Yesterday we unveiled Nextbop's Best Jazz Albums of 2019, which was compiled by our staff as a whole. Today, we continue our Season of Lists with Editor-in-Chief Anthony Dean-Harris' Favorite Jazz Albums of 2019.There's something kind of lovely about the lack of one major cohesive idea present in the genre of jazz at the moment. The idea of what the music can be is larger … [Read more...]
Stream Antoine Berjeaut’s ‘Moving Cities’ Album Featuring Makaya McCraven and Junius Paul
Trumpeter and producer Antoine Berjeaut hails from the Paris Superior Conservatory of Jazz Music. He leads the group Wasteland featuring Mike Ladd, and is an active member of the Surnatural Orchestra, Aloe Blacc’s band, and Julien Lourau’s Groove Retrievers, among others. A laureate of the French American Jazz Exchange in 2018, Berjeaut hooked up with jazz juggernaut Makaya McC … [Read more...]
Stream Bassist Junius Paul’s “Asé” Off His Upcoming Debut Album on International Anthem, ‘Ism’
Bassist Junius Paul has been a secret weapon for a while now. Folks who know the Chicago-based musician -- your Makaya McCravens, your Corey Wilkes, your Greg Speros, your Art Ensemble of freaking Chicago -- they know this dude is the dude. He can get down with the best of them and he always does so while wearing the snazziest pair of tights. So to hear that he's about to … [Read more...]
Watch the Video for Trumpeter Marquis Hill’s “To You I Promise” from New Album ‘Love Tape’
Enlightened trumpeter and winner of the 2014 Monk Competition (or rather the newly-minted Hancock Competition) Marquis Hill is returning October 11th with a new album entitled Love Tape via the Black Unlimited Music Group label.Following along the lines of his 2017 EP Meditation Tape, Hill tackles the theme of love, more specifically self-love, with music inspired by a … [Read more...]
Makaya McCraven – ‘Universal Beings’ (Album Review)
We've been here before, in awe of the drumming, bandleading, and exploration of Makaya McCraven. His last full-length album, In the Moment was a well-curated collection of sounds that emerged instantaneously from a multitude of configurations at the top of their game and the illustration of a Chicago scene that is building more and more love. Many of McCraven's releases are … [Read more...]