| Jazz |
It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from these two excellent artists, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad. They are back with this 21st album, which revolves around Brazilian music, among other things, adding their sounds that take us back to the 70s, a journey through the funky sounds of Ghana to psychedelic soul and samba from Brazil. Jazz Is Dead offers new analog recordings of living legends such as Ebo Taylor, Hyldon, Dom Salvador, Antonio Carlos e Jocafi, Carlos Dafé, Joyce, and Tutty Moreno, as well as an unreleased album by The Midnight Hour: *Lost Tapes*.
Of course, we can’t be familiar with all these musicians, all of whom have remarkable careers, so this is also a way to discover these artists. For Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, collaborating with musical icons and personal heroes is a dream come true. As Younge points out, “With Series 1, we laid the sonic foundation for the Jazz Is Dead label. It’s that experimental jazz/funk we were always looking for when digging through records. With Series 2, we deepened that approach, spending more time on our ideas and the nuances of our sound. But with Series 3, we’ve reached a new level we never thought we could with these legends. The tears, the laughter, and the disbelief at what we’ve accomplished are astounding. For some of these artists, these albums can be considered some of their best recordings to date, proving they still have much to say.”
What mainly draws me to this album is the blend of Brazilian sounds with the psych-funk effects of Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The result is guaranteed and adds an otherworldly quality to this album, which you journey through with a smile on your face. I can still picture myself in the 70s, adding a Wah Wah pedal to my electric bass. Searching for effects in all directions, some sounds here remind me of that experimental period for me, except here we touch on subliminal excellence, with the intentions of the two main protagonists of this album deepening the texts. Once again, we find ourselves in an incomparable work, mastered solely by Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, due to their experience as musicians and producers. They have quickly developed a musical identity for their label.
Essentially, *Jazz Is Dead 021* is a selection of unreleased tracks from Jazz Is Dead’s Series 3 and more. It will be a very limited release. Once the first pressing of 1,000 black vinyls and 1,000 colored vinyls is sold out, they will not be reissued. Expect international tours and other limited-edition memorabilia to accompany each individual release from Series 3. “We plan to honor all these masters while they can still enjoy it and to share all this vibrant music with fans for decades to come,” says co-founder Andrew Lojero.
We can only wonder if one day it will be impossible not to put an “Indispensable” label on Jazz Is Dead productions, because for now, it’s flawless!
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, October 3rd 2024
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