MEITEI | BOOTSY COLLINS | PETE JOSEF | WILLIAM CHERNOFF | MIA WRAY | AESOP ROCK | TAKUYA KURODA | FOR THOSE I LOVE | SARATHY KORWAR | SAULT

Hello again friends, freaks and fans of Future Jazz.

In the week that the British government urged us all to download the track and trace app so that we might be warned we need to get a Covid test that most of us can’t get, 45 RPM returns with 10 infectious new jazz tracks you’d have to have lost more than just your sense of smell not to enjoy.

This week’s Future Jazz Offensive contains new music from Bootsy Collins, Sarathy Korwar, Aesop Rock, Sault and Takuya Kuroda.

We’ve also got some songs you might not have heard that feature Japanese folk, Irish spoken word and Canadian swing. Sounds like most people’s idea of a good night out, I reckon.

And so, my friends, if any of that gives you chills in all the best ways then, by all means, here more here: Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud.

***

RECONNAISANCE

– 00:00 –

MEITEI – OIRAN II

KITCHEN. LABEL
—
Hiroshima-born ambient producer, Meitei describes his music as studies in “lost Japanese moods”, blending modern sound techniques with local folk music. ‘Oiran II’ from the upcoming album ‘Kofū’ (out 27 Sept) is a perfect example, pairing old vocal recordings with hip-hop beats in a way that manages to evoke both J Dilla and more recent work by Mark de Clive Lowe.
–
If you like this try O Edo Nihonbashi by Mark de Clive Lowe.

– 03:58 –

BOOTSY COLLINS – THE POWER OF THE ONE

BOOTZILLA RECORDS
—
Whatever else you can accuse 70s funk bass god Bootsy Collins of, you cannot fault his never-ending commitment to simply being his most awesome, most Bootsiest self. New single ‘The Power of the One” is exactly what you’d expect it to be, which is a pure slice of supa-styled P-Funk flavours. And the upcoming album of the same name (out 23 Oct) promises guest appearances from fellow pioneers Béla Fleck, Victor Wooten, and Dr. Cornel West. So why would you want Boosty to change?
–
If you like this check out my review of N.U.T.S. by Ian Isiah.

– 08:45 –

PETE JOSEF – GIANTS

SONAR KOLLEKTIV
—
Some-time Manu Delago & Roni Size collaborator Pete Josef releases new album ‘I Rise with The Birds’ next month (16^th Oct) and lead-off single ‘Giants’ sets an ambitious tone. A mix of urgent horns and strings, tribal drums and vocals that provide a call to arms for modern-day heroes, it takes no prisoners, sonically or thematically. A powerful listen.
–
If you like this check out my review of Carry me Home by KOKOROKO.

– 14:37 –

WILLIAM CHERNOFF – NOMADS

SELF-RELEASED
—
Emerging from Vancouver’s jazz scene, bassist William Chernoff releases his debut record, ‘Aim to Stay’ on 2 October. On it, he pays homage to the people, places, and experiences that helped to shape him as a young man and musician. Single, ‘Nomads’ feels appropriately named as it wanders contentedly across the soundscape, all the while bedding itself in to make a comfy, cosy home wherever it finds itself.
–
If you like this check out my review of Route One by Chip Wickham.

– 20:49 –

MIA WRAY – WORK FOR ME

SELF-RELEASED
—
Songs like this make me miss live music. Can you imagine being in a jazz club, not knowing what to expect from Mia Wray and then the Aussie soul singer unleashes this vocal performance on you? It would have audiences eating out of her hands in three minutes flat. Debut single ‘Work for Me’ tantalizing hints at Wray’s big personality, even bigger talent and massive, massive potential.
–
If you like this check out my review of Freedom by The New Respects.

– 24:23 –

AESOP ROCK – THE GATES

RHYMESAYERS ENTERTAINMENT
—
A veteran he may be, but Aesop Rock is still teaching the hip-hop kids how it’s done, as is evidenced on new single ‘The Gates’. Lyrically, he’s on point (you’d expect nothing less) but this track is made special by it’s daemonically-playful harmonic instrumental shifts. A first solo LP in over four years, ‘Spirit World Field Guide’ is out on 13 November.
–
If you like this check out my review of Pig Feet by Terrace Martin.

– 28:09 –

TAKUYA KURODA – FLY MOON DIE SOON

FIRST WORD RECORDS
—
Takuya Kuroda’s new album, ‘Fly Moon Die Soon’ was finally released last week and the Japanese jazzman has outdone himself on the title track. Observe the way the track effortlessly kicks into a laid-back funk around the 1:20 mark, witness the trumpeter unleash his instrument a minute later and revel in the cool electronics that float throughout. Magic. Absolute magic.
–
If you like this check out my review of Like by Duval Timothy.

– 33:20 –

FOR THOSE I LOVE – I HAVE A LOVE

SEPTEMBER RECORDINGS
—
In 2018, multi-instrumentalist David Balfe’s long-time collaborator and fellow spoken word artist, Paul Curren committed suicide. His latest album is a reaction to his late friend’s death but also a celebration of his life. On his debut single under the For Those I Love moniker, Balfe has managed to conjure up a track that is at once devoted, defiant and also deliriously euphoric as he celebrates what once was.
–
If you like this check out my review of Linked by Bonobo.

– 38:34 –

SARATHY KORWAR – JUGGERNAUT

THE LEAF LABEL
—
Described as a close ‘blood relative’ of last year’s seminal full-length ‘More Arriving’ the irrepressible force of nature that is Sarathy Korwar released the ‘Otherland’ EP for Record Store Day this year. Featuring the brilliant Kushal Gaya from Melt Yourself Down, ‘Juggernaut’ has all the gravitas of Korwar’s recent releases without losing any of their grooviness.
–
If you like this check out my review of Zalina by Balkan Taksim.

– 46:08 –

SAULT – FEARLESS

FOREVER LIVING ORIGINALS
—
The enigmatic soul-funk collective known only as Sault continue to release album after album without the well of inspiration appearing to even hint at looking a little parched. Latest album ‘UNTITLED (Rise)’ features yet more stone-cold, Quincey Jones-style classics; none more so than the appropriately-named ‘Fearless’ where strings swoop and celestial voices beckon you to “Be yourself at all times; don’t be afraid of nothing and nobody.”
–
If you like this check out my review of Funk Ain’t Ova by Brooklyn Funk Essentials.

CEASE-FIRE

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 –