The UK-born, Madrid-based flautist and saxophonist Chip Wickham follows-up two stellar releases in 2017’s La Sombra, and 2018’s Shamal Wind, with his most adventurous and cosmically-charged album to date in Blue To Red.

Released on the Spanish Broken Beat/house label Lovemonk, this remarkable six-track recording channels the spiritual jazz influences of Alice Coltrane and Yusef Lateef through the lens of jazz-funk-inspired grooves. The record brilliantly fuses together souring flute solos, soulful Rhodes melodies, hypnotic harp and string textures, Arabic-rooted tones, and driving percussion rhythms.

On top of playing both flute and saxophone, the album was also recorded, produced, and mixed by Wickham himself. The session also features an incredible cast of UK-based musicians, including Sons of Kemet and Mulatu Astatke drummer, Jon Scott, double bassist and cellist Simon ‘Sneaky’ Houghton (member of the nu-jazz group Fingathing), Nightmares On Wax affiliate Dan ‘JD 73’ Goldman on keys, percussionist Rick Weed, and Gondwana Orchestra alumni Amanda Whiting, providing celestial harp sounds throughout the recording.

The album’s artwork depicts the records overall concept of a beautiful blue planet that is slowing transitioning into crisis, with the red tones representing a dying world. In this time of uncertainty, Wickham has gravitated towards a more spiritual cosmic sound in a response to help heal the world, and has, as a result, produced one of the year’s best recordings.

Chip Wickham — ‘Blue To Red’
(Lovemonk)

1. Blue to Red
2. Route One
3. Interstellar
4. The Cosmos
5. Double Cross
6. Mighty Yusef

BUY RECORD

• Jazz
• Jazz Funk
• Spiritual Jazz