Juno Recommends Brokenbeat / Nu Jazz: May 2023

Review: It's astonishing to think that two decades have now passed since the Cinematic Orchestra first unveiled Every Day. While not their debut studio set - 'Motion' appeared three years before - it was undoubtedly the album in which Jason Swinscoe and company perfected their widescreen, string-laden and ultra-atmospheric blend of neo-jazz and downtempo. As this re-mastered and lightly expanded anniversary edition proves, the album remains a timeless classic. It's peppered with genuine highlights, with our picks including Fontella Bass hook-up 'All That You Are' (a slow-burn, emotive, downtempo jazz gem), the jazz-funk influenced dancefloor workout 'Flite' (also featured in bonus 'original mix' form), head-nodding hip-hop-goes-jazz gem 'All Things To All Men' (featuring Roots Manuva in his pomp) and 'Man With The Movie Camera', which started life as a new soundtrack to a classic silent movie.

Review: Colin Curtis Presents is dropping some real heat this month with a pair of fine fusion EPs including one from GeeW and now this one from JuJu. This is another excellent transmission from the forefront of the contemporary British nu-jazz scene by Roderick Stewart. 'Black Samba' is one of those nimble and ass-wiggling rhythms the is punctuated by big horns, funky chords, busy percussion and a cool sense of style. 'Musa' (Cumulative Collective rework) keeps the life-affirming Roy Ayers melodies going over more effortlessly funky bass and 'Cla Samba' (feat Josue Ferriera) and 'So Da Manha' bring more Brazilian vibes to this superb EP.

Review: Nu-school jazz talent Alfa Mist drops another album for the US label Anti, for what has been described as his most fully-realised and emotive project to date. Following up 2021's Bring Backs and a spate of EPs put out since then, Variables leans further into abstract conceptual jazz, neo-soul and hip-hop territory, through uniquely resonant, broken instrumentals and gloomy rap features. The album seems to veer between stressful, beat-centric urgency and blue, sleep-deprived comedown moods. The main throughline, though, is its unparalleled musicianship; there really isn't much topping it.

Review: We're not sure who GeeW is but since 2021 they have served up three super fusion EPs, one on Ten Lovers Music and two on Colin Curtis Presents, which is where they return now for the third time. Their Deeper Than Black EP is a magic one that draws on all forms of jazz, soul, Latin, bossa, funk and house to cook up broken beat explorations doused in sunshine and with one eye on the stars. The title cut is a lively and vibrant jam with layers of percussion and mad Rhodes jams, 'Alzira Vida' is a little more chill but no less expertly arranged and 'Ocean Drive' then gets more dance with its prickly broken beats and lush horns. 'Difi The Hifi' is high-paced fusion brilliance.

Review: Bjorn Wagner's Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band have put out several fresh albums and many great 7"s on Big Crown and 'Hotline Bling' is another one. The mysterious Hamburg outfit brings their famous steel pan sound and reaches new heights here as they again cover songs that span genres and range from mega-hits to album cuts. Their own unique approach is to mix up the traditional sounds of Trinidad and Tobago with the original source material to leave you ready to dance all night long.

Review: Simultaneously reaching back into the roots of Samba whilst reconfiguring the sound for a new context, Dominco Lancelloti's Sramba is an ingenious contribution to the world of Brazilian jazz. Recorded over two months in Lancelloti's home studio in Lisbon, and inspired by a couple of Russian-designed synths that came into the artist's possession, this is a project that was born out of experimentation. The opening track, 'Ere', features hypnotic guitar riffs and skittering drum sequences that gradually build into an infectious groove over the course of the track. On the B-side, 'Nada Sera De Outra Maneira' takes a softer turn with glittering hints of piano and a central narrative driven by velvety vocals. This is an exciting new take on Samba that opens up a new world of creative possibilities.

Review: Manchester's GoGo Penguin has released a high-quality string of albums on top labels like Gondwana Records, the legendary Blue Note and now also Sony. Here the major offers up a deluxe edition of their Everything Is Going to Be OK long player which showcases once again the group's emotive minimalism. It is music that as always is bursting with the hope of new beginnings and shows that their new drummer more than has the chops to keep pace. These bright, vibrant sounds are born from a time of turbulence and loss and are perfect for a lazy summer's day when you can luxuriate in the sounds and be grateful for what you have.

Review: The latest missive on Agogo Records' nu-jazz-focused offshoot, Oonops Drops, is a debut from Hanover-based jazz collective Bird Moves. There's much to admire across the two tracks, which combine memorable grooves with some stellar musicianship and a wealth of addictive melodic hooks. The pick for club plays is A-side 'Kakra Kakra', a subtly Afro-influenced nu-jazz workout rich in rubbery bass, loose-limbed drums, hazy horns and energy-packed electric piano solos. They simmer things down on the B-side, where 'Eastbound' joins the dots between the languid, sun-down jazz-funk of Roy Ayers' most laidback moments and the head-nodding shuffle of instrumental hip-hop.

Review: Renowned for being one of the many albums out there that blurs the lines between solo artist project and compilation, Hydeout Productions: 2nd Collection is a stunning V/A release that mainly showcases the best of the renowned Japanese record label's brightest star Nujabes, while also looking at the work of fellow artists such as Emancipator and Uyama Hiroto. Packed with samples and rap features from the likes of C.L. Smooth and Five Deez, this is a ultimately Nujabes' curatorial vision despite the collaborative outlook and is an instrumental album in laying down the blueprint for 'jabes style of minimal, tearjerker hip-hop.

Review: Hardly The Same Snake is the second album from Skinny Pelembe and this version comes via Partisan on limited translucent red vinyl. The Johannesburg-born, Doncaster-raised artist Doya Beardmore really comes of age here, finding his own unique voice and putting it front and centre. Its gravelly baritone is unique and delivers what the artist says he would have done first time around on his debut had he been brave enough. Observations made at design exhibitions are the jumping-off point for the songs which are both visceral yet soulful as they muse on life, death, family, religion and major milestones in between.

Review: Dave Okumu & The 7 Generations' much anticipated new album I Came From Love finally arrives now on Transgressive Records as a super new double 12" featuring a booklet. It also features some high level guests, not least Grace Jones on the opening tune 'Things'. There is also the politically charged 'Blood Ah Go Run' which was inspired by the New Cross fire in which 13 black teenagers were killed during a party in 1981. The rest of the record is a rumination on survival, ancestry and heritage where the music stands as a message of defiance and love in the face of dark opposing forces. It makes for a classy mix of jazz and broken beat that will not leave fans disappointed.

Review: The Martin Denny reissue series continues at pace with one of his most sought-after albums. Exotic Moog was initially released in 1969 and pretty much does what it says on the tin - takes the iconic Moog synth and conjures up all manner of exotic and spaced-out sounds that leave you laying back and gazing on in awe. There's a retro-future feel to them which makes them all the more likable, and though some are beatless pieces of suspensory scene-setting, there are some breezy grooves like 'I Talk To The Trees' and sentimental space waltzes like 'The Enchanted Sea'. A characterful world of cinematic sounds for sure.

Review: There is much debate these days about whether albums should even exist any more in the face of playlists and streams and the consume what you want when you want era in which we live. But that won't stop people from trying, and try they should, especially when the results can be as rewarding and compelling as this record from the duo from Even Drones. It is a 20-track double 12" approach like a classic album of the 60s and 70s with all four sides adding their own chapter to the overall whole. Twisted arrangements, danceable tracks, leftfield house, downtempo, ambient and more add up to a superb listen.

Review: This latest edition to the Neroli catalogue sees the arrival of a new album project from long time hero, Kirk Degiorgio. Imbued with folkloric sensibilities, Robe Of Dreams is an example of the sheer transportative abilities of electronic jazz fusion, melding sounds that are almost rooted but not quite of this world. The first track, 'The Ancient City', follows a cresting wave of shimmering synths - a portal into Degiorgio's hypnagogic soundworld. 'I Saw Pharaoh Levitate' features a melody that dances, skipping with the lightest touch across a field of glittering cymbal percussion. 'Sinai' explores the roughened textures of warped electric guitar riffs, woven to create atmospheres of marbled spaciousness and density. 'Robe Of Dreams', however, is the title track for a reason - expanding and contracting piano melodies melt effortlessly into dreamy electronic atmospheres, rising and falling and veering into moments of unsettling minor keys with extraordinary precision. A masterful and spiritual project from the extraordinary musician.