Continuing to establish themselves as a veritable force within contemporary jazz, New York’s New Jazz Underground continue their run of standalone single and EP projects in comparatively quick succession with the release of ‘Dying of Thirst’.
While the world still reels from the inconceivable impact of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’, New Jazz Underground delve a little deeper within the K-Dot catalogue to present an eight-track homage to one of today’s hip-hop luminaries.
Comprised of saxophonist Abdias Armenteros, bassist Sebastian Rios and drummer TJ Reddick, New Jazz Underground are very much a band to lovingly wear their influences on their sleeves and have subsequently become quite adept at showcasing their affections for the music and artists that served as their initial inspirations. The band’s YouTube page houses a litany of intimate DIY performance videos of the trio, and friends, showcasing their devotion for names including Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins through recordings from Central Park’s Summer Stage, New York’s Smalls Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club NYC all the way through to locations including kitchens and living rooms. The passion to play proves such an endearing quality and has helped to garner New Jazz Underground a strong online following.
One of the trio’s first projects saw them tackle the music of MF DOOM for their fantastic four-track EP ‘the MF DOOM SUiTE’ (2023) wonderfully reinventing the productions of Metal Face himself and Madlib through a delectable New York jazz lens that now finds its focus on the music of Kendrick Lamar.
And what a time it is for Kendrick – five Grammy wins this year followed almost immediately by the most watched Superbowl Halftime performance in history, notwithstanding victory in the so-called beef with you-know-who; but to have your music immortalised in this way merits an entirely different type of distinction ultimately reserved for hip-hop royalty.
A selection of revered Kendrick Lamar tracks are elegantly reimagined including the spiritual and somewhat cinematic perspective of ‘Dying of Thirst, Part II’, bolstered by an excellent vocal by Ekep Nkwelle; the noir jazz take on the already-introspective ‘Count Me Out’ is genuinely inspired as is the smooth swing of ‘All the Stars’ with Jillian Grace serving as an excellent stand-in for SZA. The contributions of pianist Eric “ELEW” Lewis also shouldn’t go unsung as the band’s long-time collaborator provides perfect accompaniment throughout the release.
New Jazz Underground’s meteoric rise continues at an exceptional pace, once again proving themselves a highly creative and imaginative band that ultimately couldn’t put a foot wrong even if they tried.
