Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and arranger Joyce Moreno was in town yesterday. The legendary artist, whose first album “Joyce” from 1968 was recently re-released, and who is clearly one of the most important figures in the Bossa Nova, Samba, and MPB scenes of the last 50+ years, performed parts of her lengthy repertoire last night…
Citrus Sun, the group created by Incognito mastermind Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick, just released “Anaconga” last month, their fifth album, also available on double vinyl on Dome Records. Clearly their best album yet, the ten tracks pay tribute to Jazz-Funk and Fusion icons from the 70s and mixes things up with brilliant originals. First single, the…
I started out with Rotterdam-based producer Glimlip and Amsterdam-based guitarist Yasper and their group of Louk Cox on sax and flute, Noe Mina on trumpet, Delaney Nelom on keys, Freek Mulder on bass, and Junya on drums. Their group sound is an intoxicating lo-fi mix of jazz, soul, and electronica, heavily groove-oriented with intelligent themes…
I’ve been in for some very exciting treats yesterday on the second day of this year’s North Sea Jazz Festival. Mostly playing tracks from his beautiful LP “An Ever Changing View”, Manchester-based trumpeter, composer, producer and label owner Matthew Halsall and his 7-piece band opened the proceedings on the Darling stage. This whole show more…
So here we are again in Rotterdam for North Sea Jazz, 2024 edition. I started out with a beer of course and then went on to see Emily King, the singer who wrote and sang on two beautiful tracks on the 2012 José James album “No Beginning No End”: “Heaven On The Ground” and “Come…
It’s been a while since her last visit to Berlin and last night’s Gretchen stop was actually the first in the city with her own band. The crowd was eagerly awaiting her performance and there was a huge roar when she finally came on stage last night at around 8:45. Her 7-piece band, including trumpet,…
British jazz-funk-fusion and Rhodes-heavy group Resolution 88 just released their fourth album “Vortex” on the Synthethesia label. Clearly their best effort yet, it opens with a Marcus Miller-style funk jam called “The Boss From Boston”. Bassist Tiago Coimbra and saxophonist Alex Hitchcock really bring in the mid 70s Herbie Hancock/Head Hunters style, but not simply…
British singer and songwriter Jo Harrop is back with her fourth album for London-based Lateralize Records. And this is clearly her best one so far because it mostly features her original compositions, because her voice has become even more refined and because the album was produced by Larry Klein who also produced Herbie Hancock, Joni…
Five years after her wonderful debut “Cage & Aviary”, singer, songwriter and musician Bryony Jarman-Pinto is back with “Below Dawn”, released last Friday. The album is available on limited vinyl too and features a bonus instrumental track. The London-based singer opens this majestic opus with the very Angela Bofill GRP-ish “Water Come”, a beautiful, healing,…
One of the most highly anticipated records is finally out. Jordan Rakei had already released four singles off “The Loop”, clearly his best album to date. “Flowers” and “Friend Or Foe” had the stakes high and we’re still raving about “Learning” and “Freedom”. We finally have all 13 tracks now on double vinyl by the…