London-based keyboardist, composer, and producer Kamaal Williams, aka Henry Wu, follows up his superb 2018 full-length recording The Return and twelve-inch single New Heights/Snitches Brew, with another incredible album off of his Black Focus label, titled Wu Hen.

Building off of the foundation from the past few recordings, as well as his notable collaborative work with Yussef Dayes on the 2016 groundbreaking jazz album Black Focus (on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label), this new ten-track recording brilliantly fuses together jazz-funk and broken beat grooves, with spacey cinematic atmospheric tones and soulful horn melodies, all in which have a very London-rooted vibe and sound.

On this session, Williams is backed by Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist Miguel-Atwood Ferguson, who provides strings on “Street Dreams,” “1989,” and “Toulouse”, virtuoso saxophonist Quinn Mason, drummer Greg Paul (of Kalayst Collective), and electric bassist Rick Leon James. Vocalist Lauren Faith, who has often collaborated with Kaytranada, is featured on the solid R&B cut “Hold On”.

From spacey cosmic synths to dancefloor-friendly rhythms, Mr. Wu has once again produced a great new recording that continues to push the boundaries on his widely crossover UK-influenced jazz sound.

Kamaal Williams — ‘Wu Hen’
(Black Focus)

1. Street Dreams (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
2. One More Time
3. 1989 (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
4. Toulouse (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
5. Pigalle
6. Big Rick
7. Save Me
8. Mr Wu
9. Hold On (feat. Lauren Faith)
10. Early Prayer

BUY RECORD

• Jazz Funk
• New Releases