Tuesday we unveiled Nextbop's Best Jazz Albums of 2019, which was compiled by our staff as a whole. Yesterday, we published Editor-in-Chief Anthony Dean-Harris' Favorite Jazz Albums of 2019. Today, we continue our Season of Lists with Staff Writer Brian Kiwanuka's Favorite Jazz Albums of 2019. 10. Brandee Younger - Soul Awakening (Self Release) The harp is a spellbinding … [Read more...]
James Brandon Lewis – ‘An UnRuly Manifesto’ (Album Review)
Each James Brandon Lewis album feels like an examination. There's some idea he has stumbled across and the tenor saxophonist and his team are going to comb over every detail until they get down to the bottom of things. This has given his music a cerebral edge that can be a bit intimidating, but equally rewarding. For his latest release, An UnRuly Manifesto, that same risk and … [Read more...]
Anteloper (Jaimie Branch & Jason Nazary) – “Ohoneotree Suite” (Stream)
Trumpeter Jaimie Branch, who wowed the masses with last year's Fly or Die, is a frequent collaborator with drummer Jason Nazary (of Bear in Heaven, Little Women, Helado Negro). Together, with the addition of synthesizers into their sound, the pair are Anteloper, exploring psychedelic directions and feeling quite free. They're set to release their album (or, er, cassette), Kudu, … [Read more...]
Jaimie Branch – ‘Fly or Die’
Although Jaimie Branch has been playing music for a while now, having been part of the Chicago jazz scene before her recent move to Brooklyn, Fly or Die is her debut as a bandleader. The trumpeter's band is made up of Jason Ajemian (bass), Chad Taylor (drums) and notably cellist Tomeka Reid, whose quartet had a standout release in 2015. The main quartet is occasionally joined … [Read more...]