Tag: Jazz Funk
Following the breakthrough debut album Dreams Fulfilled on Acid Jazz Records, Glasgow’s Nimbus Sextet returns with an incredible new 4-track EP release, titled Helix, which features a mixture of new material and unreleased remixes.
For more than a decade, acclaimed London-based pianist Greg Foat has been at the forefront of some of the best groove-oriented jazz recordings for labels like Jazzman Records, Athens Of The North, and Strut. On his latest release, he teams up with two incredible Finnish musicians in bassist Teemu Åkerblom and drummer Aleksi Heinola for a superb feline-themed album on Jazzaggression, titled Gone To The Cats.
London-based keyboard wiz Joe Armon-Jones, who is also a member of the UK Afrobeat-inspired group Ezra Collective and a regular collaborator with saxophonist Nubya Garcia, follows up his two incredible breakthrough solo releases on Gilles Peterson’s Brownwood Recordings, with a superb 10-inch single Pray on his newly launch label Aquarii.
London’s Strut Records continues it’s superb series diving deep into the vaults of Jimmy Gray’s now considered legendary Richmond, Virginia based label Black Fire Records with another highly in-demand reissue of Southern Energy Ensemble’s 1977 masterpiece Southern Energy.
Making the most out of the unfortunate lockdown, Glasgow-based pianist, keyboardist, and composer Josef Akin, who also plays in two excellent groups Amara and GABO, returns with an absolutely brilliant new album titled, Flightcase on London’s Sola Terra label.
In what is certainly one of the most anticipated albums of 2021, the highly talented London-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, vocalist and DJ, Emma-Jean Thackray returns with an incredible new full-length album titled Yellow on her own Movementt label.
One of the leading groups among the Bristol scene, the seven-piece ensemble known as Snazzback, has just released their widely expansive sophomore album In The Place on Worm Discs, a newer Bristol-based label that has quickly made a strong impression with already a number of essential releases.
Following up their breakthrough self-titled debut EP in 2019, the London-based jazz-infused Afrobeat collective KOKOROKO, led by trumpeter and vocalist Sheila Maurice-Grey, returns with a much-anticipated follow-up double A-side 12″ single on Brownswood, featuring two superb tracks in “Baba Ayoola” and “Carry Me Home”.
Once described as “the Quincy Jones of Catford” by Rolling Stone magazine, South London composer, arranger, and trombonist Nathaniel Cross has become a prominent musician among today’s UK jazz scene, performing and recording with artists like Moses Boyd, Solange, Zara McFarlane, Kano, David Murray, LCSM, Swindle, Sons of Kemet, and many others. Stepping out on his own, he has just released a superb debut EP on First World Records, titled The Description Is Not The Described.
London’s Strut Records continues it’s brilliant series of releases exploring the vaults of Jimmy Gray’s now considered legendary Richmond, Virginia based label Black Fire Records with a highly in-demand reissue of Bow To The People by Dayton, Ohio theater collective Theatre West.
Highly innovative New Zealand-born drummer, producer, and beatmaker Myele Manzanza, who now resides in London, has teamed up with a stellar cast of musicians to release a brilliant new EP on DeepMatter Records inspired by the city he lives in, and the challenging times we currently face, titled Crisis & Opportunity Vol. 1.
UK-based label WallenBink has launched a fantastic series called Black Forest 45, focusing on reissuing remastered essential 60s and 70s era jazz selections from the vaults of legendary German label SABA/MPS, in a new never-released-before 7inch format.
Los Angeles-based composer, producer, and pianist John Carroll Kirby, who has made a strong name for himself over the last several years collaborating with everyone from Solange (produced three tracks on A Seat At The Table, and featured on When I Get Home), and Blood Orange, to Frank Ocean, Miley Cyrus and many others. On top of these high-profile collaborative works, Kirby has also released a number of incredible albums on his own via the Stones Throw label, and he returns with arguably his best album to date, titled Septet.
