Category: FEATURED RELEASES
The remarkable UK-born, Madrid-based flautist and saxophonist Chip Wickham has joined Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana Records, and just released an incredible new EP on the label’s spiritual jazz 12 series, featuring fresh new reinterpretations of Lonnie Liston Smith classics.
After 10 outstanding releases over two years featuring new music by Roy Ayers, Azymuth, Gary Bartz, Doug Carn, João Donato, Brian Jackson, and Marcos Valle, Jazz Is Dead’s masterminds Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad are just getting started, as they have kicked off the second series of releases with an incredible new compilation highlighting standout tracks from the next wave of releases.
In what is another essential compilation release of 2022, the UK-based Música Macondo label has teamed up with DJs Tahira (São Paulo) and Tim Garcia (London) for Brasil Novo, which is collection of previously unreleased contemporary dance floor Afro-Brazilian gems.
UK-based DJ, radio broadcaster, and selector Luke Una, who made his mark in the underground scenes of Manchester beginning in the mid-80s, has teamed up with the Mr Bongo label and record shop for a brilliant and wildly eclectic new compilation, titled É Soul Cultura.
Future Jazz Ensemble, which is the innovative solo work of Italian multi-instrumentalist and producer Nicola Penna (aka Nasty Boy), has just released a new outstanding electronic-meets-jazz EP for Ten Lovers Music, titled Rough Time.
Legendary Brazilian jazz vocalist Flora Purim, who has rightfully been declared by many as the “The Queen of Brazilian Jazz”, giving the world all-time classic gems like “Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly”, “500 Miles High”, “Light As a Feather”, “Casa Forte”, “Moondreams”, “Angels”, “Samba Michel” and so many others (often collaborating with her husband and percussionist great Airto Moreira), has returned and released her first new full-length album in 15 years on London’s Strut label, titled If You Will.
Flock is a new collaborative ensemble featuring five of London’s most forward-thinking and groundbreaking musicians, including percussionist, gyil player, producer Bex Burch (Vula Viel), drummer and tabla virtuoso Sarathy Korwar, synth wiz Dan “Danalogue” Leavers (Soccer96, The Comet Is Coming), pianist Al MacSween (Maisha) and bass clarinetist, flautist, and soprano saxophonist Tamar Osborn (Collocutor). The all-star group will be releasing their brilliant and highly-anticipated debut album for Strut later next month on May 20th.
Adventurous Italian bassist and composer Rosa Brunello, who often explores everything from progressive rock and jazz fusion to dub and experimental electronic music, is releasing a brilliant new full-length record, appropriately titled Sounds Like Freedom, on Tommaso Cappellato’s new label Domanda Music.
This Saturday, April 23rd is the first of two Record Store Day’s in 2022. This now bi-annual event has become the prime day in which many labels release limited-edition or never-before-released vinyl albums, singles, compilations and reissues. While the day usually attracts many hardcore collectors, shops also often see a large influx of casual music fans and possibly a smaller number that might be buying their first record. Regardless, these are all great things.
In what has to be one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2022, Berlin’s groundbreaking collective Jazzanova reimagine essential material from the now-legendary and short-lived 70s era Detroit label Strata Records. In association with DJ Amir (aka Amir Abdullah) and 180 Proof Records, who have been officially reissuing material from the label’s vaults for almost a decade, this superb new album will be released on BBE.
Los Angeles-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Mark de Clive-Lowe, who is been one of the pioneering artists to successfully blend together jazz, broken beat, house, and experimental electronic-influenced music for the span of three decades, returns with the third release from his superb Midnight Snacks Ep series.
The outstanding Bristol quartet known as The Jazz Defenders build on the foundation of last year’s standout 7inch single The Big Man / Love’s Vestige with a superb soulful jazz full-length, titled King Phoenix on the UK-based Haggis Records.
Australian-born, New York-based composer and pianist Barney McAll, who has made his mark playing along side Gary Bartz, Billy Harper, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesely, Dewey Redman, and so many others, has released a brilliant new uplifting cosmic soul-jazz album on his Extra Celestial Arts label, titled Precious Energy.
