jazz

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 …
Video of the Day: Just Lions – Monsters
So I’m too late for Hallowe’en. Who gives a rat’s arse ? I was on holiday carving Pumkins (sic) and doling out sweets and had scant time for the interweb there. Now I have the time and who better to help me make up that gap than Just Lions. I know, I know, I already …

EP: Just Lions – Paper Cage
A heavy, heavy sound. Juddering with bass and muscle, particularly from the guitar. This isn’t the sweet, wishful Just Lions of “Monsters” from earlier this year. Perhaps it’s the basements and bedrooms in which they’ve been tracking their latest EP influencing what is a more claustrophobic sound on this new 3-track EP. Title track “Paper …
New Music: The Hics, Little Death Machine, Steve Rich & The Hills
Rounding up some new sounds for you, first we have The Hics, a band manufactured in one of my old stomping grounds – the music factory that is… Pimlico, south London. This six-piece met taking the classical/jazz course at the quirkily-shaped Pimlico School and they release their first EP, “Tangle”, today on SQE. Mellifluous instrumentation …

Remembering: Archie Shepp interview, 40 Years on from Attica Blues
Let’s get the background out of the way first. Archie Shepp is a jazz legend. Maybe not one of the big names of jazz, but a browse of the mans discography shows this guy could, and did, mix it with the very best. Born in 1937, his early collaborations included work with Don Cherry, legendary …

New Music: Youngblood Brass Band – Ain’t Nobody
Cover versions have always been the staple in Jazz. It’s always been a case of let’s take a song, and make it REALLY swing now. Ten piece stellar Jazz/Brass//Hip-Hop ensemble the Youngblood Brass Band are old hands at taking tunes, whether that be their own or someone else’s and making it really swing. For the …