With so much good music coming through thick and fast, it’s easy for albums to drop online and go overlooked. No lengthy write-ups as who reads those anyway? We keep it short and to the point because you’re here to listen to the music! Check out our weekly mini-guide below and if you like what you hear, click the links and support the artists.
Albums
Warren Hampshire – Language Of The Birds
Warren Hampshire returns to Athens Of the North for his new album ‘Language Of The Birds’. Recorded solo shortly after completing ‘Galaxies Like Grains Of Sand’ and ‘The Honey Bear’ with jazz pianist Greg Foat the new collection is every bit as good as his recent collaborations. An unconventional blend of minimal jazz, ambient folk and library music, the album is heavily influenced by Hampshire’s love for the countryside and woodlands of the Isle of Wight.
NCY Milky Band – Burn’IN
French four-piece The NCY Milky Band step up with their debut album. We find them skipping happily along their own little musical path. The Nancy-based quartet delivers unique jazz experiments at the crossroads of 70’s french groove and modern electronica. Sometimes goofy yet always classy. The title track is one of many highlights.
Zeitgeist & Tucceri – JIN MU
Quality debut from Zeitgeist & Tucceri, that will delight any lovers of hypnotisingly-meditative ambient music with jazz undertones. Tucceri plays a selection of wooden and metal flutes, and Zeitgeist plays drums and cymbals. Time to forget about all the drama going on in the world and immerse yourself into a state of tranquillity and deep meditation by clicking play.
Agile Experiments – Bloom Anubis
I only caught up with Dave De Rose in late 2019, by which time his Agile Experiments project was already four albums deep. Now album number eight has arrived, and as always, the music is of the highest order. Intriguing as it is inventive, Dave De Rose brings together frequent collaborators Giannis Angelopoulos (drums & percussion) and Josh Arcoleo (tenor saxophone) for an album without any barriers that move freely between genres.
EP’s
Skyline Sun – Flesh and Bones
Skyline Sun is the musical moniker for Berlin-based producer and guitarist Jarrah Dhyan; the EP is a product of Dhyan’s experiences of the world and reflections on its impermanence. Grounding itself in elements of classic jazz, ‘Flesh and Bones’ balances old and new to create an energetic and expressive sound.
Reissue
Lucas Santtana – 3 Sessions in a Greenhouse
A classic from the archives, originally released in 2006, ‘3 Sessions In A Greenhouse’ established Lucas Santtana as one of Brazil’s most incredible new wave songwriters and composers. London-based label Mais Um revisits the album for its fifteenth anniversary so we can relive the baile funk, Black Ark-style spiritual dub and psyched-out samba grooves.
José Carlos Schwarz & Le Cobiana Djazz — Lua Ki Di Nos (The Moon Is Ours)
Hot Mule continues their foraging into rare gems, this time taking them on a journey to Guinea-Bissau. The music of poet and activist José Carlos Schwarz and his group Le Cobiana Djazz gets a loving reissue that has been remastered and pressed on heavyweight vinyl. Props to Louis at Hot Mule for compiling this incredible record.
Singles
Otis Sandsjö – tremendoce parts 2 & 3 / skerry
Berlin-based saxophonist Otis Sandsjö returns with new music. Produced by Petter Eldh with Otis Sandsjö, the duo presents two new reworkings of ‘Tremendoce’, one of the standout tracks from last years’ Y-OTIS 2′ album. On the flipside is the dazzling harp vibes of ‘skerry part 1&2’. Stream part 1 below.
Eric Malmberg – Milda döden hämtar oss alla till slut
Originally released by Swedish label Häpna in 2007, We Jazz Records drop two deep tracks from Swedish organist Eric Malmberg on vinyl for the first time. Drawing influences from the Swedish psychedelic tradition of Hansson & Karlsson, Träd, Gräs & Stenar and Dungen, this release is essential!
