The Belgian-Caribbean pedal harpist, synth player, and composer Nala Sinephro, part of London’s burgeoning and bubbling jazz scene, has come up with a deeply healing debut album. She has played with south London collective Steam Down and won early praises from the likes of Gilles Peterson. With the London Contemporary Orchestra, she played at King’s…
Retro soul and disco in perfect harmony. “Witchoo” is late 70s disco transported to 2021. An irresistible track with a Chic-like beat and great vocals by Durand and drummer Aaron Frazer. The dreamy vocals of Aaron, already cherished on his solo album, are the pitch-perfect backdrop for the soul ballad and title track “Private Space”,…
It looks like this fall will be pretty full of interesting new music, with a lot of album announcements coming in almost on a daily basis. Nightmares On Wax will come up with a new album called “Shout Out! To Freedom…” on October 29th. The album features guest artists like Shabaka Hutchings, Haile Supreme, Wolfgang…
New York’s wonderful Le Poisson Rouge club has an exciting show coming up this month. Five-paw-rated producer, keyboardist, and composer John Carroll Kirby (latest release “Septet“) and singer Eddie Chacon, who the club describes as the “subversive R&B crooner”, will join forces on September 13th for an intimate evening in the round, on stage in…
The first Bitches Brew Festival in Berlin will take place from September 9th to 12th at House of Music @ R.A.W., Revaler Str. 99. Some of the most imaginative and exciting female band leaders and musicians will be on stage over the course of four days. But it’s not all about female musicians if you…
Deep House DJ and producer Miguel Migs from San Francisco has recently released his fifth full-length album, seven years after “Dim Division”. The double 12″ is available from Soulfuric Deep Recordings out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Miguel has been on several Naked Music productions in the past, a label also known for its quality house…
I remember when keyboardist Kiefer’s “Superbloom” EP came out back in 2019, I was immediately hooked on those quasi-simple melodies which had that special spirituality about them, and then turned out to be far more than just that. The jazzy background (Kiefer Shackleford studied with Kenny Burrell) seemed to dive in almost subconsciously, with notes…
Harpist Brandee Younger releases her first major label album “Somewhere Different” on the Impulse! label. After “Wax & Wane” (2016), “Soul Awakening” (2019), and her work with Dezron Douglas, “Force Majeure” (2020), this is her fourth release overall. It’s out on vinyl too! And even though the harp is not really your prevalent instrument in…
It’s her eleventh album to date and her first since “Homefree” came out back in 2010. Nnenna Freelon sounds as fresh and graceful, jazzy and soulful as ever and in most cases on her beautiful new disc, even better than ever before. Harking back to her “Listen” (1994), “Shaking Free” (1996) or “Soulcall” (2000) days…
Parisian producer and beat stylist As Valet released his new album “Virgo Stellar” back in July. The album on the brilliant London-based Futuristica label is one of the best contemporary electronica meets house meets soul discs around. The mellow soulful house beats open the album with guest vocalists LaNote (whose debut album features As Valet…