LISTEN: The Jazz/Hip Hop/Soul Sampling Magic of France's ProleteR

Toulouse, France's ProleteR, a self-described "swing-hop producer," has created something quite impressive with his latest release, the Feeding the Lions EP. Jazz, hip hop, soul, and, yes, swing, all melt together to brew something that sounds as if downtempo music became obsessed with decades old jazz and soul records. There's an understated cool and subtle grit sewn throughout the upbeat samples from those older generations, giving Feeding the Lions a classically modern, accomplished character that's undoubtedly debonair but quietly ready to get wild, as well (as the cover art above might suggest). Check out some jams below. It's all I've been listening to at work recently.





If you dug those, check out/pick up the entire Feeding the Lions EP below.

LISTEN: Indigo Jam Unit - "Pirates"

MP3: Indigo Jam Unit - "Pirates" (via last.fm)

Caught this 2008 gem while checking out a bike video and couldn't let it go thanks to its slinking bass line. This japanese quartet is the epitome of true jazz music: progressive, exciting, and cool. As shuffling rhythms party with unique-yet-united piano and bass parts, "Pirates" communicates much more vividly than any collection of words ever could -- the mark of great instrumental music.

Scope a music video for the track below.

LISTEN: Jose James - "It's All Over Your Body"

There've been few artists to truly do the R&B genre justice over the past decade, be they man or woman. Sure, we've had a number of great tracks along the way, but that blend of '80s/early-'90s R&B that was both emotional raw, smooth, and fresh seems harder to come by in this modern age. I'm talking about the kind of R&B that's instilled with a funk level of jazz, the kind that's dangerous to put on in the presence of others. Enter Brooklyn's Jose James, an overlooked star of the neo soul, R&B, and jazz worlds.

He recently released his fourth full-length album, No Beginning No End, his debut for the legendary Blue Note label. Hear a great cut from the record below entitled "It's All Over Your Body."

In Case You Missed It, Spin This New Hour-Long Flying Lotus Mix

It's Monday. Oh man, it's MONDAY. Well, we can all sit here and say, "Well might as well just hang my head down at a 45 degree angle all day, because, otherwise, Monday is just going to slap me in the face." Well, sure it's Monday, but you could escape for a little while, away from the walls of your cubicle, with experimental producer and DJ Flying Lotus' latest Lovers Melt mix. It's full of old school soul and spirit, and plays out like a trip to world where pain, love, and beauty all coexist like welcomed complements of one another. And maybe, once you learn you can download it for free direct from the source, you'll forget it's still Monday.

DOWNLOAD: Flying Lotus - Lovers Melt III (via Brainfeeder)

(Alt Link)

LISTEN: Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra

Whether you're in a great mood or you're trying to pick yourself up off the floor of melancholy, you can't go wrong with the funk of afrobeat. There's something inexplicably uplifting about afrobeat's soul. I definitely recommend checking out Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra's 2010 self-titled album. The Leeds 9-piece start with a foundation of afrobeat and add in elements of jazz, funk, as well as hints of reggae.

SEE & HEAR: Allen Stone - "Unaware"

I must have been wearing blinders for the past year, because just last night I came across a singer/songwriter by the name of Allen Stone that, for lack of a better term, blew me away. One look at Stone, and you've probably already guessed incorrectly as to what kind of music he creates. More than that, you've probably underestimated his voice. I'm writing this after only hearing one song, "Unaware," a jazzy-tinged cut of old school soul, so I can't speak to the rest of his catalog. I watched this live performance from his "Mother's Living Room," and felt so compelled to share it, especially for how explosive it becomes as he ushers in the final chorus. Stone's unassuming disposition and approach to soul naturally reveal the complexities of the genre, the inescapable power that grips our hearts with such unadulterated emotion. One look at Stone, and you can tell he's sharing things from within that no one could ever possibly know about.

REVIEW: Liz Janes - Say Goodbye

Liz Janes - Say Goodbye
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Saying Liz Janes is a bit of a chanteuse is like saying Ella Fitzgerald was a great singer. Like Fitzgerald, there’s a soothing serenity to Janes’ voice, one that’s capable of quieting anything with its gentle, angelic, honeyed tone. Surrounded by a yin-yang of spacey folk and jazz-inflected soul, cradled by a spacious amount of reverb, Janes’ voice soars with a comforting, reassuring strength.

It’s been five years since Liz Janes’ last release (the 2005’s collaboration with LA free-jazz collective Create (!) ) and nearly six years since Janes’ last solo album (2004’s Poison & Snakes). Say Goodbye, released this past December, moves away from the indie and folk rock tendencies of Poison & Snakes and the avant folk experimentalism of 2005’s Create (!) collaboration towards more jazz and pop-oriented material. It’s refreshing to hear an artist take risks with his or her sound and direction, and Janes is no exception – precisely why Say Goodbye sounds somewhat adventurous without ever really attempting to do so.

REVIEW: May McDonough - Spilt Milk

May McDonough - Spilt Milk
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In Spilt Milk, May McDonough has the type of voice and batch of songs that make heartbreak and pain sound like pleasurable things. McDonough sings with a seductive, hot heat hypnotism that's hard to ignore. She carries a certain emotional weight in her voice in much the same way blues singers do. Like a cross between Fiona Apple and Tom Waits, Spilt Milk is an album meant for hot summer nights and lazy Sunday afternoon relaxation, on a porch covered equally by sunlight and shadow. It's an album that can celebrate and mourn, all at once.

The songs here are all about slow-paced rhythms that provide the perfect backdrop for McDonough's voice. The album carries an unmistakable classic spirit that's reminiscent of old jazz singers from the '30s and '40s, which provides her with the opportunity to exercise and display her warm, soothing croon. On songs like the entrancing "Riverside" and the jazzy, 12/8-driven "Mama Drained the Bathtub," brass cries out in the night and shines bright recalling New Orleans jazz. These songs are indicative of the album's blues, jazz, ragtime, and soul roots. For good measure, McDonough also proves she's not a one-trick pony as she displays a knack for the psychedelic garage rock of the '60s on "Gone With the Snake".

LIVE REVIEW: Hyperactive Kid

The timing couldn't have been better. A cloudless Sunday afternoon, nowhere to be and no obligations to keep. A quick train ride out of the city proper to the sprawling Bois de Vincennes, home to ponds overflowing with lilies, sun-dappled paths, and a summer-long jazz festival. I had come to see Hyperactive Kid. I knew absolutely nothing about them, but was hooked by their name; more fitting for strung-out kids making music on Gameboys in a dorm room than three well-dressed young Germans, playing their heartfelt, unique brand of jazz to hundreds of retirees in a park outside of Paris.

The set-up is deceptively simple; drummer Christian Lillinger takes center stage, to his left stand saxophonist Philipp Gropper and seven-string guitarist Ronny Graupe. The first piece has no identifiable head section; instead it starts with an unassuming drum solo, building into a skittering, wavering crescendo of polyrhythmic frenzy. And when Gropper enters the mix, he doesn't match the drummer's speed nor his flailing energy; instead striking a counterpoint, moving through the harsh clatter like a dumb animal, long, gurgling notes that rarely stick to Lillinger's insane rhythms. He shifts from time to time into Ornette Coleman territory, almost melodic patterns that never quite resolve, never quite give you something to hold on to. Guitarist Graupe sometimes mirrors Gropper’s wailing, cacophonous melodies, the two parts intertwining, sometimes indistinguishable.

Yet it is Lillinger who steals the show. At first glance he is Greg Saunier, Deerhoof’s (jazz-trained) virtuoso, always on the edge of losing all control, yet doing so with pinpoint accuracy Then he is Inspector Gadget, pulling Purim groggers, bells, shakers out of thin air and incorporating them into his never ending study in the absurd. When he grabs a megaphone from behind his kit, running across the stage and creating rhythms with his breathing patterns, jaws start dropping. Arcade Fire theatrics for the sexagenarian crowd.

I left euphoric. I had come with no expectations, no point of reference. What I experienced was better than a great performance; it changed my idea of what jazz could be.

Hyperactive Kid's website: hyperactivekid.de
Hyperactive Kid's MySpace: www.myspace.com/hyperactivekid3

LISTEN: Graham Czach - "Windows" + "Lost In Life"

Graham Czach - "Windows"


"Windows" is tight and yet ever so fluid. It starts subtly enough, but eventually kicks into something incredibly powerful and uplifting. Czach cites Jeff Buckley as an influence, and it's certainly evident here -- especially when he hits those insanely high notes vocally. Czach works in tension and release and can deal quite a kick going effortlessly from the soft to the quick and loud. He's an incredibly skilled musician, but is also sensitive to how a gripping melody can be just as effective as an impressive guitar solo. The music is thoughtfully arranged without sacrificing or diminishing the emotion that motivates the notes to pour out of each instrument.

More after the hop.

Cilla K. and Her Alternative Soul

Cilla K., a French West Indian artist based in New York, is what I would best describe as an alternative soul/R & B artist, mixing elements of both genres along with jazz, electronica, modern pop, certain elements of '60s pop, and more. She cites artists from J Dilla to David Bowie as influences and does her best to create something eclectic. Her debut album, Fine Line, was released last month and showcases her mission to create a melting pot of genres. Of the album, she says, "At the beginning, I felt like this album had to be done a long time ago but I kept growing and I always felt like I should incorporate new qualities I had gained with time. Truth is, the timing couldn't be better because it is finally so representative of who I really am."

Fela Kuti's "Chop 'N Quench" Batch Reissued

Knitting Factory Records has reissued Fela Kuti's "Chop 'N Quench" albums, all remastered and re-released in digi-packs with the original artwork. The collection marks the earliest period of Kuti's Afrobeat work and features nine albums that span from 1969-1974. It was a pivotal era in Kuti's career as it was during this time that he created a sound that would come to be known as Afrobeat. Kuti's innovative style mixed funk, jazz, salsa, and calypso, with juju, highlife, and African percussive patterns. These early years also saw Kuti beginning to developed his political voice, as well, which later became an important theme in his music.

BUY: You can purchase all of the reissues right here.

Check out/download a cut from Fela Kuti's 1975 LP, Expensive Shit, below (technically the entire Side-A of the album).

You can also stream some songs from the reissues below:

In a different place, On a different front

Well. Let's get right down to business:

First Item, my radio silence (please, allow me an out of date figure of speech, you savvy bloggers you). Well, I'm in Costa Rica for the semester, and to be perfectly honest, finding the time to keep up on some of my more regular musical habitats and haunts is considerably harder. I'll take this time to offer a healthy damning to publishing contracts and licensing issues that prevent the use of Pandora and Lala outside of the US.

Second Item, above we have the latest release from Gerald Wilson, Detroit jazz-man extraordinaire. I would like to put forth a rather serious suggestion that you take advantage of the link listed below, in order to listen to "Before Motown". I don't know how many of you out there are spending your time with jazz, or modern jazz, but here is a throwback to big band swing, with a bebop groove that just turned my January upside down. Detroit itself is a strong album, featuring a number of lengthy cuts that keep the mind working, yet simultaneously pleased. Note: the oft-under-appreciated jazz violin solo on the album opener "Blues on Belle Isle".

"Before Motown"-Gerald Wilson Orchestra-from the album Detroit

Getting Down With Getting Started: Jamie Kent at The Gopher Hole

No matter the decade, the style, or the location, breaking onto the scene in the music world is a complicated and challenging task. The world of home studios and recording has expanded exponentially in the past decade, but so has the multitude of new material. The easier it becomes to put your music on the internet, the harder it is to set apart from the next myspace or regular website.

That's why I have every reason to be impressed with the perseverance and confidence in Jamie Kent, a long-time friend and new-to-the-scene singer/songwriter from Northampton, MA.


Jamie dropped in on Goucher College's Gopher Hole last Friday night (11/13/09) and took an hour or so to share his jazz/folk melodies and acoustic work. When we talked about what kind of artist he has been aspiring to become, we talked a lot about his performance as a whole and how much he as to offer to a crowd of willing-listeners.

As you can easily tell from the up and coming jamiekent.com, he's a playful guy whose mischievous and curious sense of humor is at work in a number of his songs. Jamie wants not only to capture his audiences with a particular melody or guitar noodle, but also to snag you in with his bright and multi-faceted personality. Speaking of an open mic he had played a few nights earlier, Jamie said that he had been complimented adamantly for "wearing his heart on his sleeve". This is something that Jamie tries to do. Even in being constantly playful and a bit of a joker, it shows when he sings that Jamie believes in his material. On "Isabella", we are treated to his unique ideas about what it would be like to be stuck in a cubicle and attempt to talk to the pretty girl in the cubicle next to him.

His comedy aside, Jamie pays unique attention to the dynamics of his vocals, which he admits have some heavy influences from the likes of Jamie Cullum, Peter Cincotti, and even the greats like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. In the midst of his simple, yet catchy arrangements, we are treated to his innovative tone and let-loose mentality in singing.

Last, but certainly not least, Jamie Kent knows a thing or two about music, having been a complete concert nut for most of his life. He is offering all of his music for free, including the newly stamped EP "The Collective" and the upcoming full-length album "Neoteny". Keep your eye on his progress through his blog and stay tuned for the announcement of his "Big Idea".