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 … [Read more...]
Stream “Jagged Midnight”, the Second Single From Sun Speak’s ‘Moon Preach’ (Premiere)
The lead up to the new Sun Speak album, Moon Preach, continues with the release of the second single, "Jagged Midnight". It's a somber, chiller tune than previous single, "Mbira" (which actually precedes that banger on the album), but like one should expect from this group, it's all about the awesome slow builds. Check it out below and get ready for Moon Preach, October 25th on … [Read more...]
Stream Sun Speak’s “Mbira” from their October 25th Album ‘Moon Preach’ (Premiere)
There are few groups I have been a constant fan of more than the Chicago duo of guitarist Matt Gold and drummer Nate Friedman, otherwise known as Sun Speak. Album after album have been quiet and not-so-quiet bangers and they're keeping the consistency up with their next new album, Moon Preach featuring Dan Pierson on Wurlitzer and analog synthesizer, out October 25th on Flood … [Read more...]
Makaya McCraven Performs at the 2019 Montreal International Jazz Festival
Drummer Makaya McCraven is the only musician to receive Nextbop’s Album of the Year on two separate occasions, first in 2015 for his sophomore effort In the Moment then again in 2018 for the highly praised Universal Beings. An exploit made the more remarkable considering the honor has only been awarded a total of nine times since our 2009 launch. On June 30th, McCraven, amidst … [Read more...]