BeatCaffeine’s Favorite Tracks of 2022
Happy New Year! Before we turn the page and look ahead to 2023, let’s spend one more moment in celebrating some of the best music from the past twelve months and dive into some of the best tracks of 2022.
Tag: Spiritual Jazz
BeatCaffeine’s Favorite Reissues, Lost Recordings & Retrospectives of 2022
As with new releases, 2022 was a remarkable year for reissues and previously unreleased recordings. It feels like with every great new release or artists that breaks through on the scene, there are still so many records from the past to still discover, or make more readily available again. I also feel that with each year that goes by, the quality of reissues get’s better and better. The care and work that goes into many of these releases is astonishing.
BeatCaffeine’s Favorite Albums of 2022
It’s that time again (hard to believe), where we revisit some of the best releases of the year. In regards of new music, 2022 was one of the best in recent memory. It was admittedly extremely challenging pulling together a top 30 list, as many their were many additional favorites that unfortunately didn’t make the list. If there is time before the month is up, I might go back and extend the list to 40 or 50 releases. As always, I’m sure I missed a few that were just not fully on my radar.
Tony Burkill’s Work Money Death returns with spiritual jazz masterpiece ‘Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction’
Following the stellar 2021 release The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises, UK saxophonist Tony Burkill returns with his large ensemble Work Money Death for another absolutely remarkable new recording on ATA Records, titled Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction.
Binker Golding, Moses Boyd & Simon Ratcliffe release Village Of The Sun debut EP ‘First Light’
Over the last several years, saxophonist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd have been at the forefront of the thriving London jazz scene. Together as a duo, they have released six acclaimed releases and were named the “Best UK Jazz Act” at the 2016 Jazz FM Awards. They have now team up with electronic music legend Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx to form Village Of The Sun, releasing their debut EP First Light on Gearbox Records.
Jazz Room Records reissues Eric Ghost’s 1975 psychedelic jazz masterpiece ‘Secret Sauce’
Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records “puts a bow” on what has been a remarkable year of releases, with a recent reissue of flautist Eric Ghost’s highly-obscure 1975 psychedelic jazz masterpiece Secret Sauce.
Belarus collective SOYUZ release superb Brazilian-inspired album ‘Force of the Wind’ on Mr Bongo
UK’s Mr Bongo has recently released a brilliant new album from the highly creative Belarus-based collective SOYUZ (aka СОЮЗ), titled Force of the Wind. Led by composer, arranger, and singer Alex Chumak, multi-instrumentalist Mikita Arlou and drummer Anton Nemahai, the group’s third recording is heavily inspired by the popular Brazilian sounds of the 70s (known as Música popular Brasileira or MPB).
London-based, Ukrainian-born harpist Alina Bzhezhinska releases superb new album ‘Reflections’
London-based, Ukrainian-born harpist Alina Bzhezhinska follows up her critically acclaimed 2018 debut album Inspiration (Ubuntu Music), with a superb new full-length release featuring the HipHarpCollective on the BBE label, titled Reflections.
Aziz Mustafa’s Natural Lateral project releases brilliant cosmic jazz album ‘Tapestry of life’
The London-based collective Natural Lateral, led by Aziz Mustafa (aka Tom Funk), follows up their breakthrough 2019 debut Cogito Ergo Jam with a brilliant and highly-anticipated new recording on the Social Joy label, titled Tapestry Of Life.
Makaya McCraven releases incredible new expansive full-length, ‘In These Times’
Formerly Chicago, and now Hawaii-based percussionist, composer, and producer Makaya McCraven has just released an incredible expansive new full-length album, titled In These Times, that has been over seven years in the making.
