Tag: Jazz
As a follow-up to two standout releases last year for Matthew Halsell’s Gondwana Records, in Astral Traveling and Cloud 10, the saxophonist and flautist Chip Wickham has returned with a brilliant new EP for the Manchester-based label, titled Love & Life.
Late last August, the music world was stunned and saddened when the heartbreaking news circulated of Jaimie Branch’s sudden passing. At that point, the adventurous trumpeter and composer was one of leading young artists among the jazz scene. On the one year anniversary of her death, International Anthem, which is responsible for all of her previous releases, has put out Jaimie’s final album with her Fly or Die quartet, titled Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)).
London’s fantastic Night Dreamer label has recently released a superb new recording, titled Celestial, by Sun Ra Arkestra saxophonist, percussionist and vocalist Knoel Scott. The record, which represents Knoel’s first studio record in 40 years, also features the legendary Arkestra bandleader and long-time collaborator Marshall Allen (originally joining the Arkestra in 1958, and leading the band since 1995 following “the departure” of Sun Ra).
If you’ve been tuning into Colin Curtis’s weekly Jazz Dance Fusion radio show, which was broadcast on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM channel before eventually moving to The Hitmix 107.5 FM in the UK, you would of heard a heavy rotation of selections by the groundbreaking Japanese quartet Indigo Jam Unit. Active from 2006 to 2016, the Osaka-based group released a number incredible albums and EPs off of the Basis Records, often in extremely limited vinyl quantities. With the help of Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records, Curtis has compiled the band’s best dancefloor-focused material on a new highly anticipated vinyl-only release.
Since the release of the highly-acclaimed debut Eastern Flowers back in 2019, Stockholm-based composer and artist Sven Wunder has quickly built a very strong global following, releasing numerous recordings for both Mr. Bongo and his own label Piano Piano. In September, he will issue his fourth and arguably best full-length to date, titled Late Again.
After 20 years since the last volume was released, legendary German producer and DJ Rainer Trüby (formerly of A Forest Mighty Black) has just released the sixth compilation of his iconic Glücklich compilation series, unearthing rare Brazilian-influenced gems old and new from around the globe.
London’s Jazzman Records continues its incredible Holy Grail Series with a couple of new additions, including the extremely rare 1967 modal jazz gem Happiness Is… Takin’ Care of Natural Business… Dig? by San Francisco pianist Al Tanner and his trio.
Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records continues their string of must-own releases with the recent reissue of Japanese drummer Hideo Shiraki’s rare 1962 Brazilian jazz full-length, titled Hideo Shiraki Plays Bossa Nova.
On top of collaborating with some of the biggest names in music like Solange, Frank Ocean, Harry Styles and others, Los Angeles-based producer, composer, arranger and pianist John Carroll Kirby has been also making a name for himself over the last several years as a solo artist, releasing a number highly-acclaimed records under his own name for the Stones Throw label. He continues this remarkable string of impressive output with a superb new album, titled Blowout.
Eothen “Egon” Alapatt’s superb Now-Again Records has recently reissued the Southern University Jazz Ensemble’s very rare 1973 spiritual jazz “Holy Grail” record, titled Goes to Africa With Love. Originally given away as souvenirs at Southern University, this represents the first-ever commercial release of this album.
