Back catalogue: Funk

Review: In celebration of 50 years in the performing arts, Idris Ackamoor presents Artistic Being for Record Store Day 2025-a powerful blend of jazz, spoken word and activism. Featuring the voices of acclaimed actor Danny Glover and stage legend Rhodessa Jones, this record captures highlights from the Underground Jazz Cabaret, which was performed during Black History Month 2024 at The Lab in San Francisco. Co-produced by Ackamoor's Cultural Odyssey, the release fuses poetic storytelling with evocative musical textures while reflecting on social justice, identity and resilience. Artistic Being is a profound statement from a visionary artist.

Review: Fusion five-piece Aldorande are no fustians when it comes to full-length LPs. These self-styled groove adventurers remain radically open to the sound, thanks to their stylistic touchstone, 70s funk, and its diachronic conduction of future styles. Recorded on tape in a top Parisian studio, their third record Trois brims with trifect textures, bold phrasing, and soaring choral waves. Mathieu Edouard's precise drumming is glued to the spot by Erwan Loeffel's plaited percussion, all the while Laurent Guillet's fingertips and Florian Pellissier's splayed hands make the best uses of Fender Rhodes, axe and Minimoog.

Review: The UK's Robin Lee is one of the members of much-loved disco gang Faze Action but also he's behind Andromeda Orchestra who return here with an album that offers a cosmic fusion of jazz-funk and disco. It's been put together with Moogs, clarinets, Rhodes and rich analogue textures that make for a mix of nostalgia and sonic richness that sinks you in deep. Blending nostalgia with innovation, Lee creates deep, immersive soundscapes. There are widescreen odysseys like 'Mythical', loved-up bunkers such as 'Thinking About Your Love' and a rare Nick The Record remix of 'Get Up & Dance' that overflows with cosmic melodies and lush, life-affirming strings.

Review: As it is often best done in soul, contemporary band Annie & The Caldwells are a family affair, channelling the depths of heartache and euphoria through danceable Mississippi-born bombasts. Lead vocalist Annie Caldwell leads the band alongside her husband of 50 years Willie Joe Caldwell, and is backed by children Deborah, Anjessica, Toni, Willie Jr. and Abel. Juggling hard work with harder musical playing, Can't Lose My Soul takes aim at modern day soul greatness, documenting quotidian struggles and everyday joys in song, and centring their concept on their locality of Main Street, West Point, Mississippi, where the family have run various businesses for decades. With a record this rooted in community, who better to rep the Southern soul set than the Caldwells?

Review: Freestyle Records reissues The Apples Kings a full decade and a half after its first release. This version has been fully remastered and re-cut for an even more dynamic sound to remind why the landmark album was so special. It was a first for the band who crafted it with specific collaborators in mind and worked with funk legend Fred Wesley and Israeli world music icon Shlomo Bar In fusing elements of The JB's funky foundations, soul, dub, and Middle Eastern influences, they cooked up a genre-defying mix filtered through The Apples' unique decks-horns-bass-drums lineup. These unmistakable, floor-shaking grooves are just as potent today as they were in 2010.

Review: Blue Foundation returns with another lush and immersive album that deepens their signature blend of dream pop, shoegaze and ambient electronics. Crafted over three years by the much loved Danish duo Bo Rande and Tobias Wilner, Close to the Knife explores themes of melancholy and introspection through layered textures and haunting vocals from Wilner and Nina Larsen. Guest appearances from Scarlet Rae, Helena Gao, and Sonya Kitchell enrich its emotional depth, while contributions from Chinese experimental noise band Wang's Xie Yugang and drummer Federico Ughi add complexity to this shapeshifting soundtrack.

Review: The multi-talented Joe Armon-Jones is back in the game with his most ambitious and self-defined solo work yet. All The Quiet (Part II) is a colourful collision of jazz, funk, dub, hip-hop and soul that was entirely written, produced and mixed by the man himself. His work as part of Mercury Prize-winning Ezra Collective is what established Armon-Jones, but his evolution as a solo artist on his own label, Aquarii Records, has been just as essential. This follow-up to 2019's Turn To Clear View features collaborators like Greentea Peng, Yazmin Lacey, Hak Baker and Nubya Garcia and is a deeply personal sound that veers from expansive and cosmic to more intimate and tender.

Review: Thrumming with conceptual aplomb, jazz mastermind and Ezra Collective co-founder Joe Armon-Jones's new album All The Quiet is finally revealed to us. Residua of jazz, funk, dub, hip hop and soul abound on the second chapter of a two-part Aquarii Records release, which Jones founded. With guest features from the likes of Greentea Peng, Yazmin Lacey, Hak Baker and Oscar Jerome, the record complements Jones and Aquarii's stated mission to blend genres and cross stylistic streams, from atmospheric electronica to dub, while building and subverting tropes of apocalypse, prophecy and redemption.

Review: Jazz maestro and Ezra Collective founding member Joe Armon-Jones presents his most ambitious solo project to date, released on his own fledgling imprint Aquarii Records. After a six-year gap since his last solo album, Turn To Clear View, Armon-Jones has spent his time touring, building a studio, and collaborating with icons of UK jazz, including Liam Bailey, Fatima, Prince Fatty, and Mala over a string of politically-charged EPs. Now All The Quiet promises an august jazz opera in two parts, and so coming complete with an interval, crossing twixt jazz, funk, dub, hip hop, and soul, the album is entirely written, produced, and mixed by Armon-Jones himself, and manifests as the first of a two-part album, featuring guests Nubya Garcia, Oscar Jerome, and Goya Gumbani.

Review: The talented Joe Armon-Jones has been at the centre of some of London's most exciting musical developments in the jazz world in recent years, not least as co-founder of the mighty Ezra Collective. He is a prolific creator, keyboardist, singer and producer who draws on dub, pop, hip-hop and electronica to foment his own style and once again that shines through with this, the first part of his new album on his own Aquarii Records. It is full of standouts like the Afro-leaning drums and summery melodies of 'Kingfisher (feat. Asheber)' with life-affirming lyrics. 'Show Me' has a darker downtempo energy with crashing hits and drums and 'Hurry Up & Wait' ends on a tender note with introspective keys and feathery drums.

Review: Arp Frique & The Perpetual Singers come together for this most personal gospel funk album which was inspired by the birth of Frique's daughter, Jesamy. It finds the Amsterdam-based multi-instrumentalist mixing up organic funk with obscure synths, bubbly basslines that are always on the move with swirling guitars that add the colour and all make for an unusual and interesting mix of P-funk and gospel-disco. There are plenty of universal messages throughout which all emphasise the need for unconditional love while legendary vocalists like Dennis Bovell, Muriel Blijd, Mariseya, Brandon Delagraentiss and Rocq-E Harrell contribute to the powerful sound. Delagraentiss's choir, The Gospel Experience, also do their bit by adding big, rich, heartfelt vocals. It's quite the listen.

Review: Campania-based combo Asakaira has delivered a genuinely brilliant debut album here. Rooted in improvisation and the collective's combined love of jazz, Afrobeat, jazz-funk, hip-hop and the Afro-cosmic sounds that have long been a staple of Italy's underground music culture, the album's six original tracks (the seventh is an alternate 'Night' take on the jaunty, energetic and percussive 'Skijii') bristle with imagination and inventiveness. For proof, check the tropical disco delights of 'Night Tales', the head-nodding hip-hop-jazz of 'Chatting With You' and the dubby jazz-not-jazz shuffle of 'Moon Phases', a track that just intensifies and gets bigger as it progresses.

Review: It has been a full half a century since legendary Brazilian outfit Azymuth made their debut and their new album, Marca Passo, reaffirms their place as legends of jazz-funk. It was recorded in Rio and produced by Daniel Maunick and is the group's first album since drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti's passing, with bassist Alex Malheiros now the sole founding member. He's joined by Kiko Continentino and new drummer Renato Massa to continue Azymuth's tradition of blending samba soul, funk and cosmic jazz. Highlights include a tribute to Conti, 'Samba Pro Mamao,' and a refreshed take on 'Last Summer In Rio.' The album is a vital, heartfelt continuation of Azymuth's enduring legacy.

Review: Tonal treasures and "three-man orchestra" Azymuth mark fifty years of service to the progosphere with Marca Passo, largely a conduit through which to reflect on the of loss of their founding drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti in 2023. Now with only bassist Alex Malheiros as the last surviving original member, and joined by longtime keyboardist Kiko Continentino and new drummer Renato Massa, the new record deepens Azymuth's signature blend of samba, jazz-funk and 70s MPB studio textures. A rework of 'Last Summer In Rio' is an especial great, as it brings in Incognito's Bluey as a nod to Bertrami, while 'Samba Pro Mamao' honours Conti.

Review: Released 50 years after their self-titled debut, Azymuth's Marca Passo feels less like a comeback and more like a confident continuation, with the legendary Brazilian outfit carrying its past into the present with all the same vigour that marked their winding career. The formula remains intact: Brazilian jazz-funk, dreamy synths, and loose but locked-in rhythm. There's something moving in how naturally the trio i with Alex Malheiros still at the helm i navigates loss, memory and legacy without turning sentimental. 'Samba Pro Mamao' is a tender nod to Ivan Conti, but the record never lingers in nostalgia. Daniel Maunick's production keeps things warm and fluid, and there's joy in hearing Incognito's Bluey drop in on the rework of Last Summer in Rio. Not flashy or forced. Just a deep, grooving reminder that Azymuth's music still flows from somewhere timeless.

Review: At 88, Ebo Taylor, the legendary Ghanaian highlife and Afrobeat pioneer, made his U.S. debut at the Jazz Is Dead concert series, captivating audiences nationwide. This historic visit coincided with the recording of Ebo Taylor JID022, a groundbreaking psychedelic afrobeat album produced with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Younge expressed the significance of this collaboration, likening it to working with Fela Kuti, emphasising the dream of capturing Ebo's essence on analog tape. The album features swirling horns, gritty guitars and polyrhythmic percussion reminiscent of Taylor's seminal 1970s work, alongside spiritually rich backing vocals that evoke a sense of nostalgia. Ebo's heartfelt lyrics, exploring themes of love, peace and spirituality, resonate with nearly a century of wisdom. Tracks like 'Beye Bu, Beye Ba' and 'Kusi Na Sibo' impart life lessons on gratitude and divine provision, solidifying Ebo Taylor JID022 as an essential addition to his storied catalogue and a crown jewel for Jazz Is Dead. This release coincides with his eagerly anticipated tour across the Americas, showcasing the enduring legacy of a true musical icon.

Review: At 88, Ghanaian highlife and afrobeat legend Ebo Taylor made his first-ever journey to the US, performing in the Jazz Is Dead concert series. These shows, which sold out across the country, led to an unexpected and electrifying collaboration between Taylor, Adrian Younge, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The result is a psychedelic afrobeat album, recorded at Younge's Linear Labs studio, that's bound to thrill fans of both classic West African funk and afrobeat purists. The album channels the raw energy of Ebo's 70s recordings, with swirling horns, fuzzed-out guitars, and the unmistakable polyrhythmic percussion that made Taylor a revolutionary figure in African music. "Collaborating with Ebo Taylor is a bucket-list accomplishment," says Younge, likening the experience to working with another afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. The analog recording style, embracing the gritty textures of 70s Africa, gives this album an authenticity that's impossible to ignore. Tracks like 'Beye Bu, Beye Ba' and 'Kusi Na Sibo' exemplify Taylor's profound lyricism. His reflections on love, spirituality, and gratitude echo his decades-long career, while the ensemble of Ghanaian vocalists adds a spiritual depth that transports listeners back to his prime. Ebo's son, Henry Taylor, also features, proving himself a formidable talent in his own right. This album is not just a nod to the past but a crowning achievement in Taylor's enduring legacy. For connoisseurs of afrobeat, it's a standout moment in both Ebo's catalogue and the growing canon of the Jazz Is Dead series.