Browsing Tag

Jazz Fusion

Get lost in the twilight of jazz fusionist Ikechi Onyenaka’s latest single, City Dreams.

Posted on 28 October 2021

Jazz and Blues fusionist Ikechi Onyenaka’s latest extended instrumental soundscape, City Dreams, eases you into the twilight grooves gently before the rhythms pick up funk around the smoky jazz timbre. With the next progression, City Dreams moves towards a stormy sax blues riff that rivals the jazz-punk frontman Pete Wareham’s pipes.

In the latter half of City Dreams, psych blues tendencies start to accumulate in the single, in a way that there was no anticipating. The ambience from the intro allows the volatile expressionism to leave you broadsided by the sheer ingenuity. Is there any better feeling than that?

City Dreams is now available to stream on SoundCloud and all other major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Daniel Ben Mortiz lets the rhythm blossom in his latest jazz-funk soundscape, Beso Solar.

Posted on 9 October 2021

Jazz musician, composer and producer, Daniel Ben Mortiz released his latest single, Beso Solar, on September 30th; while the blissful tones induce you into a state of entrancement, the complex time signatures in the organic, almost primal soundscape have the opposite effect as they affirm that your rhythmic pulses are well and truly at the command of Mortiz and his unpredictably arresting progressions.

What starts as a lofty and meditative soundscape transgresses into a bassline-driven feat of improvised jazz and funk alchemy that won’t fail to leave your consciousness entirely consumed.

Beso Solar is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

OSLU sets a sophisticated cinematic score in Goodbye Old Friend.

Posted on 1 October 2021

Jazz fusionist and soundtrack composer OSLU released their latest album, Explaudere, on October 1st. By taking modern film scores and classical music as inspiration, the neo-blues pioneer orchestrates accessible soundscapes that tenderly bind you into the ease of the progressions and the cinematic flair.

The instrumental single, Goodbye Old Friend, uses clean-cut blues guitars, shimmering crescendos and nuanced rock elements to testify to OSLU’s ingenuity when it comes to creating orchestral catharsis. It would be no surprise to see OSLU’s name on a Blockbuster’s roll of end credits. The sheer talent is enough to allow you to question everything you heard on the radio today.

Listen to OSLU’s latest album on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Transcend with the jazzy grooves in Mid Ground’s latest single, Peace in the Sky

Posted on 17 September 2021
Mid Ground

‘Peace in the Sky’, featuring vocalist, Ellen Mara, is easily the most hypnotic RnB trip pop single so far from the jazzy instrumental duo Mid Ground. The easy movements of the notes remind you of how sweet freedom can feel as the lyrics do the same.

The single switches the RnB narratives that consistently chase and mourn lust; it delivers a reminder that the only person worth finding is yourself. By playing with rich, ethereal and electrifying textures, the lush reverb-swathed grooves in Peace in the Sky leave you absorbed from start to finish. My soul feels infinitely lighter for hearing this tranquil yet fierce affirmation that independence is infinitely more rewarding than co-dependence.

Peace in the Sky was officially released on September 17th; you can check it out for yourselves via Bandcamp & SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kayla Lynn & the Change deliver a blissful jazz-funk fusion in ‘More Than Friends’

Posted on 19 August 2021
Kayla Lynn & the Change

Bassist, singer-songwriter and empowerment speaker Kayla Lynn has released her latest jazzy funk single, More Than Friends, with her band The Change; the rich harmonic tones paired with the fresh take on funk is an aural experience that you are unlikely to forget.

She has been making major waves in Asheville, NC’s funk scene with her blissfully textured sound and endlessly dynamic vocals that practically write success into the artist’s future. It is almost a paradox how More Than Friends simultaneously sends you back to the roots of soul and has the potential to definite the future of neo-soul. It’s a stellar release from a refreshingly exceptional artist.

Check out More Than Friends on apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Camille Rose soulfully meanders through melancholy in her jazz single, Raining in July

Posted on 1 August 2021

South-East London-born and raised Jazz singer-songwriter Camille Rose’s signature sound is quickly becoming synonymous with arrestingly unique jazz instrumentals that groove and improvise around her soulfully lush vocals.

Before the first verse runs through in her latest single, Raining in July, you’ll find yourself captivated by the mellifluously rich soundscape that flows with such ease and finesse; listening to it is as easy as breathing. For anyone going solo this summer, Raining in July should be a feel-good playlist staple for the way it captures romantic grief but emanates radiant soul despite the wistful sorrow.

Through the influence of Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, the 24-year-old artist started studying jazz performance at Trinity Laban conservatoire to hone in on her craft. Discernibly, she has already mastered the art of weaving narratively compelling lyrics into a melodically cathartic soundscape. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Check out the live recording of Raining in July by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Oli Morris takes us on a tour with the Acid Jazz-inspired ‘Bimal’

Posted on 24 June 2021
Oli Morris

It’s always a pleasure to review something a little bit out of the blue and unexpected, and when it’s from someone as accomplished as Oli Morris that holds doubly so. A saxophonist and composer originally born in Northridge, California but now living in Bristol, Oli studied music at the University of Chichester, but soon found himself an in-demand session player and live sideman, performing at Bestival and Glastonbury as well as decamping to Rockfield Studios with festival favourites Cut Capers.

Shortly before the world paused and ‘roadmap’ took on a new, Covid-related meaning, Morris returned from a month-long backpacking tour through India. The result, featuring a collective of Bristol’s up-and-coming music glitterati, is ‘Bimal’, a jazz-neo-soul fusion in two halves, featuring the stunning, silky-smooth vocals of Chrissie Huntley wrapped around Morris’ masterful saxophone, interspersed with Snazzback’s Eli Jitsuto’s deliciously restrained guitar parts and the oh-so-cool jazz-funk rhythm section of Sam Fox and Andee Liu. There’s some serious Rare Groove and Acid Jazz smoothness here, echoes of the Brand New Heavies and Incognito mixed with touches of Galliano’s ‘Joyful Noise Unto The Creator’ around Ruaridh Wilkinson’s Rhodes piano-work; it’s chilled, mellow, and it’s got some serious soul.

Check out Oli Morris here or on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Get your nostalgia hit with Smooth Retsina Glow’s funk-pop jazz-fusion single, Memories Made

Posted on 4 June 2021

‘Memories Made’ is just one of the singles that alt-rock outfit, Smooth Retsina Glow, has toured the US with since making their debut in 2020; with international airplay and 60 shows under their belt, they’re well on their way to shedding their ‘up and coming’ status.

With enough funk to give Nile Rogers a run for his money and sticky-sweet pop sensibilities to the female vocals, Memories Made is a tranquil yet equally enlivening track. There are serious melodic grooves in the rhythm section but with the choppy staccato guitar chords, there’s plenty of upbeat energy pouring from the heart and soul of this nostalgia-inducing track.

You can check out the official video to Memories Made by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

8udDha bl0od gives us the indie jazz blues with his single, ‘Fr33 jA2234 5UPeRm00n’.

Posted on 23 May 2021

There is seemingly no end to the Brighton-based experimental artist 8udDha bl0od’s versatility; in his discography, you’ll find it all, from drone electronica to Alt indie 90s rock to 70s psych. With his latest release, he has bestowed upon the airwaves a stunning fusion of Jazz and Blues that carries the same stylish cinematic air as a neo-noir classic.

With Fr33 jA2234 5UPeRm00n, 8udDha bl0od proved that Jazz is as accessible as the other genres he virtuosically dabbles in; those complex time signatures quickly start to feel like home when they are up against blues scales and guitar chords that work a little indie garage rock accordance into the mix.

You can check out 8udDha bl0od’s latest single by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Flow State serves soul food in their latest single, Pancake Love.

Posted on 22 May 2021

Alt electro duo Flow State has unleashed their most archaically avant-garde single to date with their jazz fusion single, ‘Pancake Love’.

The South-West, England-hailing artist delivers a versatile fusion sound that makes jazz, electro-swing, ska and blues-rock the cornerstone in Pancake Love. As soon as you hit play, you’re forcibly shunted from the 21st-century by the sun-bleached reggae tones that brighten the subversively surreal track that bears reminiscence to Creepshow, Horrorpops and The Brains. But as you can probably gather from the track title, Pancake Love comes with sticky sweet flair and affection as opposed to macabre inclination.

You can get your fill of Pancake Love by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast