It has been a long time since I had a chance to dig into the work of Bahraini/British trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s works. She has a new album due on January 1, 2025, and judging by the one track available, it will be blending of deep fusion with Middle Eastern musical Continue Reading
Nu-Jazz
United Future Organization Feat. Monday Michiru – My Foolish Dream
Sad news to report. Yabe Tadashi of United Future Organization, one of the best nu-jazz bands of the last three decades, has passed away. This is one of his finest moments, collaborating with singer Monday Michiru. Memory eternal, Yabe-san. HT: Rocco Pandiani
Alfa Mist – Two For Mistake
In honor of getting the chance to see the band this evening here in Beijing, I share with you a recent EP by London-based nu-jazz band Alfa Mist. It turns out that they put on a hell of a performance to a packed crowd, mainly of locals. It was one Continue Reading
Svaneborg Kardyb – Over Tage
Svaneborg Kardyb is a remarkably cool band Denmark, with elements of nu-jazz, Scandinavian folk and a similarity with more free bands on the ECM label, though these lads call Gondwana Records home these days. From the band’s Bandcamp site. “Svaneborg Kardyb are Nikolaj Svaneborg – Wurlitzer, Juno, piano and Jonas Continue Reading
Freyja Garbett – MAYA
Freyja Garbett, a Berklee graduate has made a remarkably innovative album. From her Bandcamp website: “Garbett’s heady compositions draws influence from a vast range of styles and musicians. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, she lists pianists and composers such as Fred Hersch, Gerald Clayton and Maria Schneider Continue Reading
Rosie Turton – Expansions and Transformations: Part I & II
Rosie Turton came to my attention a while ago with her EP Rosie’s 5ive, which served as a stellar introduction to her work, but this latest album shows how incredibly expressive a trombone-led band can be. So many players in London’s Nu-Jazz scene are leaving a mark that there will Continue Reading
Matthew Halsall – Salute to the Sun – Live at Hallé St. Peter’s
There’s not much to say about Matthew Halsall that hasn’t been thoroughly discussed over the past decade. He deserves the accolades, of course, but this live album is quite a treat. This is really going to appeal to fusion fans, especially Bitches Brew and Live-Evil-era Miles Davis, as well as Continue Reading
High Pulp – Motel Money (feat. Takuya Kuroda)
High Pulp hail from Seattle, Washington and are currently being published by Anti- Records, best known for releasing albums by Tom Waits, Neko Case and Antibalas. This sounds like none of them, and it caught my attention in a most pleasant way. Motel Money is a single track, and it’s Continue Reading
James Lindsay – Torus
April 23, 2021 is a bit of a long way from today, but waiting three and a half weeks for what is a very impressive album is a small price to pay. James Lindsay is a Scottish folk musician who absolutely transcends the genre. Having had the pleasure of hearing Continue Reading