Neil Cowley reconnects with his piano on a charming new EP “Building Blocks”
Neil Cowley reconnects with his piano on a charming new EP “Building Blocks”. “Building Blocks” is a series of tracks released over three EPs chronicling Neil Cowley’s reconnection with his principal instrument and old friend, the piano. Merging sounds and influences from ambient, electronic, improvisational and contemporary classical music; the EPs set up the release of a full length debut solo album from Neil in 2021. Neil Cowley studied at London’s Royal Academy where his prodigious talent saw him performing a Shostakovich piano concerto at the age of 10. Turning his back on his classical career early on, he entered the world of old school RnB, soul and funk and…
Rob Mazurek came back with star studded Exploding Star Orchestra LP “Dimensional Stardust”
Rob Mazurek came back with star-studded Exploding Star Orchestra LP "Dimensional Stardust" and shared a new song from that album “A Wrinkle in Time Sets Concentric Circles Reeling”. Following the 2018 JazzFest Berlin debut of new Exploding Star Orchestra (ESO) music, Mazurek returned to Chicago, where International Anthem took the opportunity to capture his new ESO compositions with a cast of collaborators from their collective constellation of artists. Over a handful of studio dates between August 2019 and March 2020, Mazurek arranged the pieces for eleven musicians — Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, Jaimie Branch, Joel Ross, Mikel Patrick Avery, Tomeka Reid, Chad Taylor, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Macie Stewart, Angelica Sanchez, and…
London-based pianist and composer, Raffy Bushman blends jazz with hip-hop on his debut EP “Look Up”
London-based pianist and composer, Raffy Bushman blends jazz with hip-hop on his debut EP “Look Up”. Having honed his craft along with like-minded musicians over the years, Raffy delivered his first EP, the honest and personal story of his lifelong musical journey through Hip Hop, Jazz, Classical, and Gospel, all major voices contributing to his own individual sound. The compositions are beat-heavy, yet they exude the love for adventurous harmonies and delicate textures. The trio, comprised of bassist Tom Driessler and drummer Sam Michnik, blends the roots of jazz with a sultry Hip-Hop ethos. Watch below a video to Raffy Bushman new song “Look Up”, the first single from his…
Nubiyan Twist announces a new album “Freedom Fables” with a single “Tittle Tattle”
Nubiyan Twist announces a new album “Freedom Fables” with a new single “Tittle Tattle” featuring super talented young vocalist Cherise Adams-Burnett. The Leeds / London collective is effortlessly fusing on that track different genres like soul, jazz, hip hop, highlife, or broken beat with great musicianship and lyrics. “Freedom Fables” is set to catapult Nubiyan Twist even further into the limelight and cement their position as one of the UK's leading soulful collectives of the current generation. It’s the follow-up to the acclaimed "Jungle Run" from Spring 2019. The album will feature some great guests: Cherise, Soweto Kinch, Pat Thomas, Ria Moran, K.O.G. and Ego Ella May, who sang on…
Maria Chiara Argirò and Jamie Leeming present “Retrograde” and “Kosetsu” from their debut album “Flow”.
Pianist Maria Chiara Argirò and guitarist Jamie Leeming present the first two singles “Retrograde” and “Kosetsu” from their highly anticipated debut album “Flow”. Combining elements of modern jazz, electronica and contemporary folk music to create an expansive and cinematic sound, they explore a broad range of textures and emotions, ranging from dynamic sections brim-full of movement, pace and excitement, to moments that are more reflective and vulnerable. Watch below a video to Maria Chiara Argirò & Jamie Leeming new song “Retrograde”, from their forthcoming debut album “Flow”: Both are familiar names on the London jazz scene; Argirò is involved with a variety of projects including Liran Donin's 1000 Boats, Kinkajous,…
Josh Johnson unveils his new single promoting his debut LP Freedom Exercise
Josh Johnson unveils his new singles “Western Ave” and “Nerf Day”, promoting his debut LP “Freedom Exercise” on Northern Spy Records. Josh is a saxophonist, keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He has performed extensively with the likes of Jeff Parker, Makaya McCraven, Kiefer, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Marquis Hill, and Leon Bridges. Johnson can be heard on such amazing records Makaya McCraven “Universal Beings” and “Universal Beings E&F Sides”, Chicago Underground Quartet “Good Days”, Jeff Parker “Suite for Max Brown” and “The New Breed”, Joshua Crumbly “Rise”, Jeremy Cunningham “The Weather Up There”, Marquis Hill “Love Tape” and “Modern Flows Vol 2”, Nate Mercerau “Joy Techniques” and Mark de Clive-Lowe “Heritage” and “Heritage…
EFG London Jazz Festival Launch 2020
EFG London Jazz Festival Launch 2020 Thursday 24 September | 8pm This year the EFG London Jazz Festival will be an event that is both live and digital - Living in Two Worlds - and will run from Friday 13 to Sunday 22 November 2020. The London Jazz Festival is a music festival held every November since 1992, as EFG London Jazz Festival since 2013. It takes place in London venues such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall and in smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and the Vortex Jazz Club. It is produced by Serious. The unprecedented circumstances of 2020 have meant we have had to rethink how music is experienced to create a Festival that is accessible to a wide audience and…
The Wicked Sound Playlist September 2020/09/4 New Music Jazz Funk Soul Reggae Beats
The Wicked Sound September 2020/09/4 new playlist with new music across Jazz, Funk, Soul, Reggae, Electronic music and Hip Hop Beats. New music from Ben Wendel, Joel Remmel Trio, Jukka Eskola, Horace Tapscott, Michael Session, Neil Swainson Quintet, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, SAULT, Greg Spero, Transviolet, Mike Casey, corto.alto, Soweto Kinch, JABBERLOOP, Huw Marc Bennett, DJ Mitsu The Beats, Javier Santiago, Braxton Cook, Gavin Grant, H ZETTRIO, Nation Beat, Het Bewind, Afrolicious, Death by Dub, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, The Heliocentrics, Sarathy Korwar, Kushal Gaya, Rymden, Bugge Wesseltoft, Magnus Öström, Dan Berglund. You can listen to this playlist also on Spotify, Deezer, Soundcloud or YouTube. The Wicked Sound weekly playlist September 2020/09/4…
SOUL 2020 albums recommended by The Wicked Sound
Adrian Younge presents Angela Munoz Introspection by Angela Munoz Rose in the Dark by Cleo Sol Honey For Wounds by Ego Ella May Our Dear Metropolis by Gallowstreet How The Mighty Fall by Izo FitzRoy No Beginning No End 2 by José James UNTITLED (Black Is) by SAULT UNTITLED (Rise) by SAULT aloha by Son Little Morning Matters by Yazmin Lacey Songs Of An Unknown Tongue by Zara McFarlane
FUNK 2020 albums recommended by The Wicked Sound
Say The Word by The Allergies Fragments Of The Soul by Badge and Talkalot Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood by Cory Wong Lowdown by Crowd Company My Life at 45 by Dr Rubberfunk Adult Themes by El Michels Affair Whole Again Hooligan by J-Felix Mordechai by Khruangbin I'm Here Now by Lack of Afro Mutation by Les Frères Smith OFFICIEL Lexplosion II by Lexsoul Dancemachine Man From the Future by Polyrhythmics Our Kind of Movement by Speedometer The Fearless Flyers by The Fearless Flyers Como De Allstars by The Greyboy Allstars Stand Up For Love by The Haggis Horns Electric Dream: Live at Red Rocks by The Motet Live…
JAZZ 2020 albums recommended by The Wicked Sound
Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man by Aaron Parks To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 by Alabaster DePlume Dialectic Soul by Asher Gamedze AuB by AuB Against Empire (24 bit) by Bill Laswell Runway by Bob Reynolds Cassowary by CASSOWARY Blue to Red by Chip Wickham Continuation by Collocutor Ugh by Ebi Soda Gary Bartz & Maisha - Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions by Gary Bartz & Maisha Symphonie Pacifique by Greg Foat Suite for Max Brown by Jeff Parker MORE COMING SOON
Nubya Garcia with her band performed at NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (at Home) Concert series
Nubya Garcia with her band performed at NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (at Home) Concert series. Nubya performed songs from her new album, "Source", for the latest installment of NPR’s “Tiny Desk (Home) Concert” series. With her band, the saxophonist performed "Source", "Pace", and "Boundless Beings" on the vast, swaying boat that houses Soup Studios. Watch it happen below. Watch below a video of Nubya Garcia performs her new compositions for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series: “Source” was produced by Garcia and renowned producer Kwes (Nérija, Bobby Womack, Solange), and features Garcia’s hard-touring band of keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, bassist Daniel Casimir and drummer Sam Jones. LP feautures guest appearances…
It’s sadly the end of summer, but London’s Naia brings us some funky “Heatwave”.
It's sadly the end of summer, but London’s Naia brings us some funky “Heatwave”. Latino flavored funky track with a groovy bassline, energetic horns, kicking solos and sweet vocals it’s all that we need for a proper (end of) summer banger, and Naia delivered it all. The heat is on. I hope Naia will keep the temperature hot with the new releases. Naia are a sensational four-piece band, emerging onto the London jazz scene. An eclectic fusion of Latin, funk and neo-soul defines their sound, with live performances that never fail to get the audience up and moving. Watch below a video to Naia new song “Heatwave”: Having members…
Yussef Dayes released the drum-only “Blackfriars” EP in collaboration with clothing company Patta
Yussef Dayes released drum-only Blackfriars EP in collaboration with clothing company Patta. The collaboration, which releases Friday, September 18th, consists of a Patta x Yussef Dayes Panel Relaxed Tracksuit, sold as a pack together with a single-sided 12-inch vinyl, containing five drum-only riddims. Having been influenced by many different genres - with Senegalese drum music being one of them - Jamaican/ English Yussef Dayes is a drummer and producer pushing beyond genre restrictions. While Yussef always keeps a small circle while working on his projects, this project is five tracks of only drums. With Yussef being the sole musician, the Blackfriars fully showcases all that he can do. The video for Blackfriars…
The Wicked Sound Playlist September 2020/09/3 New Music Jazz Funk Soul Reggae Beats
The Wicked Sound September 2020/09/3 new playlist with new music across Jazz, Funk, Soul, Reggae, Electronic music and Hip Hop Beats. New music from Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet, Okvsho, Sreya, Cosa Nostra Strings, Jazz Mafia, Lewis Patzner, Demae, Ego Ella May, Shunaji, Isatta Sheriff, Ruth Ellen, Soul Inscribed, Adeline, Contours & Yadava, Shai Soul-Wright, KAMAUU, Janelle Monáe, Andrew Wasylyk, Lionel Loueke, Sultan Stevenson, Aquiles Navarro, Tcheser Holmes, Skeltr, Sam Healey, Craig Hanson, La Récré, Ill Considered, Jungle By Night. You can listen to this playlist also on Spotify, Deezer, Soundcloud or YouTube. The Wicked Sound weekly playlist September 2020/09/3 Jazz Funk Soul Reggae Beats Tracklist: Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet -…
