Tag: Jazz
UK/Yorkshire-born and now Kyoto-based multi-instrumentalist Jules Brennan, who first made his mark in the 90s acid jazz and hip-hop in Nottingham, has recently released a brilliant new 7inch single on the London Diplomats Of Soul label, featuring two highly adventurous and innovative jazz-funk tracks.
Tel-Aviv based composer, producer, bassist and bandleader Shay Hazan, who released a superb 7inch single last year with his Quintet on Jazzman Records, returns with a brilliant new album, titled Reclusive Rituals on London’s Batov Records.
After 19 years since their breakthrough debut album Spirit Of The Sun in 2002, the innovative Kyoto Jazz Massive project led by two hugely influential DJs and artists among the Japanese music scene in Shuya Okino (Kyoto Jazz Sextet & owner of The Room in Shibuya) and Yoshihiro Okino (owner of Especial Records) have returned to release a highly-anticipated new album, titled Message From A New Dawn.
Putting together selections for this list, I often find that there is a blurring line as to what is an EP and what is considered an album, and some of the selections below can arguably be considered full-length recordings. Sometimes I think it’s best to leave it up to the artist’s interpretation, which to me, makes the most sense. Regardless of the category, I thought this most importantly provided another opportunity to highlight more incredible recordings that came out in 2021.
When it comes to organizing a record release, there might not be something more challenging than compiling music for a compilation. Unlike a Spotify playlist, these releases require sourcing and licensing the music, which is often much more challenging than selecting the tracks. That being said, compilations play an important part in telling a story about either a time period, a region, a sub-genre of a sub-genre and many times, all of the above. They often also serve as musical “gateway drugs” into whole worlds of lesser known music for listeners, in which they can continue to explore well beyond each release.
Over the past twelve months, not only was there a tremendous amount of great new music put out into the world, but we also saw a high-level of incredible reissue releases, including many previously unreleased recordings that had been shelved for 30-40 years or more.
2021 … or what at times just felt like the hangover to 2020. For parts, it seemed like a better year than the one prior, however let’s be real, that certainly wasn’t a hard bar to climb by any stretch. Over the last 12 months it’s become clear that the pandemic still remains a strong influence on all of our daily lives. It also continues to have a significant effect on music in general, what was produced, how it gets created, and often how it’s distributed. A whirlwind of complex emotions, cautious gatherings, high levels of uncertainty, as well as constantly backed-up vinyl pressing plants and more … 2021 was definitely a very challenging year for many, including musicians, record labels, and just about everyone in the music ecosystem.
For over a decade, Matsuli Music, have unearthed and reissued some of the most essential South African recordings ever made. With their latest release, the UK-based label has turned their attention to the incredible story and sounds behind Soweto’s first nightclub, known as the Pelican Club in an incredible new compilation.
French jazz-funk quartet Aldorande follow up both their 2019 breakthrough debut album and superb 2020 double-sided 12inch single Summer Body / Breakfast in Space with an incredible new album, titled Deux on Favorite Recordings.
London-based Outernational Sounds has recently reissued, for the first time outside of South Africa, two superb 1974 Johannesburg sessions Song Of Soweto and The Last Special from an all-star U.S. touring band led by both guitarist Charles Mallory and trombonist Al Hall Jr., known simply as the The Mallory Hall Band.
