Tag: Jazz Dance

Ezra Collective — Where I'm Meant To Be

London’s Ezra Collective returns with incredible new album ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’

Ever since the group’s 2016 EP Chapter 7, the five-piece Ezra Collective have been at the forefront of the thriving London jazz scene, releasing the highly acclaimed follow-up EP Juan Pablo: The Philosopher (2017), their debut LP You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019) and a few limited singles. The quintet returns with an incredible new full-length on the Brooklyn-based label Partisan Records, titled Where I’m Meant To Be.

STR4TA — STR4TASFEAR

Gilles Peterson and Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick return with brilliant sophomore STR4TA album

Highly influential London-based DJ, broadcaster, and producer Gilles Peterson and pioneering multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and bandleader Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick (Incognito, Light of The World, Freeez) helped lead last year’s Brit-funk revitalization with the release of their remarkable debut LP Aspects, under the alias STR4TA (which was named BeatCaffeine’s Favorite Album of 2021). In much anticipation, they have teamed up again for a follow-up release, titled STR4TASFEAR (as a nod to the groundbreaking British group Atmosfear), that continues to pay homage to the Brit-funk sound.

Nautilus — Looking Back / Paint it Black

Japan’s cosmic trio Nautilus release new 7inch single ‘Looking Back / Paint it Black’

Since 2014, Tokyo-based jazz-funk trio Nautilus (named after Bob James’ 1974 fusion classic) has been at the forefront of the incredible music currently coming out of Japan. Led by drummer Toshiyuki Sasaki, and featuring founding bassist Shigeki Umezawa and more recent keyboardist Mariko Nakabayashi, the group is consistently active, releasing highly sought-after full-length and 7inch singles featuring a strong mix of originals and covers of timeless classics. For their sixth release(!!!) of 2022, the band has put out a brilliant new double-sided single on Japan’s Urban Discos label, titled Looking Back / Paint it Black.

Katalyst — Jazz Is Dead 013

Jazz Is Dead teams up with Los Angeles collective Katalyst on brilliant new album

Jazz Is Dead’s brilliant series continues with multi-instrumentalists, composers, producers, and JID masterminds Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad teaming up with one of Los Angeles’s most innovative collectives in Katalyst. Based specifically out of the Inglewood area, Katalyst is a 9-piece band that was established back in September 2014, and includes a collaborative group of producers, composers, session musicians, and writers, who continue to be at the forefront of creative music and art currently coming out Southern California.

Brian Jackson — Little Orphan Boy Two Soul Fusion

Brian Jackson’s “Little Orphan Boy” remixed by Louie Vega and Josh Milan, released as double 12inch single

Following the release of Brian Jackson’s first solo album in 20 years on BBE Music, simply titled This Is Brian Jackson, the legendary jazz-funk multi-instrumentalist and songwriter gets the remix treatment from two of today’s best producers in Louie Vega and Josh Milan(aka Two Soul Fusion) on the track’s superb second single “Little Orphan Boy”.

Jazzberry Patch — Jazz Room Records

Jazz Room Records reissues rare 1977 jazz-funk album from Florida group Jazzberry Patch

With each incredible release, Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records has quickly become the source for essential jazz dancefloor reissues. The London-based label has most recently put out a welcomed reissue of the extremely obscure 1977 private-press jazz-funk album from South Florida trio Jazzberry Patch, featuring the late great Mike Longo as a special guest on Fender Rhodes.