Jazz has seen a mini-renaissance these past few years, posited by some knowledgeable critics as the result of its reemergence in popular media through the uptick in period pieces as they have recently seen more success in Hollywood.
Movies like the Coen Brother's brilliant comedy, 'Hail Ceaser', the thriller disguised as a music drama, 'Whiplash', and popular soundtracks of shows such as 'Boardwalk Empire' and even games like 2017's 'Cuphead' are key drivers of new listeners seeking the myriads of musical voices and cultural variety the genre has to offer.
I would also add that Jazz's flexibility as sample material for some of the best hip-hop beats, as well as its continued integration into various electronic and EDM sub-genres has also attracted new listeners.
Regardless of the reasons, Jazz, the classic sound that never went anywhere, is back and it's right here (artist - album links will direct you to the album on the Spoofy):
6. Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference (Young Turks)
Possibly the most recognized and celebrated composer, producer, and bandleader in Jazz today, Kamasi Washington is seen as the one carrying the torch, and for good reason.
A tenor saxophonist, Kamasi's vision in his composition is as multifaceted in its musical approach as he is in his cultural approach to a modern Jazz. Kamasi was the winner of the John Coltrane Music Competition at the age of 18, later joining UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicology where he would go on to play with artists as varied as Ryan Adams, Flying Lotus, Run the Jewels, Thundercat, and Kendrick Lamar.
His debut album, 'The Epic' was received with near universal acclaim and 'Harmony of Difference' is clrearly an extension of the soul inspired, spiritual Jazz where Kamasi makes his home.
This EP is a short 32 minute journey through some of the brightest and most nuanced of composition, every listen can find new layers to invest and lose yourself in. Personally, I think percussionist / drummer Tony Austin is one of the absolute highlights of the genre, though you can easily say that about all the musicians Kamasi surrounds himself with.
Immersive and spiritual.
5. Tigran Hamasyan - An Ancient Observer (Nonesuch)
Tigran Hamasyan is an Armenian Jazz Pianist whose compositions are often free form, free of accompaniment, evocative and emotional.
Known for often writing with modalities, scales and compositions common in Middle Eastern / Armenian folk music, Tigran is another Jazz composer who saw success at a young age, finishing his aptly named debut album 'World Passion' at 18 years of age and winning a slew of international awards through the years.
Speaking to the inspiration behind his recent release, Tigran says:
An Ancient Observer is presenting the observation of the world we live in now and the weight of our history we carry on our shoulders that is influencing us even if we don't realize it. This album is the observation of influences and experiences I had.
Meditative and peaceful.
4. Tomasz Stańko New York Quartet - December Avenue (ECM)
ECM is such a famous label in the Jazz scene that it has its own style of Jazz associate with it. Often creatively called 'ECM Jazz', the label and genre have approached composition as a way of creating music exemplifying the cool, calm atmosphere one often associates with hip jazz clubs in cinema.
This meditative, down-tempo approach has been closely tied with modern classical movement, putting a greater attention on the use of space and silence, giving the music an ethereal dream like fluidity.
Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stańko has a beautiful ear for ECM jazz. Tracks like 'Sound Space' and 'The Street of Crocodiles' remind me of rainy days and warm drinks, of cats curled up by the fire and being fully present.
Restrained and engaging.
3. The Necks - Unfold (Ideological Ocean)
An Jazz trio hailing from Australia, The Necks approach to Free Improvisational and Post-Minimal Jazz can be called nothing short of Avant-Garde.
The focus of 'Unfold' is part Jazz, part ambient in its efforts to carefully cultivate an atmosphere, a world to place the listener to properly experience this soundscape. Traversing though the album is, to me, akin to the layers of mountains reflected on the album's cover - it's a long journey, it's not an easy journey, you have to prepare appropriately, and you will be rewarded with gorgeous sights and experiences in kind.
The Necks are poets in their approach to Jazz, it would seem, mastering the craft only to break the rules and create something uniquely theirs.
Hypnotic and mysterious.
2. Vijay Iyer Sextet - Far From Over (ECM)
A Professor of the Arts at Harvard University in the United States, first generation Indian-American Vijay Iyer's journey to Jazz was a bit of a roundabout process. Obtaining degrees from Yale in Mathematics and Physics, Vijay pursed a doctorate in Physics at Berkeley before reassessing and turning his pursuits towards Music Congnition.
A jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and producer, Vijay's albums with his trio of Stephan Crump (bass) and Marcus Gilmore have won multiple Jazz album of the year accolades, and have had far reaching impacts even outside of the Jazz sphere.
'Far From Over' sees Vijay accompanied by Graham Haynes (cornet, flugelhorn, electronics), Mark Shim (tenor sax), Steve Lehman (alto sax), Stephan Crump (bass) and Tyshawn Sorey (drums) in his first sextet compositions and is exploratory Jazz Fusion of near boundless energy.
The album takes us through extraordinarily technical and complex polyrhythmic free jazz driven by virtuoso solo performances and spotlight swapping. This is an album that will come up when talking about the very best musicians showcasing their craft.
Energetic and virtuosic.
1. Angles 9 - Disappeared Behind the Sun (Clean Feed Records)
Easily the most experimental release on this list, Angles 9 is a Swedish nonet led by Saxophonist, Martin Kuchen. The groups' goal is to tackle sociopolitical disenfranchisement, indicated on 'Disappeared Behind the Sun' by the title of the album.
The title is an expression given to people who are taken away and put into solitary confinement, with its relatives knowing anything about the prisoners whereabouts. That’s what is happening usually in the Middle East, from Egypt to occupied Palestine.
The complex narratives and emotion laced expression challenges listeners, with songs often slipping in and out of movements, seeing melodies challenged dissonately or isometrically, and having movements raised from nonsensical playfulness just as often as the dissipate from the same.
'Disappeared Behind the Sun' may not be a Jazz record for purists, but maybe it's also exactly the record they would find most fascinating.
Bombastic and shifting.
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