Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Oscar Jerome, Oscar Worldpeace and Franc Moody have got new music coming on the latest Blue Note Re:imagined compilation this year which is already getting us hella excited. Before we hear what is sure to be a contemporary great, we get treated to a couple of singles from it on this tidy 45 rpm. Jerome Oscar & Oscar Worldpeace go first with '(Why You So) Green With Envy' which fuses jazz styles for across the age with Worldpeace's tight and thoughtful bars. On the flip side is Franc Moody with 'Cristo Redentor' which balances jazz's traditional past with its freshest future.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Sizzling-hot hip-hop duo Blue Lab Beats are on everybody's lips now, thanks at least in part to the announcement of their latest full-length album, Blue Eclipse. Heralding an exciting new era for the duo, these 12 songs reveal the depth and breadth of producer NK-OK, and multi-instrumentalist Mr DM's musical ambition. Throwing back to their debut EP 'Blue Skies', which even pre-dates their involvement with record labels, Blue Eclipse signals a circling back to their origins while also embracing the new; the pair's usual jazztronica remit is lent the utmost contemporary spin, with notes of drill, neoclassical, trap and Jersey bounce - all still prevalent styles - peeking through in these latest productions.

Review: Sizzling-hot hip-hop duo Blue Lab Beats are on everybody's lips now, thanks at least in part to the announcement of their latest full-length album, Blue Eclipse. Heralding an exciting new era for the duo, these 12 songs reveal the depth and breadth of producer NK-OK, and multi-instrumentalist Mr DM's musical ambition. Throwing back to their debut EP 'Blue Skies', which even pre-dates their involvement with record labels, Blue Eclipse signals a circling back to their origins while also embracing the new; the pair's usual jazztronica remit is lent the utmost contemporary spin, with notes of drill, neoclassical, trap and Jersey bounce - all still prevalent styles - peeking through in these latest productions.

Review: It has only taken two albums for Chris Illingworth, Nick Blacka, and Rob Turner to land with an LP on the legendary Blue Note label, but they've done it, and they've done it in fine style. Moreover, it's also a bold move from Blue Note, who only usually steer away from pure jazz for the likes of Madlib and co, but in hindsight, the Gogo Penguin trio have what it takes to be remembered as fine producers of beat-driven free jazz. Mixing up elements of nu-soul, together with broken beat and classic jazz, the trio's music is wild and diverse, and fully representative of the label's vision and charisma. Also, it's exactly the sort of thing that Gilles Peterson is in to, so sit back, relax, and let Man Made Object take you away.

Review: As fast-rising underground stars in their own right, you'd expect any collaborative album from soul-fired South London singer/songwriter/beat-maker Tom Misch and prolific jazz drummer Yussef Dayes (best known for his now long-running collaboration with Kamaal Williams) to be rather good. "What Kinda Music" is, with the pair mixing and mangling elements of soul, jazz-funk, electronica and jazz, a set that defies easy categorisation. Both musicians exceed themselves throughout, with tipsy electronics, sweeping strings, bass, effects-laden guitars, woozy synth lines and Misch's heartfelt, soul-flecked vocals offering a perfect foil for Dayes' loose-limbed, headline-grabbing drumming.

Review: Meshell Ndegeocello's album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, is a powerful tribute to the renowned writer and activist, released on his centennial. This visionary work is a blend of musical genres, serving as both a musical experience and a platform for social change. Co-produced by Meshell and guitarist Chris Bruce, the album features collaborations with talented artists like Justin Hicks, Kenita Miller, and Abe Rounds. Additionally, spoken word performances by Staceyann Chin and Hilton Als add depth and meaning to the album. No More Water is a compelling and transformative listening experience that honors Baldwin's legacy and inspires reflection and action. A project that was nearly ten years in the making, all the ingredients are here to make this landmark release that is sure to go down in music history.

Review: "It's a little bit of all of me, my travels, my life," says Meshell Ndgeocello, speaking of her latest album The Omnichord Real Book. Referring to the 'first real book' she ever read - the experience of life after her father's passing - the album is a testament to free-flowing, lived sensoriality in time. An antistatic rip-roar through memory and decay in blue, this is a stunning two-sided jazz-esque album packed with features and far-flung stylisms. In the artist's words, the LP slippily rails against the confines of the word 'jazz' itself. And if you can pull that off, well...

Review: Pianist and composer Aaron Parks returns to Blue Note with Little Big III, the third album in a triptych backed by his own band Little Big. Once again, Little Big pack a microcosmic punch for a macrocosmic time, bringing concise, accessible songwriting and vibrant, empathetic playing to a powerfully modern, post-genre concept for improvised music in the 21st Century. From the serene navy blues of 'Delusions' to the flourishingly measured basement bar bravura of 'Ashe', this is a cracking blue jazz album, held together by Parks in fusion with the the unique talents of David Ginyard Jr., Jongkuk Kim and Greg Tuohey.

Review: Pianist and composer Aaron Parks made his first Blue Note appearance as a member of Terence Blanchard's band; an outfit akin to The Jazz Messengers in its cultivation of future jazz greats. After appearing on the trumpeter's albums Bounce, Flow, and A Tale of God's Will through the early 2000s, Parks made his own Blue Note debut in 2008 with Invisible Cinema, a striking album that has only grown in its influence across the modern jazz landscape since its release. The band - a quartet featuring the pianist with Mike Moreno on guitar, Matt Penman on bass, and Eric Harland on drums - travelled across new sonic and rhythmic frontiers on this set of Parks' evocative original compositions which were imbued with a cinematic drama and drew inspiration from the likes of Wayne Shorter, Radiohead, Bjork, Meshell Ndegeocello, and more. This first-time vinyl release includes two bonus tracks previously only available in Japan.