Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Instrumentals JID019

Instrumentals JID019 is out now! The album features Instrrumental tracks from Jean Carne JID012 and Lonnie Liston Smith JID017.

Instrumentals JID019 captures the musical alchemy produced at the Linear Labs Studio by producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. These instrumental recordings encapsulate the spirit of the Jazz Is Dead concert and recording series, celebrating the African-American art form known as jazz through improvisation, musical collaboration and authentic cross-generational and cross-cultural communication.

Tracklist:
1. Come As You Are (Instrumental)
2. Love Brings Happiness (Instrumental)
3. Black Rainbows (Instrumental)
4. The Summer Time (Instrumental)
5. Love Can Be (Instrumental)
6. People of The Sun (Instrumental)
7. My Mystic Life (Instrumental)
8. Cosmic Changes (Instrumental)
9. Black Love (Instrumental)
10. Visions (Instrumental)

Lab Progression - Lab Progression

Introducing "Lab Progression" the exciting collaborative project of Midan and Jammin Berries. This talented duo brings together contemporary Neo-Jazz beats and groovy lofi-esque tunes, creating a captivating blend of musical genres.

Their debut album is a collection of authentic jams recorded in the studio. Despite both being beatmakers, their collaboration feels more like a band, thanks to their shared musicality and creativity.

Jammin Berries is a skilled pianist and guitarist, while Midan shines as a bassist and multi-instrumentalist. Influenced by oldschool Jazz legends like Oscar Peterson and Jammin Berries interest in classical artists such a Bach, the duo has engaged in numerous discussions on how to infuse Hip Hop beats with a fresh, melodic twist including more interesting and complex Jazzy chord progressions. Hence the origin of their name “Lab Progression”.

Inspired by contemporary artists such as the Jazzbois, FloFilz and Kiefer, as well as the timeless creations of J Dilla, Lab Progression strives to combine the best of both old and new, resulting in a unique and captivating album.

The duo is eager to share their project with the world and there's no sign of them slowing down. Stay tuned for more exciting releases from Midan and Jammin Berries as they continue to push musical boundaries.

Tracklist:
1. Ice Tea
2. Like Dat
3. Mulberry
4. Halfpipe Dream
5. One for Louie
6. Like Yesterday
7. Outside
8. In The Studio (Part One)
9. In The Studio (Part Two)
10. Taxi Cab
11. Yesterday's Tomorrow
12. Lighthouse
13. Fireflies (feat. Plusma)

Tomorrow Comes The Harvest - Evolution

Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is the accumulative efforts of talented musicians and their visions about what makes the art form of music so special. A theory initiated and put into action by late Afro Beat creator and Nigerian Drummer Tony Allen and Detroit Techno Pioneer Jeff Mills. Each belonging to a long tradition of using music to reach higher levels of consciousness, along with veteran keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, the three toured internationally until the untimely death of Tony Allen in 2020. However, the foundation of the concept was cemented and ready for continuation. Mills reconfigures the concept to function as trio once again and invites Tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard to join the concept.

Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is about exploring the unknown, transcending by the way of intersecting sounds and rhythm through an array of improvisational movements.

Background: Tomorrow Comes The Harvest project started with late Tony Allen, one of the originators of AfroBeat and Jeff Mills to get together to create an improvisational type of performance. The idea was to not pre-prepare or to preplan anything, but just to play in the moment spontaneously and to reach for the same understanding musically. Jean-Phi Dary had been worked with Tony Allen for a long time, naturally joined the unit. After an untimely passing of Tony in 2020, they thought that maybe a good idea to continue with the project and to consider it in a much more broader respect other than just three main musicians that may be, it’s interesting to make it open, to be able to invite other musicians in for certain concerts. They decided to invite Prabhu Edouard, who already had an experience of working with Jeff for classical concerts in France.

The album was recorded live at Bozar in Brussels, Belgium in 2022.

Tracklist;
1. Metamorphosis
2. Words Of Wisdom
3. Peace Pipe
4. Rising Water
5. Rising Water (Reprise)
6. No White Snake

Dan Hastie & Terin Ector - MILS005: Crows Height

The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series was created by Madlib and Egon over the course of the Pandemic, and was a chance to give their creative friends the ability to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted for release on the label.

The music had to be great and able to be presented as a stand alone album – like the best “Music Library” releases of the past, on labels like Italy’s Sermi, Germany’s Bruton, France’s MP2000 and the UK’s DeWolfe. And, like those albums, it had to work as easy, one-stop clearance for background cues in film and television production and, as producers have been indulging since the 1990s, for sampling.

The series contains 12 releases by DJ Muggs, Karriem Riggins, J-Zone, the Heliocentrics’ Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson, JJ Whitefield of Karl Hector/Whitefield Brothers/Poets of Rhythm, Motif Alumni and Music Research Library, Mario Luciano of Polyphonic Music Library, Henkel, Gabriel Rowland of Los Yesterdays, Dan Hastie and Terin Ector of Orgone, Dan Ubick and Joe Harrison

The albums will be released on the Madlib Invazion Bandcamp on the first Friday of each month over the course of one year. Listen, ponder, repeat.

1. Blue Shade
2. Timeless Tales
3. Dorado
4. Deep Waters
5. Telescopics
6. Better Days
7. Mirage
8. Crows Height
9. Missing Home
10. Street Wise
11. When I Go
12. Vision

Calibre - Rudy

The album features all of the previously unreleased tracks from Calibre’s Boiler Room Set: Stunted, Dumb Bum, The Game, Cousin, No Stopping & Treason.

Tracklist:
1. Stunted
2. More Fool Me (feat. Cimone)
3. The Game
4. Heaven
5. Tripping Out
6. Cousin
7. Treason
8. Dumb Bum
9. Flu Jet
10. No Stopping
11. Warbling
12. Hard To Believe
13. Living Without Your Love

*Bonus (Calibre | Boiler Room Festival Amsterdam: SYSTEM)

VA - Spiritual Jazz 14: PRIVATE

“Private Press: A custom-made record that is produced and released by the artists themselves, or their close associates. Not to be confused with indie labels who are in the business of releasing other people's music.”

While the string of legendary independent labels, from Blue Note and Prestige to Steeplechase and Impulse! loom large in our ¬Spiritual Jazz catalogue, our latest instalment concerns the brave and innovative souls who acted ‘privately’, recording and releasing their music without the aid or involvement of a bona fide record company. Making a custom, private press record on your own, without the backing, status and business acumen of an established record company to help out is no mean feat, but it never really was difficult - it’s just a matter of spending money. And there has never been a shortage of studios & pressing plants willing to take your money! Easy done if you have funding in place of course, but the tricky bit, which remains to this day, is what to do exactly with a pallet load of vinyl that’s just been delivered to your door?

Herein you will find a variety of tracks from a selection of privately pressed jazz records released in the US between 1964 and 1987. One of the most interesting things I’ve found while researching this album is the variety of reasons behind coming up with a self-released record. No two stories are the same; some were done purely out of altruism to further the musical direction of students, others were trying to make it big. But one solid truth remains that binds together each and every selection here – the artists didn’t just make their music for the fun of it, they believed in their art so much that they took whatever steps they had available to them at the time to get their music heard.

Tracklist:
1. Erni Clark - By the Grace of God, I Am
2. Elysian Spring - Lotus
3. Radam Schwartz - Middle Eastern Fantasy
4. Mary Lou Williams - Communion Song: The World
5. Carmelo Garcia - Ethiopia
6. Black Is ---- - Themes & Variations
7. CULLEN KNIGHT - A'Keem (Brother)
8. Don Menza - Spanish Boots
9. BelAir - Morning Rainwalk
10. Andrew McPherson - Delilah
11. Almanac - Symbiosis
12. Owen Marshall - Evolove
13. Bobby Jackson - Desiree Song
14. Compass - Pharoah's Thing

VA - With Love Vol 2 (Compiled by Miche)

Compiling the follow-up to a very successful first album is always a tricky task, but just 12 months since the release of volume one in the 'With Love' series, miche has excelled himself once again with another glorious, deep dive into the world of rare soul. 15 tracks of independently released music, created by magnificent artists with stories to tell and primed for rediscovery.

The ambition to celebrate under-the-radar artists has remained, but instead of a facsimile of volume one, what we have here is a selection shaped by life changes. Volume two is for the dancers; still soulful, still ultra-rare and slept-on records from the USA, Chile, Brazil and beyond, but the dynamics of the collection have shifted slightly. It represents a move from being immersed in a week in week out environment of beautiful, soulful music in a cosy, dimly lit hi-fi bar to playing livelier, more energetic, dancefloor-focused music in nightclubs. This volume will get you on your feet, make you move and unleash whatever it is that makes you get down.

One of the jewels in the crown of this compilation is a joyous, anthemic gospel version of Stevie Wonder's 'As' by The Family Tree (a project produced by the fantastic Julius Brockington). We are also treated to a rare and sought-after Pennsylvanian funk / AOR bomb by Maxwell, a stunning modern soul tune 'High On You' by Freedom, and self-released Brazilian 45s by Banda 22 and Zé Da Lata. P.J. City's 'Straight Forward (Non-Stop)' is gospel-disco perfection, and we also have 'Dame Solamente Amor’, a sublime, soul beauty from Chile by Rogers Mitchell. Many of these artists featured in this compilation aren't household names, but they deserve their moment to shine, to be heard, loved and appreciated for their artistry.

As miche says it, “I hope this compilation helps in some way to keep this glorious music alive and play a part in connecting generations of music lovers from the worldwide soul family. As always, it has been made ‘With Love’.”

Tracklist:
1. Billy Boomer - I Like What She's Doing
2. P.J. City - Straight Forward (Non-Stop)
3. Maxwell - Realize
4. Cecil Lyde - I'll Make It On My Own
5. Mixed Generation Enterprize - Take To The Sky
6. Mark Meadows - You And Me
7. Alice Cohen & Fun City - Save The Best 'Til Last
8. Banda 22 - A Luz Que Brilha Meu Viver
9. Zé Da Lata - Mistério Brilhante
10. Mitchell Rogers - Dame Solamente Amor
11. Billy Boomer - You Can't Hide
12. Freedom - High On You
13. The Lost Family - Blow My Mind
14. The Family Tree - As
15. Mitchell Rogers - Te Amare Mas Asi

mndsgn - Snaxxx

Mndsgn returns with the third installment in his series of "Snax" records – Snaxxx. Looser and more freeform than Mndsgn's LPs, the Snax series has all the hallmarks of the artist and producer's style – rhythmic flair, earworming melodies, and whimsical sense of humour – all in bite-sized, snackable format. Stones Throw has been Mndsgn's label home ever since he released his debut album, Yawn Zen. Three albums – and two Snax editions later – Mndsgn has grown his fanbase globally.

Tracklist:
1. YUM.ME
2. UdontwannafallintheLAVA
3. MakeU
4. Finallyalone
5. Hoursafter Interlude (feat. Devin Morrison)
6. Particular Flowr (feat. Anna Wise)
7. Fillsmeup
8. Living Colours
9. Midnitesnaq
10. LUV MIRAGE
11. Dah's Baker
12. Papercrane
13. (my)PLEASURE (feat. Liv.e)
14. Playinthesegames (feat. Liv.e)
15. Walkawn Interlude
16. SNT

Greg Foat - Feathers

“Enjoy Foat’s rhythmic mastery, jazz-infused mood, and cosmic synths, accompanied by Finland’s finest, including the legendary saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen.”

Greg Foat travels to Finland, teaming up once again with the Jazzaggression label to unveil “Feathers.” Building on the success of “Gone to the Cats,” the collaborative trio date with Aleksi Heinola and Teemu Åkerblom, “Feathers” follows a similar formula while expanding its musical horizons. “Feathers” introduces an even larger cast of Finnish musicians, including the notable inclusion of Finnish saxophone legend Eero Koivistoinen on tenor sax and the talented Ilmari Heikinheimo on percussion. Recorded over a stormy long weekend in mid-October 2022 at Jazzaggression’s in-house Studio Pelto, the album strikes a balance between precomposed tracks and spontaneously created pieces.

Devotees of Greg’s earlier releases are in for a treat, as “Feathers” skillfully merges his signature atmospheric touch with an expanded synthesis of sounds. Imagine the legendary Eero Koivistoinen infusing his prowess into the monumental jam “Riding the Breeze,” while tracks like “Feathers” and the contemplative “A Prayer for Love” showcase a downtempo elegance that lingers in the air.

Yet, “Feathers” doesn’t stop there—it delivers captivating jazz classics as well. Experience “The Sandpiper,” a bluesy minor jam reminiscent of the golden era of CTI Albums, or delve into the engaging rhythms of “Inconsequential Narrative” and the thematic intrigue of “As the Crow Flies.” A particularly enchanting aura envelops “When All Is Said and Done.” Its ephemeral minimalistic essence captures a spontaneous late-night allure, compelling the engineer to “Keep the tape rolling…”—the kind of magic that can only be conjured in the moment.

With “Feathers,” Greg Foat brings his animalistic trilogy of albums on Jazzaggression to a triumphant close, possibly delivering his most exceptional recording yet.

Tracklist:
1. Inconsequential Narrative
2. Riding The Breeze
3. After All Is Said And Done
4. Feathers
5. As The Crow Flies
6. The Sandpiper
7. A Prayer For Love