Tag: Jazz

Jaimie Branch — Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))

International Anthem releases incredible posthumous album from the late great trumpeter Jaimie Branch

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)).

Knoel Scott & Marshall Allen — Celestial

Sun Ra Arkestra’s Knoel Scott & Marshall Allen release direct-to-tape session on Night Dreamer Records

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).

Colin Curtis Presents Indigo Jam Unit

Colin Curtis & Jazz Room Records presents retrospective of groundbreaking Japanese quartet Indigo Jam Unit

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.

John Carroll Kirby — Blowout

LA-based producer/pianist John Carroll Kirby returns with a new cosmic jazz gem ‘Blowout’

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.

Nicola Conte — Umoja

Italian spiritual jazz dance pioneer Nicola Conte releases superb new album ‘Umoja’ on Far Out Recordings

Since founding the Bari-based bohemian cultural movement and club night Fez at the dawn of the 90s, Italian producer, composer, guitarist, DJ, and bandleader Nicola Conte has been at the forefront of both today’s modern jazz dance and cosmic spiritual music scenes with 30 albums/EPs, 10 compilations and over 200 remixes to his name. He returns with a superb new album, titled Umoja on the London-based label Far Out Recordings.

Yoni Mayraz —Dybbuk_Tse

Rising London-based pianist & producer Yoni Mayraz releases debut LP ‘Dybbuk Tse!’

Since the release of his 2020 EP Rough Cuts, London-based Israeli-born pianist and producer Yoni Mayraz has been making a strong name for himself, actively performing at numerous major venues and festivals around the world including London’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s and The Jazz Cafe. He just released his debut LP on Astigmatic Records, titled Dybbuk Tse! (which comes from Jewish folklore, meaning a command to remove a malevolent wandering spirit from a possessed body).