Brownswood レコード& CD

Review: At one with nature and evolution - while challenging reductionist ideas like survival of the fittest - the artist known as Davina Adeosun-Bright, aka. Muva Of Earth, here presents her latest album on Brownswood, Align With Nature's Intelligence. A spiritual jazz opus full of confidence, it instantly recalls the historic trace of Alice Coltrane, Lonnie Liston Smith or Pharoah Sanders, as we hear the Muva effortlessly command every instrument at her disposal - from harp to voice - while staking impassioned claims to her femininity, ancestry and empowerment. Sonically, it's implied that the only way to achieve an "evolved thinking" is through a return to source, and that's done using seemingly endless beds of twinkly jazz shimmer, which form the backbone for progressive double bass, vocal and drum-brushed wildouts.

Review: Gilles Peterson's dedication to unearthing new artists is second to none. He has long championed the next generation as much as he has carefully dug out delights from his vast vaults of jazz, world, soul and Latin music, both on his various radio shows but also his own label Brownswood. The Future Bubbler series is where he does that best and now it hits a seventh volume with eight more tracks from fresh creative talents who explore broken beat, nu jazz and plenty of in between styles in all in their own unique ways.

Review: Gilles Peterson and Incognito main man Jean-Paul Maunick (AKA Bluey) are the two artists behind the Str4ta project. It debuted last year with a superb full-length and now is already back with a seance on Gilles's Brownswood label. 'STR4TASFEAR' is a mix of songs, grooves and melodies from the Brit funk world that the two collaborators emerged from. It finds them working with some legends of the scene from neo-soul Godfather Omar to Emma-Jean Thackray, Brighton duo Anushka and Floridian trumpeter/vocalist Theo Croker. A superb collection of timeless sounds, then.

Review: Brownswood Recordings have become something of a meme, cementing their very distinct jazz sound with every new release. Str4ta's 'Str4tasfear' is the latest LP from the project (which consists of Gilles Peterson and Jean Paul Maunick), painting a vague party-jazz homage to the dawn of the Brit-funk era, but they're not being too succinct about any overarching message beyond that. The songs here are danceable, and that's their main focus. 'Lazy Days' is the drawer-inner - with Emma-Jean Thackray's singing lulling us into a state of preferring not to go to work - while 'Night Flight' opens the bay doors into an instrumental space lounge. All sizzlers.

Review: We Out Here, Brownswood Recordings' latest compilation, was born out of a desire by label boss Gilles Peterson to capture the essence of London's contemporary jazz scene. To ensure a sense of there "here and now", Peterson invited some of the city's brightest young bands and musicians into the studio in August 2017, recording the results over three action-packed days. The resulting never-heard-before tracks are, for the most part, joyous and thrilling, and range from trad jazz, jazz-funk and Latin jazz to acoustic-electronic fusions and groovy, guitar-laden downtempo explorations. It feels like a glimpse of a scene on the rise, and we wouldn't be surprised if many of those involved become modern British jazz greats in the years to come.

Review: Yussef Days is a masterful drummer who has invigorated contemporary jazz and broken beat scenes with several different and equally brilliant projects. The Yussef Dayes Experience Live At Joshua Tree Presented By Soulection is the latest and finds him anchoring music that is inspired by the world's most well-known nature reserve. It is a spiritually uplifting selection with the likes of Elijah Fox on keys and synth and features five tracks that will transport you to the blissful location in an instant.