Jazz Is Dead レコード& CD

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.

Review: Over the last 12 months, Adrian Younge and A Tribe Called Quest member Ali Shaheed Muhammad have been inviting some legendary musicians to swing by the former's Los Angeles studio to make fresh tracks with vintage equipment. The results are detailed on "Jazz Is Dead", a superb album that combines elements of dusty soundtrack jazz, soul, jazz-funk, Latin jazz and head-nodding live beats influenced by the duo's hip-hop roots. Highlights include the atmospheric, slow-motion warmth of Roy Ayers collaboration "Hey Lover", the floor-rocking fusion heaviness of epic Azymuth hook-up "Apocaliptico", the languid sweetness of 'Down Deep" (featuring Doug Carn) and the samba-soaked sunshine that is Marcos Valle composition "Nao Saia Da Praca".

Review: Adrian Younge's new album is undoubtedly his most powerful yet. He says it "dissects the chemistry behind blind racism, using music as the medium to restore dignity and self-worth to my people." It is an unapologetic critique of the current systems that suppress people of colour and the malevolent psychology that taps into that. Musically, this is a deeply soulful record with elaborate orchestration and some top level guests. Next to the album, Younge has also made a short film (TAN) and 4-part podcast (invisible Blackness) on the same subject that make for vital listening.

Review: It can't ever be overstated what Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison did in founding Tribe as a community enterprise and record label in Detroit in the 70s. The musical legacy speaks for itself and both players continue to inspire and uplift their communities while evolving as ever-inspired musicians. The Jazz Is Dead series has been invaluable in bringing some true greats of jazz through to work with Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Adrian Younge on new compositions, and so it goes on this incendiary 16th volume - one for the new wave of jazz fans and old heads alike to get into.

Review: A remarkable feat in the world of jazz 're-collaboration', LA's Jazz Is Dead series focuses on putting younger and older jazz artists in the same studio, producing compilation albums of new and original music made between these fresh faces and old golds. For the 11th instalment of the series, former A Tribe Called Quest member and label founder Ali Shaheed Muhammad links up with composer Adrian Younge for an executively-produced slew of collaborations, with the likes of Lonnie Liston Smith, Tony Allen, Jean Carne and Katalyst in tow. And judging from the album's slick and knife-edge musicianship, we'll happily assert that Muhammad and Younge are the DJ Khaleds of jazz, fostering collabs we never could have dreamt of.

Review: LA's Jazz Is Dead series is brilliant and always has been. The aim is to put younger and older jazz artists in the same studio and get them to work on music that tapes into both respective backgrounds, talents and perspectives. Adrian Younge is at the heart of it all and this 17th installment brings together cosmic jazz specialists Lonnie Liston Smith with Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Magic happens across a bunch of stylish new cuts that bring traditional and contemporary sounds together in innovative new ways. This is yet another crucial installment.

Review: The much loved and always essential Jazz Is Dead series hits instalment number eight here. The project was only conceived in 2020 by musicians and producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad and aims to work with jazz legends on new material. This time it is Gil-Scott Heron's famous partner Brain Jackson in the spotlight. There are plenty of languid grooves that float on airy drumming with acoustic piano and electric bass also weaved in. Afro-Cuban flavours colour closeR 'Ethiopian Sunshower,' which is the most sedate of the lot.

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.