London and UK Jazz Scene - recommendations and discoveries

Music Room
22

Yes Geoff I was aware of their mixed nationalities as I’ve heard members speaking but thought the thread was about the London/British Jazz scene and not about the nationalities of the musicians I’d say the reason the scene has flourished in London and Britain is because of the nationalities and heritage of the musicians involved and it is that, that makes it such an interesting and vibrant scene.

I suppose though it’s down to @krautnaimie whose thread it is to express wether or not he wants only British born musicians or all musicians associated with the ‘scene’ though I’d have to say that would be a shame.

2 Likes
23

Shelia Maurice-Grey of Seed Ensemble, Nerija and Kokoroko solo performance as Ms Maurice.

1 Like
24

Something a bit more traditional and featuring the excellent Altoist Nathaniel Facey.

1 Like
25

AUB pronounced ORB is the self titled debut LP from Saxophonists Alex Hitcock and Tom Barford’s Quartet featuring Ferg Ireland from the above Ferg Ireland Trio.

Both new to me and both exceptionally good.

1 Like
26

No problem Bob, any nationality is fine with me. My view is that I thought the thread title was a enough of a clear indication of the discussion, and that SP did not fit the criteria.

From what I have already read of your other Jazz posts, I am interested to explore your
recommendations.

2 Likes
27

I agree with you Geoff - I understand Snarky Puppy to be a US band and that therefore they shouldn’t be counted as part of the UK jazz scene, even if they might be influential.

1 Like
28

image
image700×700 60.6 KB

Myele Manzanza. From New Zealand. But shares a lot with the London jazz scene.
From Bandcamp :

«
Hailing originally from New Zealand, Myele made the move to London in 2019. Having tapped into the vibrant scene of his adopted home with a top tier cast of young London based talent (including Ashley Henry and additional contributions from the legendary Mark de Clive-Lowe) the resulting record 'Crisis & Opportunity Vol.1 - London’ gained praise from the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamie Cullum, Huey Morgan, The Guardian, Complex, Jazz FM + more.

‘Crisis & Opportunity Vol. 2 - Peaks’ now sees Myele join forces with Andre Marmot, Jay Phelps & Lewis Moody, as well fellow Kiwi musicians Aron Ottignon, Matt Dal Din, Ashton Sellars (who similarly have now found themselves living in the UK / EU) taking inspiration from the mixtape format (favoured by many cult status producers and MC’s) and delivering thirteen doses of exhilarating, Jazz infused bottled lightning. Frustrated by the confines of a planned approach to writing music, Myele was set on embodying a spirit of collaboration and improvisation in the project. He explains “Often the most creative moments came when we had worked our way through the tight trees & moguls of the composition, and settled into the wide-open powder trails of the vamp at the end of the piece. This process was also something that I used to do all the time back in my home city of Wellington, New Zealand in clubs like Havana, The Matterhorn or The Rogue and Vagabond in a style affectionately known as the ‘Welli Jam’. Just get a groove going with a few basic chords and let the music go wherever it goes. As I had been bashing my head into a brick wall trying to ‘compose’ music, I realized that I could just say, “f…it. I trust these musicians. If I give them the space, then they’ll be able to fill it with good ideas” «

2 Likes
29

Alfa Mist & Jordan Rakei

3 Likes
30

Thanks @frenchrooster I’d not heard of Myele until tonight very talented guy.

2 Likes
31

Yam records presents, featuring Nubya Garcia

3 Likes
32

Thanks for the contributions @Bobthebuilder @CliveB @frenchrooster @GeoffC

I would consider this Music Scene as a melting pot and I absolutely don’t care from which part of the world all these musicians, who have an influence or contribute, are. IMO this is actually the most thrilling scene in music nowadays. So let’s enjoy this playground without boundaries, comparable as we would be little kids in the sandbox. :tumbler_glass:

4 Likes
33

My favourite album from 2021. UK jazz scene.

image
image700×700 46.7 KB

Review of Bandcamp :

« Trailblazing UK jazz renegade, saxophonist Sean Khan delivers his scintillating new album ‘Supreme Love: a Journey Through Coltrane’ on BBE Music.

“Who is John Coltrane for me?” asks Khan. “He is man, legend, myth, storyteller, sage and atmosphere. My road and journey has been a rocky one, and like most on this journey, I have carved a path full of mistakes and triumphs. However, throughout my life Coltrane’s music has been a constant.”

Weaving together disparate strands of the UK music scene (jazz, dance, broken beat and electronic) together onto one record, Supreme Love is presented in three parts: autobiography, homage and encyclopaedia.

A pioneer of the Broken Beat movement early in the new millennium, working with Omar, Bugz in the Attic and 4hero among others, Khan enlisted the input of two old friends, Kaidi Tatham and Daz I Kue, who each contribute a future-minded yet reverential sense of originality to the album.

Also featured on Supreme Love are two legends of UK jazz, Peter King and Jim Mullen, both of whom bring a rich and palpable sense of history to the project. Guitarist Jim Mullen has played with Brian Auger, toured with the Average White Band and recorded with Terry Callier over his long career. Mullen was also a regular fixture at Ronnie Scott’s, as was saxophonist Peter King, who actually performed at the club’s opening night, as well as working with two of Coltrane’s favourite drummers, Philly Joe Jones and Elvin Jones. Sadly Peter King’s contribution to ‘Supreme Love’ would be his last recording session, and he passed away in August 2020.

Also featured among a talented and diverse group of performers on the album is Cinematic Orchestra front-woman Heidi Vogel, who adds her distinctive, soulful voice to Khan’s, and Coltrane’s, heartfelt lyrics.

“I have always been a strange prisoner to my ambition” says Sean “and most of my recordings bear testimony to this, with this record being the next part of that evolution. I made a conscious effort to represent all of Coltrane’s main artistic periods from hard bop (with Miles Davis), to sheets of sound (Giant Steps, Moments Notice), spiritual jazz (Love Supreme) and finally his last, most experimental and cosmic period (Interstellar Space). I have never heard a record that attempts to reflect all of the great man’s epochs in this way and use the recording artist’s autobiography (my own) as a conduit to these ends, and so here I am, for better or for worse.”

1 Like
34

I’d add Get the Blessing from Bristol to this list of not mentioned already…, Bristopia is a great album

2 Likes
35

Well said :+1:

1 Like
36

Blue Note Re:imagined / 2020 Blue Note / EU CD x 2 / 0710012

Excellent release of classic Blue Note tracks, reworked and newly recorded by a selection of the UK scene’s most exciting young talents - some already mentioned above.

Jorja Smith Rose Rouge
Ezra Collective Footprints
Poppy Ajudha Watermelon Man (Under The Sun)
Jordan Rakei Wind Parade
Skinny Pelembe Illusion (Silly Apparition)
Alfa Mist Galaxy
Ishmael Ensemble Search For Peace
Nubya Garcia A Shade Of Jade
Steam Down Featuring Afronaut Zu Etcetera
Blue Lab Beats Montara
Yazmin Lacey I’ll Never Stop Loving You
Fieh Armageddon
Mr Jukes Maiden Voyage
Shabaka Hutchings Prints Tie
Melt Yourself Down Caribbean Fire Dance
Emma-Jean Thackray Speak No Evil (Night Dreamer)

bluenotereimaginedCD
bluenotereimaginedCD1500×1200 166 KB

3 Likes
37

This is a great album, is on my Vinyl wishlist :wink:

2 Likes
38

Sounds very interesting, I will listen to it the next days though I’m not a big Coltrane fan, but the project sounds very interesting

2 Likes
39

My favourites are two tracks remixed by Kaidi Thatam. I am not a Coltrane fan too. The music is really different here.

2 Likes
40

I will listen to the album in the next days, you absolutely made me curious. :wink: There is so much to discover.

Merci bien

2 Likes
41

Inspired by the post of @CliveB I was listening to “Songs of an unknown tongue” from Zara Mcfarlane. An excellent album and an interesting walk between the worlds of Jazz, Reggae and Soul

image
image1200×1200 97.7 KB

3 Likes