JULIEN CHANG | SNARKY PUPPY | ROBERTO FONSECA | DAYMÉ AROCENA | KEVIN HAYS & LIONEL LOUEKE

Hello again friends, freaks and fans of future jazz music of the kind that doesn’t get spooked by silly superstitions.

Have I got some bangers for you this Friday the 13th!

In Serbia, apparently it’s bad luck to compliment a baby; instead, you’re supposed to say it’s ugly. Leaving aside the sheer fucking weirdness of that, the (decidedly gorgeous) baby we’ll be focussing on this week is US University student, Julien Chang. His track, Of the Past, treats us to a dose of nostalgia that belies his years and also provides our is our Charm Offensive choice.

Smashing their way in like a spooky old mirror is veteran jazz experimentalists Snarky Puppy, whose decidedly dark Embossed provides not only a critical reflection on our times but also your Military Coup.

Roberto Fonseca’s Aggua is our Peaceful Protest choice this week. And despite a putting up a feisty Cuban/jazz tune, Fonseca is one of the few people who might be wishing he’d put an umbrella up indoors (just watch the video).

Springing back into life like a black cat who’s just gagging to strut across your path, Fonseca’s compatriot, Daymé Arocena brings the Guerrilla Warfare. I dare you to try not singing the hook to Para El Amor: Cantar! after you hear it. It’s loaded with musical black magic of the most magnificent kind.

And finally, a track which may have passed you by like a boat carrying bananas (where do they get this shit from!?) the first time around, Aziza by Kevin Hays and Lionel Loueke makes up our Quiet Riot. The Benin-based guitarist and US jazz pianist provide some carefree cool to see you through to the relative calm of Saturday 14^th.

And so, if any of those sound like a penny you fancy picking up, by all means, hear more here…

JULIEN CHANG: OF THE PAST
SNARKY PUPPY: EMBOSSED
ROBERTO FONSECA: AGGUA
DAYMÉ AROCENA: PARA EL AMOR: CANTAR!
KEVIN HAYS & LIONEL LOUEKE: AZIZA

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –