Tag: Spiritual Jazz
Spiritual jazz legend and multi-percussionist Kahil El’Zabar teams up again with longtime collaborator and tenor saxophone great David Murray on a brilliant new recording on Spiritmuse Records, titled Spirit Groove.
Paris-based composer, bandleader and tenor saxophonist Laurent Bardainne, who has Pharrell Williams, Cassius, Tony Allen and many others, has released the debut full-length of his latest quintet project Tigre d’eau Douce, titled Love Is Everywhere on Heavenly Sweetness.
Even though Austrian saxophonist and composer Muriel Grossmann has released a dozen albums over the past thirteen years, it seems that she is just beginning to receive the global-acclaim that she ultimately deserves. As a follow-up to two brilliant releases over the past couple of years for the Estonia-based RR GEMS label, in Golden Rule (2018) and Reverence (2019), UK’s Jazzman Records has released a great new compilation highlighting some of Grossmann’s earlier recordings.
In a time where the topic of mass extinction feels unfortunately very real, the Helsinki-based sextet Soft Power releases an incredibly powerful new album, titled Brink of Extinction, that sonically speaks to the importance and beauty of biodiversity on this planet.
The UK-born, Madrid-based flautist and saxophonist Chip Wickham follows-up two stellar releases in 2017’s La Sombra, and 2018’s Shamal Wind, with his most adventurous and cosmically-charged album to date in Blue To Red.
Since being established in 2017, New Zealand’s Rain&Shine have been reissuing many incredible rare modern soul, disco, jazz, and gospel recordings. This month, the label continues it’s string of great releases by making available again, The Positive Force & Ade Olatunji’s 1977 almost-impossible-to-find spiritual jazz masterpiece Oracy.
The late Steve Reid is one of the greatest, and possibly most over-looked drummers of our time. First making a name for himself at the early age of 19, playing on Martha and The Vandellas’ 1964 Motown classic “Dancing In The Street,” Reid went on to play with a wide array of legendary artists from soul to jazz and Afrobeat, including Fats Domino, James Brown, Chaka Khan, Dexter Gordon, Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Randy Weston, Fela Kuti, and many others.
Jazzman Records has just released volume eleven (!!!) of it’s critically-acclaimed Spiritual Jazz series, this time diving deep into the vaults of the Copenhagen-based and highly under-the-radar imprint SteepleChase Records. Similar to the past two label-focused releases in the series, this double vinyl compilation features some of the most essential recordings from the European label.
In 2019 (which feels like an eternity ago), the Chicago-based collective Black Monument Ensemble, led by visual and sound artist Damon Locks, released one of the best and most groundbreaking albums from this past year on International Anthem, titled Where Future Unfolds. This week, the group has released a very timely and powerful new single, called “Stay Beautiful,” which was recorded live back in November 2018 at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, as part of Red Bull Music Festival.
Formed a few years ago in response to the ongoing police brutality that was happening in the U.S., Irreversible Entanglements are one of the most thought-provoking and forward-thinking jazz collectives. Following their 2017 breakthrough self-titled debut, the quintet returns with an incredible new album, titled Who Sent You?, released jointly by International Anthem and Don Giovanni Records.
The Munich-based quartet Web Web continues to make their mark on the scene, following the release of two stellar recordings in Oracle (2017) and Dance Of The Demon (2018), with a brilliant new album, titled Worshippers, their third on the highly-acclaimed German label, Compost Records.
The stellar London-based trio, featuring bassist and founding member of Ill Considered Leon Brichard, saxophonist and reeds player Idris Rahman (also of Soothsayers), and drummer Tom Skinner of both Sons of Kemet and Hello Skinny, have released a great new album, titled Season 2 through Ill Considered’s very much DIY label.
Even though some regions have been dealing with COVID-19 for over two months, for many of us, it seems like the world has changed over night. With many of us now (as we should) “sheltering in place,” and working from home, I thought I would put together a curated an uplifting jazz-focused playlist designed to help spark creativity throughout the day.
