Category: FEATURED RELEASES
In what has turned into quite a productive year for Greg Foat, the London-based pianist follows up a number of incredible releases for Edinburgh’s Athens of The North label, including the one of the year’s best albums in The Mage, and released another brilliant full-length to close out the year, titled The Dreaming Jewels.
Bassist and composer Junius Paul has been making a name for himself over the last decade both in Chicago with his jam sessions at the now-shuttered Velvet Lounge, and internationally with his collaborative work with drummer and beat-maker Makaya McCraven. As usual, Chi-town’s International Anthem Recordings continues to have their finger on the pulse, and have just released Paul’s debut album, titled Ism.
One of the best releases in 2018 was Makaya McCraven’s widely collaborative Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape), a recording that brought together some of the most forward-thinking musicians and beat makers from both Chicago and London. One of the many standout tracks from that session was London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Emma-Jean Thackray’s “Too Shy”. Total Refreshment Records and International Anthem have teamed up again to release an extended version on a new twelve-inch single.
This December, London-based independent label Clap City Records will be reissuing the 7inch version of the highly-obscure 1975 jazz-funk classic ‘Farewell To The Welfare’ by Wendell Harrison and the legendary Detroit Tribe collective.
The London-based trio Still Moving featuring saxophonist Nat Philipps, drummer Pike Ogilvy, and keyboardist Sam Bates have just released a brilliant debut self-titled EP on Lanquidity Records.
After a string of standout 7inch releases, Berlin-based Philophon label has released the long-awaited and much anticipated full-length album from Ghanaian Frafra-gospel singers Alogte Oho & His Sounds Of Joy.
Even though the group of musicians were very much ignored by the mainstream at the time, Detroit’s Tribe is now considered one of the most legendary collectives and jazz labels during the seventies, featuring jazz greats like Wendell Harrison, Phil Ranelin, Marcus Belgrave, Harold McKinney, and others. Now, labels Strut and Art Yard have teamed up to release the first compilation celebrating the modern era recordings from this collection of artists.
This past month, Manchester’s electro-acoustic trio GoGo Penguin released a brilliant new EP on Blue Note Records, titled Ocean In A Drop featuring music excerpts from their original score to Godfrey Reggio’s 1983 cult film, Koyaanisqatsi.
The London-based Soul Jazz Records has released a great new compilation, titled Nigeria Soul Power 70 that highlights the influence of funk, rock and disco on the African region’s music during the 1970s.
Every year their are a number of highly-anticipated releases that vinyl collectors and music fans cannot wait to listen in full, however some of my favorite releases are the ones that I didn’t see coming, and completely blow me away. This is certainly the case with the debut recording from the London-based cosmic groove quintet Natural Lateral.
It’s been quite a busy year for Mark de Clive-Lowe. Already he has released two recordings with his brand new Japanese cosmic jazz group Rōnin Arkestra, and two additional albums that made up his Heritage project. For his final release of 2019, the Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist and producer presents his CHURCH Sessions, which MdCL describes as “equal parts jazz club, dance party and live remix experiment.”
Longtime Chicago jazz scene veteran, and newly residing New York City-based trumpeter and composer Jamie Branch follows-up her breakthrough and highly acclaimed 2017 debut Fly Or Die with a new brilliant full-length album on International Anthem titled, Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise.
Following up on her breakthrough 2017 album La Saboteuse, British-Bahraini trumpet player and composer Yazz Ahmed returns with a brilliant new record, titled Polyhymnia.
