jazz
Album Review: Troyka – Ornithophobia
Ornithophobia is the third album from experimental jazz trio, Troyka. Following on from their last recording, Live at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, which showed they could adapt their wilful experimentalism to other formats, the trio – keyboardist Kit Downes, guitarist Chris Montague and drummer Joshua Blackmore make their first outing for Naim Jazz, the sound of …
New Music: Melanie De Biasio – I feel you (Eels Remix)
Taking Mark Hollis as inspiration is one thing, producing an album of the quality of No Deal is quite another, wearing its jazz influences proudly on its sleeve, stripped back and semi-improvised with its brooding piano trio-like backing, and De Biasio’s rich alto able to get under the skin of the song. It’s been recieved …
See: Flying Lotus releases new video for Never Catch Me feat. Kendrick Lamar
It would be fair to say that Kendrick Lamar’s new single ‘i’ has been controversial, with many seeing it as Kendrick’s play for the radio. That the Kendrick featuring ‘Never Catch Me’, off of Flying Lotus’ new album ‘You’re Dead!’, came out just a week or so beforehand probably didn’t help matters. Whilst both tracks …
Meet: Mercury Nominees GoGo Penguin interview
Its been quite a few weeks for Manchester Jazz Trio GoGo Penguin. Fired skywards by their recent Mercury Barclaycard Album of the Year nomination, they followed it up with a spot on Live on Jools Holland the other night. After a couple of years skirting around the edges of public consciousness, which saw heavy support …
Just Lions – Great. OK
I’m worried about Chandler, and not for the first time. Before it was The Bing Man: increasingly strung out, sweaty, scrawny and unable to convince us that there was any light left with which to leaven his self-disparaging quips. Right now, however, it’s yer man Strutz who is our Chandler of Concern There’s clearly trouble …
Album Review: Taylor McFerrin – Early Riser
Lets get this straight right from the off. Taylor McFerrins debut LP Early Riser is one of the albums of the year, and the fact that its taken this long since its release (nearly a month) to get a review together is a crime for which we here at Backseat Mafia are torturing ourselves with …
Meet: Zara McFarlane
“I was at a point where I hadn’t tried to do my own thing. I had lots of plans but I hadn’t really given it a try yet, to be an artist, to do my own music … So I needed to at least try.” We were almost defeated before we began. Our meeting …
News: Ronny Jordan, pioneer of Acid Jazz, dies at 52
I always had this thing about Jazz, but the record that really opened the door for me, was Jazzmatazz Vol. 1. Former Gang Starr mainstay Guru released the album, essentially a hip-hop record but one that was infused with, or rather soaked in Jazz and Jazz-Funk. It went heavy on my stereo till it wore …
Track: Nostalgia 77 release new single, ‘An Angel with no Halo’
I think everyone deserves a treat now and then, and with me trying to cut out biscuits and beer (not together, you understand) I’ve been saving something slightly special to write about for a few days now. Sad isn’t it, but there you go. I’ve always really enjoyed the jazzy tripped out funk-electronica of Nostalgia …
Album Review: Youngblood Brass Band – Lux Volumi
Seems there’s a bit of a renaissance for brass bands at the moment. Not the colliery sort, instead these genre hopping, New Orleans ensembles, packed full of incredible players that, as well as being able to do things on their instruments that are almost beyond belief, they have this groove that is just infectious. Across …