jazz
News: Kamasi Washington announces score to ‘Becoming’ film.
Kamasi Washington has announced that he has scored Becoming, director Nadia Hallgren and Higher Ground Productions’ documentary profiling First Lady Michelle Obama, which debuted on Netflix today, May 6. The score features new original music Washington—whom Hallgren asked to join the project very early in its development—composed for the film as well as selections from his catalog. Watch a trailer for the film In …
Track: Joshua Crumbly – For Victor
Taken from his forthcoming album Rise, it via Open Book Records on May 15th, is the new single from jazz fusion artist Joshua Crumbly. Called ‘For Victor’ its a homage to former Weather Report bassist Victor Bailey, his former mentor. For Victor is starts with these long languid melodic lines, under which for a start …
Album Review: The Soft Pink Truth – Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” This is a question posed by St. Paul in Romans 6:1 that begins an investigation into how we are to continue to exist in a world of sin, and it’s a question that Drew Daniel posed to himself during the creation of The Soft Pink …
See: Beauty Pill release new video for The Damnedest Thing
Washington D.C.’s Beauty Pill have just released a new video for the track ‘The Damnedest Thing’, taken from their forthcoming ‘Please Advise’ album, out on May 8th via Northern Spy Records. The “damnedest Thing’ is this bubbling cauldron of African and eastern sounds, with this incredible sort of quasi-jazz drumming through the verses, and these …
Meet: We interview Gogo Penguin’s Chris Illingworth ahead of their self-titled album release
Here at Backseat Mafia, we caught up (socially distancing of course!) with GoGo Penguin member, Pianist Chris Illingworth. Talking about their new self-titled album set to be released in June, how he is spending his time during lockdown aswell as delving further into any gigs and concerts they have planned and just a general catch …
Track: Oscar Jerome – Your Saint, plus album news
From the source that keeps providing, the South London nu-jazz scene, comes Oscar Jerome with his highly-anticipated debut album ‘Breathe Deep’ (release date July 10th 2020 via Caroline International). You might know Oscar from his work as guitarist with the spirited afrobeat collective KOKOROKO, another emerging force from the Trinity Laban/ Tomorrow’s Warriors jazz hothouses. …
Album Review: Cassowary – Cassowary
Following hot on the heels of the new Thundercat album ‘It is what it is’ it just in terms of timing but style as well (and quality as well, let’s get that out there), with a new name, Cassowary, aka 25 year old Miles Shannon. He’s got form though, from playing piano on Childhood friend …
Album Review: Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes – What Kinda Music
In these almost unprecedented times for UK jazz, two of its foremost protagonists – Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes, have joined forces to make ‘What Kinda music’ which is out today via Blue Note / Caroline Records, apparently having crossed paths firstly as children before hooking up around the time of Misch’s 2018 debut album …
Premiere: Éyal Hai – I miss
The Side Project main man Éyal Hai, has stepped out of that particular guise to release a solo single ‘I Miss’ , which we’re absolutely delighted to premiere here on Backseat Mafia. On the song, Éyal says “I first recorded the song as a voice memo on my iPhone, at 3 AM in my small Brooklyn apartment …
News: Charles Tolliver announces Gearbox Records deal and new album
Charles Tolliver is a master of all trades. The New York-based trumpeter, active since the 1960s, is a leading player, educator, big band leader, composer, and founder of the one of the greatest jazz labels of all time, Strata-East. In Summer 2020, he will be releasing his first studio album in 13 years via Gearbox …