ZARA McFARLANE | ARMAND HAMMER + KEIYAA | AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE | JOSHUA REDMAN + BRAD MEHLDAU + BRIAN BLADE + CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE | MODERN NATURE

Hello again friends, freaks and fans of Future Jazz.

In the week that football ‘came home’ while hundreds of thousands of fans across the country stayed in theirs, 45 RPM brings you five tracks that are certain to get you out of your seat… whether that’s a comfy sofa in your living room or one of those hard plastic-y ones you get at shite grounds like Goodison Park.

Kicking things off with a hell of a lot more excitement than Sheffield United and Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw is East London singer, Zara McFarlane. Her new single Future Echoes features the exceptional production talents of Wu-Lu and Kwake Bass and, as a result, is an arresting combination of electronica, jazz and soul. That’s your Charm Offensive choice.

On track two we get involved in the dark arts and no, I’m not talking about David Luiz’s ‘extended cuddle’ with Riyad Mahrez in the penalty area; I’m referring to rap duo Armand Hammer’s track Charms which pairs woozy jazz-inflected hip-hop with musings on the nature of survival. So that’s your Military Coup.

 Providing a moment of pause, much like the players who all took a knee before last night’s kick-offs, is Ambrose Akinmusire. His track Hooded Procession (Read the Names Aloud) is the latest in a series of pieces released by the Oakland trumpeter as a dedication to the fallen. That’s your Peaceful Protest.

Bringing us back to earth with all the flabbergasting thuddery of a disallowed goal that had the keeper in the Hoult End is the NYC jazz supergroup of Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade and Christian McBride. Their track Right Back Round Again is a breathless, brilliant return to form for the fearsome foursome and it’s also your Guerrilla Warfare selection.

And finally, landing a knock-out blow even more powerful than Ederson is London collective Modern Nature. Their track Flourish is three minutes and 44 seconds of pure pastoral bliss. And that’s why it’s your Quiet Riot this week.

And so, my friends, if any of that got your fake crowd cheering loudly, please…

HERE MORE HERE

ZARA MCFARLANE: FUTURE ECHOES
ARMAND HAMMER: CHARMS
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE: HOODED PROCESSION
JOSHUA REDMAN + BRAD MEHLDAU + BRIAN BLADE + CHRISTIAN McBRIDE: RIGHT BACK ROUND AGAIN
MODERN NATURE: FLOURISH

You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the Future Jazz 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.

Until next time, love and noise.

– SV –