Few jazz artists have managed to straddle the world of hip hop, soul & jazz as well as Robert Glasper. A phenomenal piano player in his own right he has taken his skills from the acoustic jazz albums of “In My Element” to the more experimental “Double Booked” to this album with a host of guests like- Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Bilal, Lalah Hathaway, lupe Fiasco, Meshell Ndegeocello who bring powerful hip hop & soulful elements to accompany Glaspers playing which has always borrowed heavily on these styles. His Glasper Experiment tours feel like watching Herbie Hancock during his Thrust period and he has recently toured with Q Tip & Maxwell. The new album “Black Radio” hits stores Febuary 28th!
The resurgence of Mothers Favorite Child is upon us but not before its creator, Paris Toon, reintroduces himself and his “child” as only he can . . . through real, raw, MUSIC. The Paris Toon recording project, enigmatically titled, “Baptism by Fire,” is a portion of a life narrated by Mothers Favorite Child. MFC is and has always been a musical collective, whimsically constructed by intuition and nurtured by divine talent. This is a movement on a mission to expose truth in sounds and words. TRUTH – minor and major, raucous and romantic, soulful and…. spiritual.
The man behind the music is Paris Toon, producer, lyricist, composer and driving force of all that he engages in. Paris ritualistically defaults to his “gut” when the time comes to gather musicians and give birth to new songs. This is the method to his rarely observed madness. Since Mothers Favorite Child is a product of this method, it is only natural that its musicians and vocalists would be chosen to provide the soundtrack to the more deeply shaded thoughts of Paris Toon, the man. The music of the Paris Toon project revolves around the mother of all emotions, Love. As many individuals have experienced, love can fuel so many other emotions and sensations and it can also take many shapes, sometimes making it vulnerable to misinterpretation. Lust, mistrust, admiration, honesty, intensity . . . these are all stops along the way on this journey through a human soul. This is a true “Baptism by Fire”. Pick up the album HERE
Get his single “Brooklyn Baby” for FREE via AllAboutJazz.com now..
French HipHop/ Soul songstress Meemee Nelzy‘s long awaited follow up project “Kréyòl Seasoning” finally hit stores today! Meemee tells us all songs were cooked with a west indian spirit and with some spices from west indians beatmakers and friends. All of the Hip Hop, Soul, Caribbean rhythms influences are mixed in one project here. Hot collabs written by Meemee Nelzy, Ti Malo, Döry and the US rapper John Robinson. Support Independent muzik and pick up the album via her website HERE or via Bandcamp HERE. Bon appétit!
Multi-talented R&B Star Lalah Hathaway just released her long awaited new Album “Where It All Begins” TODAY which is, without any doubt her best work to date! Pick up a hard copy CD here via her website HERE or download it at ITunes stores now! itunes.com
Fresh Rotation is proud to present to you “AMAZED”, the long-awaited debut album by LyricL. Mixed by DazIkue (BB Boogie/Bugz In The Attic) LyricL promises, “a refreshing new outlook on spoken word hip hop,” a myriad of musical styles (Heidi Vogel, Kevin Mark Trail and DJ Spinna feature) and unapologetic originality. One of the UK’s leading female emcees, LyricL has appeared on stages worldwide from St Petersburg to Lisbon, and released singles in New Zealand, Austria, Japan and USA. Sought after by many producers for her lyrical ability and creativity within Hip Hop, Jazz, Afro, Broken Beat and Soulful House, her full length album is due to drop 24th October 2011..Check the preview mashup here !
Stockholm’s Oskar Skarp just released his new album via Baseline Music / Sony Music Entertainment. “Songs In The Tree Of Life” is based on musical experimentation and organic instruments mixed with early digital synthesizers and features a list of artists from USA, Brazil, Jamaica, Barbados, Senegal, Zambia and UK, including Stevie Wonder’s favorite soul singer Omar, and the legendary organist Bo Hansson (RIP ), who Oscar managed to get into the studio for the first time in over 25 years! The album also features some of Sweden’s most interesting musicians / artists like Christian Walz, Salem Al Fakir, Simone Moreno, Desmond Foster, Thomas Rusiak, Christian Falk and Goran Kajfes. Check out his track “Catch It” from the album featuring Omar Lyefook on vocals and bass, Goran Kajfes on trumpet, Rasmus Faber on keys and Don-E on drums, percussion and synthesizer : Buy it HERE
San Francisco’s Miguel Migs just released his new album this week “Outside the Skyline” via Om Records and no doubt an essential buy for your DJ boxes! This, his third album features his trade mark Soulful house sound with artists such as Lisa Shaw, Evelyn Champagne King, Aya and Meshell Ndegeocello along with production on other tracks that drop hints at his roots in Reggae, with smart drum rolls and heavy basslines. Other featured vocalists include Capelton and Freddie Mcgregor plus an appearance from dancehall legend Half Pint and Brazlian bossa nova artist Bebel Gilberto. Iv been waiting on something as nice as this for a good while and “Outside the Skyline” doesn’t disappoint! Buy it HERE and download the Evelyn Champagne King track HERE
2011 marks the release of Lalah Hathaway‘s sixth studio album, “Where It All Begins” due on (Stax/Concord) October 18th, lead by the single “If You Want To” (penned by Rahsaan Patterson, Jonathan Richmond and Terrence Lilly). The album sees Lalah effortlessly deliver her trademark sound as well as one which she views as her masterpiece – drawing closer to her Father’ s style and soul. Also included in the set is a remake of fan favorite, “I’m Coming Back.”, a richly intense, percussion heavy, mellow arrangement displaying her full vocal range and topped off with the addition of legendary jazz/R&B vocalist Rachelle Ferrell. “Where It All Begins” also features Grammy® Award-winning and nominated producers JR Hutson, (Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild) and Dre & Vidal (Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys). Pick up the lead single by signing up to her website here
There’s good reason why Tamika ‘Love’ Jones has been on constant rotation here, we just can’t get enough of her music! After spending years in the game crafting her trade with some of the biggest names in the Indie Soul business, she’s now about to release the follow up to her 2010 EP this coming November with a collection of killa cuts which are now in the final stages of mastering, and although the album is yet untitled i CAN tell you that you’re in for a real musical treat! Featured here is an unreleased cut she recorded as The Dojo alongside Wes Felton & Fatso which went defunct around a year ago. “Insanity” (Live at Omega) which opened this weeks Meltdown show can be found on a previous release titled B-digga Presents and suggest you go and check it out. Hold tight for the release date and look out for more of Washington DC’s Tamika Jones here throughout 2011!
Behind the scenes footage of Maimouna Youssef in the studio recording her new single “I Got A Man” produced by DJ Jazzy Jeff. The soulful ballad shows off Maimouna’s vocal control, range and ability to woo listeners with sheer talent and her amazing voice. The single was written by Maimouna and taken from her forthcoming album “The Blooming” released September 2011.. Download “I Got A Man” at www.mumufresh.com
Out of Atlanta GA, Groovproject is lead by drummer, music director, Donovan M. Henderson and backed by a list of talented musicians and vocalist. This rhythm & jazz project is throwback soul, nice sustained grooves with a gentle melody, lounge mood and sophisticated chords. Sunny and sultry vibes with a touch of contemporary jazz.
Previously, Groov has produced and released three independent jazz albums. His debut “Soul Jazzations” released 2006, his sophomore project, “The Life, The Loss, The Love” 2007, and “Electric Vibes” 2009. With his forth new albumdue to drop September 2011 the promotion for “Freedom” is now in full swing, and he’s just shared the first single from it titled “Moonlight”. Im a big fan of all things Atlanta GA and really excited about Groov’s new album, coupled with his talents and the musical company he keeps i know we’re in for a real treat … Check out the video and stay tuned for more details.. Shouts to DH & Twin
“She Is The Sea” is a new track taken from the new Anthony Joseph & Spasm Band album ‘Rubber Orchestras’, Released 10th September followed by his new poetry collection of the same title in October by Salt Publishing www.anthonyjoseph.co.uk
More music here from AJ&SB, grab the Free Download of “Money Satan”HERE
Released 1st August, An all new 11 track album from one of my favorite artist, Peven Everett. “Medicine Man” is just what the doctor ordered with featured vocals from Billie Jewell who also just released her own “Amuse Bouche” album (produced written arranged by Peven Everett). Pick up “Medicine Man”here .
The release date for the new Eric Roberson album is just around the corner, (start of November) and now available for pre-order at iTunes and Amazon now. “Mr Nice Guy” (his eighth album) features people like Hezekiah,Phonte,The Ones, and Jean Baylor (Zhane) plus a new version of the massive “Summertime Anthem” ft Chubb Rock. Check out the first official single from it HERE
The last time Washington US singer/songwriter Alison Carney released a project was in 2007. Four years later, she is inviting us all into a new musical world which was clearly years in the making. “AlisonWonderland”, her new project, is a hotpot of dope Electronic,HipHop,Soul,Pop,R&B and Electro, an introduction to the singer’s idea of HONEST music. There are sounds borrowed from some of the most respected producers around (Diplo, Benzi, J Dilla, and Flying Lotus to name a few) and new creations by some of her favorite homegrown phenoms (J.laine, T.FOX) Check it out, its FREE! Released 21 June 2011
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Ayah upcoming release“Back for More” project due out 12th July. check out the in-studio teaser of “Notorious”(the first single) and stay tuned for more tracks to be unleashed between now and the 12th!
Down To The Bone, one of the UK’s finest jazz groove bands, and one of the country’s most successful jazz exports to the US are about to release their new album “The Main Ingredients”, and their first ever release on Dome Records. Since the mid-Nineties producer-writer Stuart Wade and his band have been injecting fresh and funky grooves into the UK and US jazz groove scene. The new album – their ninth studio album – features guest vocals from ex-Incognito singer Imaani on three tracks, and bass player Julian Crampton. Their strongest release for several years, opening with a seven-minute masterpiece “Uptown Hustle”. Other highlights include “A Universal Vibe” and “Watch Me Fly”. Look out for the band playing UK and European dates during the summer and pick up the album on major download sites from end of June
Universal Republic Records is excited to announce the signing of Mayer Hawthorne. His full-length debut, “HOW DO YOU DO”, will hit shelves this fall, “A Long Time” is the first single lifted from the project. The singer’s voice instantly transports listeners back to the golden age of soul but with a slick modern kick. He’s got a refined, timeless style reminiscent of Smoky Robinson and Curtis Mayfield mixed with a forward-thinking sound.
The Ann Arbor, MI native released his self-produced independent debut on Stones Throw, A Strange Arrangement, in 2009. A limited-edition 7″ heart-shaped vinyl of the single “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”/“When I Say Goodbye” was pressed and –combined with the traditional digital single— exceeded sales of 50,000 copies while critics everywhere began embracing his unique flavor and flare. Mayer Hawthorne’s stellar debut was included in Entertainment Weekly’s “Best-Of” 2009 issue, and he was also chosen as one of Playboy’s breakout artists of 2009.
Now, anticipation continues to mount for “HOW DO YOU DO” as tastemakers, celebrities, and fans alike unanimously sing Hawthorne’s praises. Mayer Hawthorne hit the road this spring with Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae with a performance at Lollapalooza 2011 planned for August. His live show has already won the hearts of audiences everywhere including famed festivals such as, SXSW, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Austin City Limits, and more. With “HOW DO YOU DO” set for release, Hawthorne is about to give the 21st century some real soul Release Date TBC
A killer new Soul cut from Los Angeles based multi talented singer, songwriter, actress & producer Promise Marks. Her single "Chill With You" is one of three lifted from her upcoming album due later in 2012 via her Label, Wrong Door Records.
MUSIC HEADS UNITE: Mad-cool look at DJ Jazzy Jeff's record collection. True crate diggers will appreciate this with some great back stories.
