jazz
TRACK: Jaga Jazzist’s “Spiral Era” remix is heading for other galaxies
GRADUALLY and cultishly, Norwegian octet Jaga Jazzist have been building probably the most interesting and wide-ranging catalogue in the modern jazz sphere; wholly unafraid of leaping genre fences, taking and tempering and incorporating strands of other musics in the most creative way. Listen to an album such as 2002’s A Livingroom Hush, or 2015’s Starfire, …
Album Review: Maceo Parker – Soul Food – Cooking With Maceo
Fans of Maceo have had a whole 8 years to wait for his latest studio album. Well let me tell you I don’t think they will be disappointed. Soul Food – Cooking with Maceo serves up a nourishing, all you can eat buffet of classics and originals infused with New Orleans Funk. ‘Cross The Track’, …
EP REVIEW: JOCKSTRAP – Wicked City: we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto
WARP debutantes Jockstrap – the duo Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye, jazz and electronics students respectively in a previous life – really do screw with the ol’ head, in the nicest possible way. It’s not like you haven’t heard many of the influences they draw on before, perhaps; but it’s the insouciant way they combine …
Album Review: Vibration Black Finger – Can You See What I’m Trying To Say
As a founding member of the likes of Brand New Heavies, Campag Velocet and Heliocentric World, Lascelle ‘Lascelles’ Gordon certainly has pedigree. His new album with his Vibration Black Finger band – ‘Can You See What I’m Trying To Say’ takes inspiration from obscure spiritual jazz collectives of the 70s, working with a huge number …
Track: Jon Hassell – New album/preview track, ‘Fearless’
Pub Quiz question: Name a connection between La Monte Young, Terry Riley’s seminal record ‘In C’, Brian Eno, David Byrne, Bjork, Peter Gabriel, Ry Cooder, David Sylvian, Tears for Fears and Lloyd Cole plus his Commotions? Answer: they have all drawn on the talents of the essential trumpet player, composer and musical adventurer Jon Hassell. …
See: Moses Boyd releases new Video for Stranger than fiction
To think of Moses Boyd as a jazz drummer misses so many beats. Producer, composer, collaborator, shape shifter and innovator, this MOBO award winning musician has been central to the phenomenal ‘nu-jazz’ scene that has exploded out of London town over the last five years. With an influence that spreads far and wide, from his …
Exclusive: Pete Judge records West-Running Brook in session for Backseat Mafia
Just out is the new solo piano album – Piano 2, from Bristol trumpeter, composer, multi-instrumentalist Pete Judge, the sometime member of acclaimed post-jazz outfit Get The Blessing. It’s a follow up to his 2019 Piano album, and both feature these rather beautiful little jazz / neo-classical vignettes or miniatures. One of the stand out …
ALBUM REVIEW: Out of the Woods – Birds and Beasts
Ditte Grube, otherwise known as ‘Out of the Woods’, releases her debut album ‘Birds and Beasts’ on 12 June, 2020. The Danish artist recently did an ‘At Home’ session for us ahead of the album release, performing beautiful album track ‘I Remember You’. The album was recorded at Grube’s home studio in the woods of …
Premiere: Fake Turins – Legs
Fake Turins is the 10 piece North London audio-visual collective led by Dominic Rose. Their new single is out tomorrow (June 10th) and ahead of it we are delighted to premiere it right here on Backseat Mafia. Legs is a commentary on the movement our bodies make, despite what might be going on in our …
Track: Graham Costello STRATA – Lyra
Jazz collective Graham Costello STRATA are back with a new single Lyra, taken from their forthcoming Obelisk album. The quartet – composer / drummer Graham Costello, Fergus McCreadie on piano, Joe Williamson on guitar, and Mark Hendry on electric bass, are all based in Glasgow but are making serious waves across the UK Jazz scene. Of the track, Costello says …