As you probably know, the acclaimed Berlin XJAZZ! Festival had to be cancelled due to the lack of funding. But still, several XJAZZ concerts are scheduled in the fall. On October 11th, celebrated South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini will play at Emmauskirche in Kreuzberg. The last time we saw him was at the EFG London…
This is an album which has so much to give. The chosen repertoire is amazing. The collaborators both surprising and fitting, the arrangements superb throughout. Just check on “Don’t Look Any Further” where Meshell and Lianne La Havas change the lyric and actually stop after the word “stop” where the original says “Here I am,…
Singer and songwriter Justin Hicks played music from his recently released new album “Man Of Style”, which came out on September 18th. Known for his work with Meshell Ndegeocello on “The Omnichord Real Book” and “The Gospel of James Baldwin”, he finally steps out on his own and he proved from the very first second…
Singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Peven Everett is making rare appearances in Berlin and London this month. Ever since his still highly resonating debut LP “Studio Confessions” came out in 2001, his name rarely appeared on European flyers. The Berlin show on October 25th will be at a members-only venue. So hurry up signing in through…
It is clearly her best album to date. The Fender Rhodes solo (Michael Aaberg) on “Magic” and the ethereal quality of the track is worth the trip alone. The vocoder vocals add to the overall beautifully haunting atmosphere. Sounds like Herbie Hancock circa 1978. Check also the lilting flute solo by Elena Pinderhughes. Co-produced with…
The release date of “A Safe Place To Be Wild”, Jordan Rakei’s seventh album, had to be re-scheduled from October 30th to February 19th. In the meantime, the third single off the album, “Paradise”, has come out yesterday. According to one of his feeds, the song is about his childhood and the memories shared with…
She’s back with her eleventh studio album. Sandra St. Victor, the Dallas-born, Amsterdam-based soul singer, forever associated with the Family Stand and their groundbreaking “Ghetto Heaven”, just delivered a brilliant and groove-heavy new album earlier this month. She collaborated with a lot of artists for this gem, among them British multi-instrumentalist, producer and remixer Kaidi…
After seeing him a couple of times with Meshell Ndegeocello at North Sea Jazz in Rotterdam and Rockit in Groningen, and hearing him step forward on Meshell’s great album “The Gospel Of James Baldwin”, singer and songwriter Justin Hicks finally releases his debut album called “Man Of Style”. There is a highly infectious mix of…
The Dutch Metropole Orkest, this highly distinctive and unique-sounding orchestra under the direction of Jules Buckley, is celebrating the music of icon Roberta Flack with three upcoming concerts in May with some very special guests. Her classics come alive again with two of the most interesting and innovative vocalists in jazz and contemporary soul: Kandace…
Legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter, arranger, and guitarist Joyce Moreno just announced “Never Too Soon”, her new album on Far Out Recordings, slated for release on October 30th. She produced the album with longtime collaborator and husband Tutty Moreno. The first single off the album, “Aldeia de Ogum”, is out now. It is a rework of a…