Tag: Jazz
UK saxophonist Tony Burkill and his large ensemble Work, Money, Death, whom was also featured on his 2017 debut, have recently released an incredible spiritual jazz recording inspired by the likes of Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane, titled The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises (got that?!?!).
Following the well-crafted reissue of Wendell Harrison and The Tribe’s Farewell To The Welfare 45rpm, London’s Clap City Records has recently dived back into the vaults of Detroit’s legendary Tribe Records and reissued keyboardist David Durrah’s highly obscure 1975 7-inch single Venus Fly Trap.
South Africa has historically had strong jazz roots, even through the horrific apartheid regime. Pioneering artists like Hugh Masekela, Abdullah Ibrahim, Johnny Dyani, Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, Mongezi Feza, Ndikho Xaba, and so many others in the region consisted of some of the most adventurous jazz musicians of their era. Following the release of two groundbreaking compilations in We Out Here and Sunny Side Up that explored the current thriving scenes in London and Melbourne, Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label has just released a brand new compilation exploring the current wave of forward-thinking jazz artists coming out of Johannesburg.
As a follow-up to last year’s absolutely brilliant Active Imagination release on 22a, London composer, trumpeter, and member of the Ruby Rushton quartet, Nick Walters returns with superb new recording, titled Implicate Order, featuring his expansive 11-piece group The Paradox Ensemble.
Following the breakthrough release of 2017’s The Arrow of Time, London’s Freestyle Records has recently released the highly-anticipated third album from the Melbourne-based 9-piece spiritual jazz ensemble Menagerie, titled Many Worlds.
For over a decade, London’s Jazzman Records’ incredible Spiritual Jazz compilation series has been unearthing and shedding light on some of most essential deep jazz recordings of the sixties, seventies, and eighties, highlighting different regions of the world and groundbreaking labels like Blue Note Records, Impulse!, Prestige, and SteepleChase. Now with the 13th release of the superb series, focus now shifts to the brilliant modern-day spiritual gems of today.
In early 2018, Oakland-based cosmic psych jazz ensemble Sitka Sun, which is the brainchild of bassist, composer, and arranger Patrick Murphy, released their self-titled debut album to immediate high praise globally. The album sold out almost upon it’s release, and saw rotation on Gilles Peterson’s BBC 6 radio show. In what is certainly one of the most anticipated releases of the new year, the group will put out their sophomore recording, titled All The Way West via The Long Road Society label on in late January.
The Poland-based Electro Acoustic Beat Sessions collective, better known as EABS, has been one of the most forward-thinking jazz groups over the past few years, releasing a number incredible recordings including their 2017 debut Repetitions (Letters To Krzysztof Komeda), 2018’s 12″ single Kraksa / Svantetic with Tenderlonious, and last year’s full-length Slavic Spirits. The innovative sextet returns with arguably their best release to date with a six-track mind-blowing tribute to the legendary Afrofuturism pioneer Sun Ra, titled Discipline of Sun Ra.
As we get ready to enter the new year, I’ve put together one final “favorites” list, featuring some of the best EP releases that came out over the past twelve months. Sometimes the line is blurring as to what is an EP and what is considered an album, and definitely a few of the selections below can arguably be considered full-length recordings. Regardless, I thought this provides another opportunity to highlight some of the brilliant recordings that helped get us through this very challenging year. Happy New Year everyone!
Similar to the work that goes into reissuing a rare recording can probably also be said for a well-crafted compilation. Often years in the making, there are a number of elements, including discovery, theme, selection of tracks, licensing, and a complimentary editorial component. This past year, a number of brilliantly timeless and curated compilations were released, some highlighting a specific genre or region, while others focused on an artist or a label. Regardless, here are some of the favorites from the past twelve months.
