Juno Recommends Brokenbeat / Nu Jazz: August 2022

Review: Kaidi Tatham is a master of broken beats and a widely respected figure in the London music scene. His new 12 track album takes us on a lush and louche trip through all his myriad musical skills and styles. Boogie, gospel-tinged hip-hop, jazz-funk and more all colour the futurist grooves with contributions from The Easy Access Orchestra, and pianist Robert Mitchell. This is a fourth solo album from the man and maybe his best yet, even though it has come so quick on the heels of the release of An Insight To All Minds in 2021.

Review: The masterful Marc Mac is back with more of his worldly music and again it is richly influenced stuff with sunny broken beats. London boogie and the sounds of Brazil, lush strings, pensive pianos and big bass all feature and call to mind his legendary work as 4hero. Going this four track trip are musicians Luke Parkhouse on percussion, Nathan Haines on Sax and Octavio Santos and Mookie Williams on horns. it is music for the warmer days, with cool grooves and feel good vibes all tuning through all the tunes. For us, the shuffle and swing of 'Encantadora' is a real highlight.

Review: Japan's premier jazz funk covers outfit Nautilus are back on the scene with another 7" of those pristine grooves they lay down so well. They've been busy lately, recording the Serendipity album with Lisa Decker and just releasing the Reconnection album amongst other singles and EPs, but once again they've got more beautifully executed music to impart to the world. 'Skyscrapers' rides on a taut breakbeat and features some slinky bass guitar, striking an ever-so-slightly moody tone. 'Another World' is all about the snappy piano hooks, with the band following dutifully behind each melodic passage and winding up in something sweet and funky - as if you expect any less from this band.

Review: This mini album from Saul, a collaboration-loving duo comprised of Jack Stephenson-Oliver (keys player with Vels Trio) and producer Barney Whittaker AKA Footshooter, could well be one of the most summery-sounding releases of 2022. A gorgeously warm, dreamy and tactile affair that effortlessly joins the dots between classy dancefloor dynamics, laidback electronics, freewheeling jazz musicianship and soulful vocal flavours, it's a genuinely brilliant and highly entertaining affair. Our picks of an extremely strong bunch include the broken beat/electro-boogie fusion of 'Coalesce (featuring Natty Wylah)', the gently two-step influenced deep house soul of Allysha Joy hook-up 'The Light' and the Balearic ambient meets post-dubstep bass music flex of 'Lifted'.

Review: Legendary jazz label Blue Note has tapped up the super hot nine-piece Afro-jazz outfit Nubiyan Twist for their own new version of Donald Byrd's song 'Through The Noise.' It features on the 16-track Blue Note Re:imagined II collection that is due soon, but first also gets its own pressing here. Heavy swing, garage and 2-step all colour their version with broken-beat, afrobeat and bebop also colouring the fresh sounding grooves. The lyrics build the reimagined concept and make for a stunning new piece. On the flip is another gem in the form of Swindle's 'Miss Kane.'

Review: A delightful mix of nu-jazz and jazzanova, the German group comprising of Jeff Ozdemir, Daniel Gahn, Ozgur Bayraktar and Treetop (aka Michael Voss, who personally hand-stamped these gorgeous 7" records) are serving up a drum-fueled slice of electro jazz, with some buttery sax that makes 'Cihangir's three and a half minute runtime pass you by in an instant. The 7"s replay value is infinite, from the title track's more Lounge rooted sensibilities, to side b's 'Feed lala' with its groovy electronica synths competing with subdued piano notes over the groups classic drum focus. Just one listen is enough to send you on a 3 hour jazz dive. Don't pass up on this extremely limited piece of jazz perfection.

Review: Will Sessions are a serious crew of funkateers from Detroit with a sizable catalogue behind them. Electromagnetic Reality is their fourth album on their own Sessions Sounds label, breaking a four-year silence due to all the very understandable reasons. You can tell how rooted they are in the Detroit community by the cats they roll with - Amp Fiddler, Andres, Meftah, all artists with an innate sense of funk about them. With the band's co-founder Sam Beaubien joined by an ensemble of lifers, new recruits and guest collaborators, this long-awaited return marks another chapter for one of the finest groups getting down low in the D.

Review: In Praise Of Shadows is an essay on Japanese aesthetics by the Japanese author and novelist Jun'ichiro Tanizaki. It is also the name of Puma Blue's debut album, and one that won widespread critical acclaim. Following its release comes this new collection of b-sides and live versions that is sure to win fans over. Like the original album, it showcases his next-level production style with plenty of bedroom intimacy as the tunes are taken from rehears for the live shows in 2021. This is a great way to experience these sounds with a full band arrangement.