Jazz Recommendations October 2015

Review: Already out in the ether since the summer, Kamasi's sprawling three-part jazz opus finally sees the light of vinyl day. Presented on heavyweight vinyl with his striking signature artwork, its delivery befits the album's rave reviews on its original arrival. Highlights, in case you haven't heard it yet, are the awe-inspiring switch from fusion to swing on "The Next Step" the album's overall sparing inclusion of vocal that make "The Rhythm Changes" really stand out and sparkle and the attention to detail on the narrative structure on reprise notes such as "Re Run Home". A must-have for any jazz/Brainfeeder fan.

Review: Classic jazz funk album from the legendary Johnny 'Hammond' Smith with a special version with six previously unissued bonus out-takes. Released in 1975 and his 32nd long player, it heralded a fresh chapter in his career that saw him exploring more electronic instrumentation and deeper shades of funk in a similar way to Roy Ayers or Bob James. The result was a timeless document that carries motifs of many of today's artists; the harmonies of "Can't We Smile?", for instance, smack of Plantlife while the punctuated piano work and mirrored squiggling synths on "Song For The Family" echoes with Flying Lotus-style whim. Also a key source of breaks for many junglists, Gears is a historic document that's not only played a strong role in electronic music but still sounds incredible today.

Review: A rampant contemporary jazz whirlwind of an album from Japanese trio Mouse On The Keys. While their signature two pianists / one drummer set-up is still the dominant driver of the compositions at play here, for their second full album they've been joined by an array of equally talent as torpedo horns, strident strings and brass contra bass all play consummate ingredients in this detail-drenched document. Working as a whole narrative, each track relates and refers with symmetry from the full-strength filterless smoke of opening track "I Shut My Eyes In Order To See" to the Octave Minds-style analogue chugger "Hilbert Dub" by way of the jaunty, filmatic flips and flurries of "Obsession". Immense.