Brownswood highlights Melbourne’s jazz scene with brilliant new compilation
Following the success of last year’s We Out Here compilation that helped highlight London’s thriving jazz scene, Gilles Peterson and his Brownswood label have turned their attention to the coastal Australian city of Melbourne on a remarkable new compilation titled, Sunny Side Up, highlighting nine incredible acts that make up the region’s current jazz movement.
Similar to London, Melbourne’s jazz scene is infused with a wide range of musical influences and genres, including broken beat, hip hop, house and soul. The breakout success of Hiatus Kaiyote, with whom many of the compilation’s groups share members, helped provide the Melbourne scene a jolt of momentum and inspired bands in the region to strongly develop their own unique sound. Given the nature of their uniquely isolated environment, this Melbourne musicians and artists often embrace their music independence, and the ability to feel free from the same pressures that other jazz scenes might consistently deal with at times. Many of these artists also develop and record their music in make-shift home studios, garages, and suburban backyards. This compilation celebrates the region’s diversity and uniqueness.
Sunny Side Up celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of the region’s rising jazz scene, featuring nine of the area’s most notable rising artists or bands. Many of these musicians spawn out of regional collectives like 30/70 and Mandarin Dreams, featuring numerous musicians playing on multiple tracks throughout the recording. Recorded over one week at The Grove – a renowned house-studio in the North Melbourne suburb of Coburg, the compilation was engineered by Nick Herrera, who has in the past worked closely with Hiatus Kaiyote, 30/70 Collective, and Allysha Joy. Beat maker and saxophonist Silentjay, who also contributes the tropical samba-influenced “Eternal / Internal Peace” to the record, was the compilation’s musical director. Other artists featured on the album include Phil Stroud, Dufresne, Kuzich, Audrey Powne, the Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, Laneous, Horatio Luna, and Alysha Joy, with the music ranging from spiritual melodies, jazz-funk, hard-bop, and electric soulful grooves.
Overall, this compilation is brilliant from start to finish, highlighting one of the most original and fascinating jazz scenes currently making waves globally. Even though these artists might not be “household names” per se, even in the jazz world, this recording will no doubtfully have many taking notice on the hotbed of incredible music these artists and this region is currently producing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Various — ‘Sunny Side Up’
(Brownswood Recordings)
A1. Phil Stroud – Banksia
A2. Dufresne – Pick Up / Galaxy
B1. Kuzich – There Is No Time
B2. Audrey Powne – Bleeding Hearts
C1. Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange – Powers 2 (The People)
C2. Laneous – Nice To See You
C3. Silentjay – Eternal / Internal Peace
D1. Horatio Luna – The Wake-Up
D2. Allysha Joy – Orbit
