongst others.
I had alot of fun creating this, hit play below and let me know what you think! Blessings, Simon
In my bedroom I have a vintage 1977 Sharp GF 90-90 Ghettoblaster. With two aerials. Yes 2! So with double the picking up strength , I can get a wide range of unofficial stations including those with slightly weaker signals. In London everything from reggae through to the grime, 2-step Garage and the bassiest of beats is covered. So in celebration of this culturally diverse selection I made a Spotify playlist.
Click here to listen/subscribe or simply click play below::
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
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!)
Inspired by alot of the slower dubstep and beats out there i've been tinkering with a playlist of slower grooves over the last 18 months and finally ready to make it a little more public.
So this is Love Dubs and features Cooly G, Little Dragon, SBTRKT, Mount Kimbie and more!
Recently the rather , er ace, Ace Records decided the
time was right for them to have their catalogue up on Spotify.
One of the gems amongst the many they have is this space jazz album from 'Expansions' Lonnie Liston Smith. Starting off with this seminal
track, this groove album is not to be missed. I've added it to my 'music for
2013 playlist which will mostly be new albums and singles but will contain some
older discoveries and re-discoveries from this year as well.
In other news there's a new album from Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators, their first since 2005 (single track now added to the playlist), Bonobo who premiered his track 'Cirrus' this week and Charles Bradley via Daptone all coming up in the first few months of the year!
Another of the playlists that i've been working on for a few months as i've been collecting some decent RnB from the archives and some newer tunes too.
I've been quite enjoying some of the sparse but soulful crunk recently from artists like Cymphonique, Lulu James and Aluna George and decided to bridge that against some classics and lesser known gems too..
I've been noticing more and more recently how much good soul music came out between 1970 and 1974 , so i put together a playlist. Below i've gone through my track choices, enjoy!
Opening with a new discovery for me, the Impressions 1973 album Preacher Man, recorded after both Curtis Mayfield and Leroy Hutson exited the band, this is a very good album considering. And the song Find The Way just really stood out.
Minnie Riperton – Reasons Minnie Riperton has a stunning voice, and provided the vocals to the Chess Records group Rotary Connection. 'Reasons' was taken from another album also from '73 , 'Angels'. This is just a great soul rock tune and a marked departure from her better known downtempo records (Loving You, Inside My Love, Les Fleurs).
Sly Stone – Family AffairI can't say i'm into everything Sly & Family Stone released but Family Affair is by far and away one of their finest records. The sound on this record is very warm too.
The Staple Singers – If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) - Single Version Staple Singers were counted as a reference point on Phantom Limbs newest record 'The Pines' (check it out if you get a chance). If You're Ready was a bit of a hit for the country soul singers back in '73. What i like about this is it actually links in quite well to some of the music James Brown was backing around that time, the likes of Marva Whitney and Lyn Collins 1972 song 'Think About It'. Lots of sunshine soul.
O'JAYS – Back Stabbers Seminal, funky hit this for the O'Jays via the thriving Philadelphia International label and sampled and re-recorded numerous times, notably by Ronnie Foster, Angie Stone and more recently B.O.B.
Curtis Mayfield – Give Me Your Love (Love Song) Curtis Mayfields Superfly album was thanfully released (of course) within this period so it's only right I list my favourite track from the album, Give Me Your Love. All instrumental at the start it's bumpy groove with good percussion, harp play and wah guitar give way to a string orchestra. Very very accomplished and that's before Curtis' fine vocals comes in.
Bobby Bland – Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City A good song for my cities playlist, Bland laments the lack of love in the city and raises a challenge for us urban dwellers. Soul certainly meets rock again in this song though he never quite rocks out, relying instead on his well weathered voice to lift the song.
Gwen McCrae – 90% of Me Is You As with a few other artists i discovered Gwen McRae via a sample, which in this case was Cassius' 'Feeling For You' from the album '1999'. Other than the hit that spawned that 'All of This Love That I'm Giving', 90% of You is a fine languid journey into soul and a perfect example of what makes this period of time so fruitful. Excellent instrumentation and no corners cut. Some of her other records were a bit more Rnb and discofied such as Funky Sensation so this felt like a good fit.
Stevie Wonder – Look Around I nearly didn't add Stevie but then I took myself to one side and had a good stern chat with myself. This one's from his 1971 album Where I'm Coming From.
Esther Phillips – Alone Again (Naturally) Esther Phillips, a troubled genius of a singer, her album Alone Again, Naturally should be more popular so no surprise she forms a big part of this playlist.
Marvin Gaye – God Is Love Marvin Gaye – Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) Marvin marvin marvin.. These two tracks are highlights amongst many from his seminal and political 'What's Going On' (as i write this Obama has just been re-elected!). An artist who gave us a great deal.
Bill Withers – Who Is He (And What Is He To You)? Even though I own a Greatest Hits collection, I didn't feel it was an authentic appreciation of the legend that is Bill Withers so i bought his debut Still Bill, when i was last in Bristol. Who Is He &What Is He To You is standout.
Roy Ayers – Hummin' In The Sun 8 albums by Roy Ayers sit in my music racks here in London so I couldn't really omit him from this playlist. Hummin' In The Sun was a bit of precursor to Everybody Loves The Sunshine, Ayers laying a big ol kick back groove in '71
Black Sugar – Too Late Black Sugar aren't that well known but i discovered them recently so i thought it'd only be fair to include some upbeat peruvian funk here.
Kool & The Gang – Summer Madness What's to be said about this tune that hasn't already been said. If i could discard songs like Ladies Night and Hollywood Swinging i probably would in favour of this slice of instrumental mastery.
While I admit the discovery of all of these albums in March, I think it'd only be fair to play them all again in April.
March started well albeit with the overproduced and slightly underwhelming Michael Kiwanuka album, which promised so much; delivered 3 or 4 stand out tracks only for the rest to consist of fill. Expect this to pick up a few awards though as more of his songs hit the radio. As some people have commented, if we'd been given an album of him, his guitar and some percussion that would have been great, what we were got was a bit major label-ish, over-tinkered and actually took away from the end result. Among Kiwanuka's influences though is Bill Withersso it was on point that BBC4 brought the documentary Still Bill over to our shores. An excellent expose on the man, his life now, his early days and of course the music, the timeless soulful music. Check out the trailer below. Quietly announced around all of the hype surrounding SXSW was a doc on hobo to funk hero Charles Bradley, whose album 'No Time For Dreaming' easily made this blogs top 10 album list for 2011. Trailer also in the below (plays after Still Bill spot). The beginning of March also meant the finishing the excellent softback Life & Times of Sam Cooke- my mini-review can be read in full here.
So then, on to the three albums that have been tipping the balance this month. First up Southamptons finest hiphop luminary:DJ Format. Cut from the hem of the Endtroducing//Jurassic 5 era, Formats debut album Music For The Mature B-Boy propelled him from bedroom tinkerer to one of the scenes most respected beat junkies. This third outing, the follow up to 2005's if you can't beat em, join 'em, we find him in fine fettle, chopping up records he found crate digging and partnering again with Canadian MC Abdominal. The first half of the album is definitely for the breakers amongst us, whereas the second half takes on a funkier sound as he teams up with Nostalgia 77, Mr Lif & Edan amongst others. Copper Canyons is worth a mention, cinematic, slightly oriental and mysterious, it reminded me of a much cooler version of the x-men theme tune. These moments break up the album nicely so we're not overloaded with all the sharp shooting lyrics. Other highlights include Remember... , Notes In Quotation and the bond-esque Mayor of a Ghost Town. ****
Next up, it's Lee Fields. Admittedly i'm late to the Lee Fields party and his last album 'My World' passed me by a little bit. So to this new album though, Faithful Man, which i'm not afraid to say i found out about through an advert on Spotify (it's okay, i did end up buying the cd). To say this is a top top soul funk album wouldn't be an understatement, on the title track he hollers about the girl that was tempting him, before the second song, occasionally shrieking with passion he tells us 'I Still Got It', a modern classic and very catchy. You could even take away his bank account, car, health and he still got it. It reminded me of faith, it's not something that can be taken away by the things we own or the money we have. It moves on to the summery You're The Kind Of Girl, complete with all the wah wah you could ask for. Moonlight Mile, a Rolling Stones cover, sounds like it was made in 1973, and is heartfelt in it's delivery. This isn't Fields changing his game to make modern Funk, it's more him sticking to his guns as at 61 he's stepping out from behind the shadow of James Brown along with his contemporaries such as Charles Bradley & Bobby Womack to keep Funk on it's game. The penultimate song, It's All Over But The Crying rounds the album as one of love and politics, without being too preachy or soppy, showing very much that the man still got it. ****
Finally an album released early April from a neo-soul artist, well two, in Alice Russell and Quantic's (Will Holland) Latin verve of Look Around The Corner with The Combo Barero Orchestra. Recorded in Cali, Colombia, We were given a little teaser with the title track and it's Rotary Connection/Minnie Riperton influenced sound, a real corker. But it was KCRW (possibly one of the best stations in the US for indie music) , that broke another highlight 'Light In The Window', a cover of Marvin/Diana Ross's original and one of Russells favourites. Delivered with a tonky, slightly off-key piano, it sounds deeply authentic. Travelling Song gives us a taste of the tropics with it's melodic bossa flair whilst the fun Su Suzy sounds like a long lost and sweet R&B record. The mid-tempo I'd Cry meanwhile is just a great track to kick back to whilst enjoying a pina colada. This is the album to, kick back, open the windows to and welcome the summer in this year. ****
A few weeks ago I finished reading an eye opening bio on Sam Cooke by Daniel Wolff with contributions from those who were around Sam during his life. The man who came out of his gospel and R&B background did the hard yards within the gospel group circuit, went pop and became known as inventor of what we now know as soul.
What surprised me so much about this insight was that from outside he comes across with a very clean image, and a very sweet song. Raised in the Church by his reverend father Charles Cook and mother Annie May near the Sunflower river in Mississippi you'd expect this may be the case but Cooke originally born Samuel Cook - the 'E' was added when he needed to record under a different name- was not as innocent as his records make out. As the book informs he spent 90 days in prison when 17 for trading illicit content, fathered a child at 21 and didn't pay support, was involved in a car accident, married and divorced whilst only 27 and was involved in several disputes over royalties. All this going on whilst America was in the midst of racial, political stir with Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers amongst others carrying forward the cause. Cooke himself became the popstar of the movement and actively started to promote black musicians via his own publishing company. He was friends with both Malcolm X and then Cassius Clay who he ate with and met with on a few occasions.
A good thing about this book is that it includes a whole half chapter on A Change Is Going to Come, perhaps his most famous hit. It wasn't released until shortly after his untimely death, shot in a motel room in suspicious circumstances. Cooke, at 34, was at the top of his career at that point and had recorded the record in response to Bob Dylan's protest song 'Blowin' In The Wind. On page 251 we read 'Blowin In The Wind had continued to bother Sam. "A white boy writing a song like that?"It was a challenge to Sam-as a black man and a songwriter'. Passing away at this young age Cooke left an incredible legacy which has stood the test of time.
A compelling read and recommended reading for any fan of Sam, soul or American black politics from the mid fifties into the early sixties.
There's also a Spotify playlist of the music of the era, and some of the songs mentioned in the book. Feel free to have a listen here:
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.
Listening to Show & AG's seminal hiphop debut Runaway Slave on the way into work last week, I noticed lots of crate digging samples that the likes of DJ Shadow and Kanye would have been pretty chuffed with,
So here's a little playlist, including every available, original, sample from their 1992 opus!
When browsing shook.fm I was sad to see i'd missed the London screening of this Tribe Called Quest documentary.
Midnight Marauders is my favourite Tribe record and this looks to provide a great insight into an act that defined a classic era of hip hop. Here's the trailer added a playlist i set up :)
A bit of a guilty pleasure playlist this one, but being into records such as Was Not Was' Shake Your Head, Rene & Angela's I Love You More and the likes of Patrice Rushen I decided to put together a wider collection of 80's R&B meets dance.
A labour of love over the last few months, there's a couple of slower numbers in here as well for good measure and popping up are Angela Bofill's Let Me Be The One and Stephanie Mills 'What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'" amongst a couple of others.
Also check out Rare Pleasure's 'Let Me Down Easy', the sample behind David Morales house smash Needin U.
In our church homegroup we've recently been learning about how cities were intended to be places of refuge, cultural diversity and of prosperity. Tim Keller has written a very good book/DVD called Gospel In Life on it, and it got me thinking, how much does the city really means to us all in our daily lives? Should we go to the city for our career or to take from it, or should we be giving to it?
So this mix came about, a soundtrack for the city in the summer. Rare northern soul, funk and party to travel the trams to.
So seeing as we're nearly in 2011, here are 10 of the albums that have really stood above the rest for me this year.
This list features on Amazon here Ty- Special Kind Of Fool Possibly Ty's best album yet, and his debut on BBE this could be hiphop album of the year. Lyrically sharp, funky and as ever with Mr Chikoke- personal.
Aloe Blacc- Good Things Politically shrewd, soulful and forward looking, Blacc paints a picture of America 2010. This is Blaccs moment as he glances toward Gil Scott Heron and Bill Withers. Featuring I Need A Dollar, big hit.
Shad- TSOL A stellar album from one of Canada's finest up and coming hiphop artists, TSOL has Christian roots lyrically but boy is this record funky. If you like Pharcyde, check this.
Travie McCoy- Lazarus This isn't me going all commercial, but this is an excellent pre-party album, irresistibly catchy (unfortunately). And Billionaire says something about modern society.
The Hundred In The Hands- The Hundred In The Hands Very under appreciated album, you'll like that if you were a fan last year of Ladyhawkes album. The track Pigeons stands miles ahead.
Bonobo- Black Sands Four albums in and Simon Green still has an ability to surprise and delight. In Black Sands he has created a beat record influenced by the contemporary and the oriental.
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings- I Learned The Hard Way She makes follow up albums seem easy and seems to get better with age, but this record is too catchy to put down, 12 very well written songs, accompanied with knockout funk flair by the dap-kings.
Harper Simon- Harper Simon Always difficult to be in your dad's shadow, but Harper's album proves he can stand on his own two just fine (even if his dad did co-write a couple). One of the best debuts you're likely to hear.
Hauschka- Foreign Landscapes Pretty much Man With A Movie Camera 'Part 2', the German born producer eloquently paints intricate and often mood-setting glacial soundscapes.
Nite Jewel- Good Evening Okay so this is late 2009, but can you date it? Lo-fi 80's synth pop which looks towards Kraftwerk. Recorded in a bedroom and all analogue, dark & deep, lo-fi is back and long live cassette.
