Song of the Day: BADBADNOTGOOD – Open Channels

Canadian jazz ensemble BADBADNOTGOOD shared the video for Open Channels, previously only available on physical copies of their highly-celebrated psychedelic jazz album Talk Memory, released last year via XL Recordings.

Open Channels arrives to streaming services and with a black and white short film directed by Sylvain Chaussée. Talk Memory, the band's first album with XL Recordings in partnership with Innovative Leisure, features 9 new songs and includes musical contributions from Arthur Verocai, Karriem Riggins, Terrace Martin, Laraaji and acclaimed harpist Brandee Younger, who has worked with Moses Sumney and Thundercat. Sporting visuals from Virgil Abloh, whose design firm Alaska-Alaska™ designed the cover for Talk Memory, the album is an evolution focused on collaboration and the magic of improvised live performance.

BadBadNotGood formed in 2010, moving between three and four members before establishing its current line up in 2015. The band, aka Alexander Sowinski (drums), Chester Hansen (bass) and Leland Whitty (guitar and woodwinds), met on the Humber College jazz program in Toronto. At the time, instead of working with traditional jazz standards, the group sidestepped and drew from hip hop and other contemporary genres to create a unique sound rooted in Black American music, but 2021’s Talk Memory pays homage to the musicians, composers and influences that first informed their work.

Listen to BADBADNOTGOOD new single Open Channels, from the band's new album Talk Memory: