ADRIAN YOUNGE レコード& CD

Review: Arriving sometime after the passing of legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, and utilising some of the final recordings he made during his lifetime, the latest edition of Adrian Younge's Jazz Is Dead series is naturally tinged with melancholy. Yet Younge refuses to succumb to emotion, and instead uses Allen's impeccable grooves and polyrhythmic patterns as the basis of tracks that blend jazz, Afrobeat, Afro-funk and soul. There's a classic Fela Kuti feel to opener 'Ebun', where sax lines reminiscent of the Nigerian musical icon rise above a typically crunchy Allen groove, pots and pans percussion and ear-catching bass, while the flute-sporting 'Don't Believe The Dancers' adds a little more jazziness into its righteous blend of heavy Afrobeat horns, meandering solos and loose-limbed grooves. In other words, it's a spot-on tribute to a genuine musical legend.

Review: This is a posthumous tribute album to the late Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who was one of the pioneers of Afrobeat music and a longtime collaborator of Fela Kuti. The album features Allen's drumming mixed with new compositions by the American producer Adrian Younge, who is known for his work with artists like Ghostface Killah, Kendrick Lamar and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The pronouncement that "jazz is dead" is certainly a controversial one, but Younge's aim there is to equate Allen with the spirit of jazz as a whole. The jubilant warpery and tremolo-ing flutes of lead tracks like 'Ebun' should be enough to know: like the impenetrable durability of jazz, Allen will live on through his work.

Review: This is a posthumous album by the Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, one of the pioneers of Afrobeat music and a longtime collaborator with the genre's founder, and activist, Fela Kuti. The album features Allen's last recordings before his death in 2020 - which were in turn produced by the American composer, lawyer and producer Adrian Younge, otherwise known for his most prominent work with rappers Ghostface Killah, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Z. Guided by Younge's chops on production, the album hears Allen's trademark stark, cacophonous funky-drummed rapture, amid a heavenly collision of keyboard janks and offbeat shoulder-raising shrugs.

Review: Man of many talents Adrian Younge is something of a musical butterfly. To date, he's worked with an impressive roster of talents, including Ghostface Killah, The Delfonics and Souls of Mischief. Here, he gathers together the other members of Venice Dawn to lay down a follow-up to their acclaimed 2011 debut, Something About April. Like that album, Something About April II takes a widescreen, psychedelic approach to soul, mixing clear Rotary Connection and Harry Nilsson influences with fizzing, pleasingly loose funk instrumentation. Throw in occasional nods to easy listening and Sly Stone, as well as a heap of delicious modern soul vocals, and you have an evocative, heady musical brew that rewards repeat listens.

Review: The popular Jazz Is Dead series has put out a wealth of killer tunes headed up by Adrian Younge and now a bunch of them get revisited for this special remix album. It reads like a who's who of contemporary jazz players and opens with none other than broken beat maestro Kadi Tatham. His take on Marcos Valle's 'Gotta Love Again' is a real joy, while there are low fi beat delights from Pink Sifu, chopped up sounds from Cut Chemist and a gloriously sunny and upbeat version of Doug Carn's 'Windfall' by Natureboy Flako who produced Fatima's excellent last album.

Review: Adrian Younge and A Tribe Called Quest man Ali Shaheed Muhammad's recently released "Jazz Is Dead" album had the feel of a landmark set: a collection of inspired, all-star workouts that combined live, hip-hop style beats with the effervescent musicality of soundtrack jazz, soul, jazz-funk and Latin jazz. This speedy sequel flips the script, stripping back the guest list to a single guest collaborator: jazz-funk and fusion legend Roy Ayers. From start to finish, the set bristles with sweet female group vocals, mazy Vibraphone solos, ultra-warm electric piano, hybrid hip-hop/jazz-funk beats, and Ayers' effortless musical positivity. While nowhere near as eclectic as its predecessor, "Jazz Is 2" is arguably an even more coherent and enjoyable album - and that's saying something.