spiritual jazz Archives - Backseat Mafia

Album Review: Levitation Orchestra – ‘Sanctuary’: Another expansive, spiritual jazz epic from the London collective.

UK jazz collective Levitation Orchestra show that the creative possibilities of the large ensemble can endure. Lead by trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom who first brought this group of young, scene-busting players…

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Album Review: The Circling Sun –‘Orbits’: the spiritual jazz collective return refreshed and vital as ever.

The ever-orbiting Aotearoa/New Zealand based cosmic jazz big band The Circling Sun are clearly on a roll. After building a live reputation on the NZ scene for well over a…

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Album Review: Matters Unknown – ‘Silhouettes: A Dream Sphere Journal’ EP’: enriching nu-jazz, poignant and powerful.

Trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Enser is possibly best known as a key member of pioneering global beat collective Nubiyan Twist but away from that thriving collective he’s sculpting his own…

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Track: Rising UK jazzers MATTERS UNKNOWN preview new EP with the sweeping ‘I Am The Birds’.

Brass player, multi-instrumentalist and composer, Jonathan Enser’s most recent project MATTERS UNKNOWN highlights the irrepressible fluidity of contemporary UK Jazz. Well known as a key member of pioneering global beat…

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Album Review: Àbáse –‘Awakening’: Stunning spiritual jazz and beyond from the prolific producer/instrumentalist.

It doesn’t seem that long since Hungarian keyboarding producer whizz Szabolcs Bognár was premiering his ambitious Àbáse project with the extensive, celebratory ‘Laroyê’. Released at the end of 2021, it…

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Track/Video: Producer/composer Àbáse previews his re-energised new album ‘Awakening’ with the elevating afro-funk of ‘Menidaso (My Hope)’.

Hungarian keyboardist and producer Szabolcs Bognár aka Àbáse has been on the ‘one to watch’ list for a while now. A cornerstone in the Budapest nu-jazz/ afro-beat scene as a…

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Track/Video: Singular instrumentalist and song-writer Low Leaf announces new EP ‘Red Moon’ with the spectral jazz-blessed ‘Blue Nile’.

It’s a testament to creative energy that LA multi-instrumentalist Angelica-Marie Lopez has continued to evolve the Low Leaf project over a spell stretching back to 2011’s ‘Chrysalis’. Nothing has ever…

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Album Review: Oiro Pena – ‘Puna’ : An intense and essential take on spiritual jazz-tones.

You have to be paying close attention to pick up on the whispers and murmurings from the dynamic Finnish underground scene but when you catch the signals it’s usually something…

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Album Review : The Circling Sun – Spirits: The esteemed NZ jazz collective’s long-awaited debut more than delivers.

New Zealand spiritual jazz collective The Circling Sun have taken the long and winding road to releasing their first album ‘Spirits’ (available now on the ever-reliable Soundway Records). Drawn from…

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Track/Video: Esteemed NZ spiritual jazz collective The Circling Sun preview the refreshing ‘Kohan’ from their long-awaited debut album ‘Spirits’

Playing the long game, letting the sounds ferment, whatever way you look at it, New Zealand spiritual jazz collective The Circling Sun seem to prefer any long and winding road.…

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