July 2nd was a busy albeit fulfilling evening at the 2019 Montreal International Jazz Festival, beginning with a BIGYUKI and Nate Smith + KINFOLK double-bill at the Monument National and extending to the Gesù for Butcher Brown's late-night set without the slightest opportunity for us to catch our breath in between. But this is exactly the kind of nights we've come to expect … [Read more...]
Stream Jesse Fischer’s “Inflection Point” Featuring Marcus Strickland and Nate Smith Off His New ‘Cross Currents’ EP (Premiere)
We’ve been following Brooklyn-based keyboardist and producer Jesse Fischer’s career for quite some time now. His last recording, 2018’s Flipped II, was even dubbed “easily one of the best albums of the year” by our very own Daniel Palmer. Fischer has a knack for delivering ever so satisfying masterstrokes, skilfully textured and intricately layered, merging jazz grooves with a b … [Read more...]
Our Top Picks at the 2019 Montreal International Jazz Festival
The Montreal International Jazz Festival kicks off its 40th edition this week, starting June 26th, with a line-up sure to delight the most diverse of musical tastes. Often jazz festivals can be criticized for not showcasing enough jazz per se, but this year’s Montreal edition is particularly fruitful and ripe with a great selection of actual jazz artists. We’ve highlighted a few … [Read more...]
José James Returns September 28 With Bill Withers Tribute ‘Lean On Me’
Vocalist José James is back with a new album on September 28th entitled Lean On Me, a heartfelt and honest twelve song tribute to the legendary Bill Withers in honor of his 80th birthday year. What began as a touring project in 2017 evolved into a full-length release produced by Blue Note president Don Was and recorded in Capitol's legendary Studio B with a dream team band: … [Read more...]
Brian Kiwanuka’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2017
It may seem a bit odd that a year-end list on a jazz publication only includes seven albums. As always, there has been a good amount of quality jazz releases this year. However, some of these records captivated me so much that I ended up devoting an obscene amount of time to them. Highlights include how Gerald Clayton returned and somehow matched the high quality of his last … [Read more...]