Don Was has spent a lifetime in music. Was’s production and bass-playing can be heard on recordings from artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Ziggy Marley, The Rolling Stones, and his own band Was (Not Was). In his current role as the the President of Blue Note Records, Was is charged with developing current roster of […]
Hit songwriter (Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd, Céline Dion) turned peaceful pianist Stephan Moccio shares six of his biggest musical influences from the worlds of pop, jazz, and classical music. Stephan Moccio’s new album Tales Of Solace is out now to stream, download, or own The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky I am going to say the […]
Move over, yoga and mindfulness apps. In Modes of Communication: Letters From The Underworlds, Nduduzo Makhathini takes meditation to a new level with his masterclass on spirituality and modern jazz. Hailed as the “Sonic Shaman”, the prolific pianist and healer creates music imbued with buoyancy and lush storytelling rooted in Zulu rituals and traditions. There […]
“The most beautiful sound next to silence”, was ECM Records’ slogan in the 1970s – one ringing even truer now, when we’re blasted not just by the jangle of disposable music, but the shriek of mobile phones. The LP covers backed up the motto with misty landscapes and abstract paintings, and then, when you gently […]
Melbourne pianist and composer Luke Howard is one of ZoneOut’s OG crew. The headline artist at 2019’s ZoneOut Festival in Sydney, Luke’s draws on both the free flowing improvisation of jazz and the structured motivic development of contemporary classical. It’s these two opposing forces – the Yin and the Yang – that fuel the unstable […]
Ambrose Akinmusire is ‘one of the most acclaimed jazz artists of his generation’. We discuss his new album ‘on the tender spot of every calloused moment’.
Derrick Hodge is an all-star all-rounder. A bass player, band-leader, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist so versatile that any attempt to categorise him is rendered futile. In addition to Grammy-winning collaborations with Robert Glasper, Terence Blanchard, and Common, Hodge has worked on film scores for Spike Lee and brought his subversive concepts to orchestras in Atlanta, […]
Chad Lawson’s curriculum vitae is so impressive that it would be futile to convey all the ins and outs here. From film scoring, jazz performance and now neo-classical, he’s covered it all. He could be forgiven for reflecting about the diversity of his compositions with a sense of ambiguity, but it became clear over the […]
GoGo Penguin are an instrumental trio from Manchester, England comprised of Chris Illingworth (piano), Rob Turner (drums) and Nick Blacka (bass). Fusing jazz, classical and electronic influences with a thirst for innovation, the trio have enjoyed success and rave reviews matched by few other contemporary instrumental groups. Channeling the golden age of electronica GoGo Penguin […]
