world jazz
Album Review: Matters Unknown – ‘Silhouettes: A Dream Sphere Journal’ EP’: enriching nu-jazz, poignant and powerful.
Trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Enser is possibly best known as a key member of pioneering global beat collective Nubiyan Twist but away from that thriving collective he’s sculpting his own singular musical reputation. A couple of years ago, under the MATTERS UNKNOWN banner, he released the ambitious, widescreen ‘We Aren’t Just’ album. The recording underlined …
Album Review : Peter Somuah –‘Highlife’ : A punchy and profound afro-jazz fusion story .
Sometimes ‘world jazz’ or ‘world fusion’ comes across as primarily a musical endeavour. Yes the results have been seminal and spectacular. No-one would question the significance of the ethno-jazz explorations of Weather Report, Coltrane, Gillespie, Getz and so many more but sometimes the connection between heritage, culture and music-making comes from a more personalised perspective. …
Album Review : Bill Laurance & Michael League – ‘Keeping Company’ : Understated but stunning second album from the Snarky Puppy stalwarts.
And it all began in Leeds in the noughties. Bill Laurance newly graduated from the Uni and trying to earn his crust around the city’s music scene met Michael League, doing the same on his troubadour travels from the States. Gigging together in various jazz-soul leaning bands on the unforgiving northern circuit a friendship grew …
Album Review: Parisian fusion combo Monsieur MÂLÂ deliver a self-titled debut brim-full with energy and ambition.
World Jazz/Jazz Fusion/World Fusion…you sometimes wonder if the genre game is really worth playing. Yes useful for shorthand and signposts but not to be depended on to for the full picture. Enter Parisian five-piece Monsieur MÂLÂ and their self -titled debut LP out now via Bridge The Gap. Looking way beyond any label conventions the …