Dr. Who Dat? (aka Jneiro Jarel) - Beyond 2morros (Lex 2009)

Dr. Who Dat? is the project by hip-hop artist, beatmaker, multi-instrumentalist Jneiro Jarel. He is also a core member of Shape Of Broad Minds. His music spreads from vintage Jazz, astro hip-hop to cosmic broken beats through time and space. 

The latest release Beyond 2morrow is dark, surreal music surrounded by futuristic sounds and flow of his own. Whether it is a straight-up hip-hop or abstract instrumental beats, the combination of samples and sounds that he delivers, the whole package of good vibes and styles will open up your eyes and ears everytime you listen. More projects coming in your way. 

Try it

Tracklist:

1 Lurk
2 Jaws Of Clover
3 Space Balls
4 Lace & Candy
5 Dr. 400,000,000
6 JJ-Tron
7 Bumpy Bump Face
8 Cosmic Congo
9 Nights Over Nantes / Brakes
10 Viberian Twilight Pt. 2
11 Beyond 2morrow
  Featuring Shape Of Broad Minds 
  Vocals - Velben 
12 Dark Moon / Cafe
13 Ghetto Dreaming
  Vocals - Capital Peoples

Jneiro Jarel on Myspace

Dr. Who Dat on Myspace

Dr. Who Dat on Lex Records

The Roots plays for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

It must be quite a change, but they are strong representatives from music community.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Episode 1 Clip on Youtube

Dorian Concept - When Planetx Explode, Kindred Spirits, 2009

The debut release from young talented beatmaker / electronica producer / hip-hop artist from Vienna, Austria, Oliver Thomas Johnson aka Dorian Concept. The music is full of beeps and blips, with beats, synth, keys, and effects. Reminds me of Four Tet, or Squarepusher. There are many Youtube video of him banging microKorg live. Personally, he is definitely the one producer to watch for 2009 and beyond.

Tracklist:
A1. Clap Beep Boom
A2. Freehanded Monkey
A3. Color Sexist
A4. Mesh Beam Splitter
A5. The Fucking Formula
B1. Fort Teen
B2. You Tiresome Thing
B3. When Planets Explode
B4. Het Marshmallow Secret
B5. Two Dimensional

Dorian Concept on Myspace

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United Future Organization - V, Exceptional Records, 2002

The 5th and last album from United Future Organization as a trio. In 2002, Toshio Matsuura sadly left to pursue solo career. Once again, the album was released by Cutting-Edge in Japan, and Exceptional Records in Europe. Great league of artists assembled to create simply beautiful Jazz, compared to their earlier releases, not much use of samples, breaks or electronic beats, but rather more live instruments, noticeably the acoustic elements are widely heard throughout the album. Though, they still manage to experiment with the fusion of electronica, Jazz and other eclectic styles of music to showcase their creative forces and, at the end, please our ears with surprises.

Tracklist:
1. Intro (0:54)

2. Esperanza (7:17)
Acoustic Guitar - Naohiko Higuchi
Written By - Raphael Sebbag, Tadashi Yabe, Toshio Matsuura

3. Everyday Routine (7:22)
Written By - Mitsukuni Murayama, Raphael Sebbag, Tadashi Yabe, Toshio Matsuura

4. No Problem (7:37)
Acoustic Bass, Bass [Piccolo] - Isao Suzuki
Percussion - Kosmas Kapitza
Piano - Robert Fonseca
Vocals, Lyrics By - Mark Murphy
Written By - Duke Jordan

5. Microcosmo (4:23)
Written By - Raphael Sebbag, Tadashi Yabe, Toshio Matsuura

6. World Thing (8:01)
Acoustic Bass - Neville Malcolm
Soprano Sax - Nathan Haines
Vocals - Valerie Etienne
Written By - Eric Hochberg, Rick Lazar

7. Lunar Enfant (7:20)
Written By - Mitsukuni Murayama, Raphael Sebbag, Tadashi Yabe, Toshio Matsuura

8. Por Do Sol (5:57)
Acoustic Guitar - Alex Malheiros
Vocals - Sabrina Malheiros
Written By - Mikio Endo, Mitsukuni Murayama, Raphael Sebbag, Tadashi Yabe, Toshio Matsuura

9. Listen Love (8:49)
Piano - Yosuke Yamashita
Vocals - Jeffery Smith
Written By - Jon Lucien

10. Transworld (6:24)
Written By - Mitsukuni Murayama, Raphael Sebbag, Tadashi Yabe, Toshio Matsuura

11. Suite Espagnole (7:30)
Written-By - Mitsukuni Murayama, Raphael Sebbag, Tadashi Yabe, Toshio Matsuura

UFO on Exceptional Records

Erik Truffaz - Paris, Blue Note 2008

The final destination of musical journey by Erik Truffaz comes to Paris, with collaboration with French human beatbox Sly Johnson

Peronnel:
Erik Truffaz - Trumpet, vocals on "The fly"
Sly Johnson - Vocals

Link in comment

Tracklist:
1. Mr Wyatt (Erik Truffaz) 5:07
2. Come together (John Lennon/Paul Mc Cartney) 2:57
3. Addis Addeba (Erik Truffaz) 4:42
4. Nature boy (Eden Ahbez) arrangement Jon Hassell 3:00
5. Nina's dream (Erik Truffaz, Sly Johnson) 3:56
6. La mouche (Erik Truffaz, Sly Johnson) 3:13
7. Goodbye tomorrow (Sly Johnson) 2:52
8. Don't stop (Brian Ferry) 3:29
9. The fly (Erik Truffaz, Sly Johnson) 6:29


Audio sample right here from Erik Truffaz Official Site

Erik Truffaz - Benares, Blue Note 2008

Erik Truffaz is one of the most exciting Jazz trumpet players at our time, and my personal favorite since his early days with his challenge to push his playing beyond the boundary of conventional Jazz. This album explores polyrhythmic backing with repetitive and percussive piano and vocals fusing with Truffaz's echo and fuzzy trumpet style.

Personnel:
Erik Truffaz - Trumpet
Indrani Mukherjee - Vocals
Apurba Mukherjee - Tablas
Malcolm Braff - Piano

Link in comment

Tracklist:
1. Tarana (Indrani Mukherjee/Apurba Mukherjee) 18:24
2. Saraswati (Erik Truffaz/Indrani Mukherjee) 5:50
3. Yay ! (Malcolm Braff) 6:32

Audio Sample right here from Erik Truffaz Official Site

Erik Truffaz - Mexico, Blue Note 2008

The collaborative project of post-bop experimental Jazz trumpeter Erik Truffaz and Mexican electronica and IDM artist Fernando Conaro akak Murcof.

Personnel:
Erik Truffaz - Trumpet, Vocals
Murcof - Noises

Link in comment

Tracklist:
1. Al Mediodia (7:31)
2. Good News From The Desert (11:06)
3. Avant L'Aube (8:36)

Audio sample right here from Erik Truffaz Official Site

Erik Truffaz Official Site
Erik Truffaz on Myspace
Erik Truffaz on Blue Note Records
Murcof Official Site
Murcof on Myspace

Hajime Yoshizawa - Innocent Nocturne, Village Again, 2008

This is another release from Japanese Jazz pianist and Sleep Walker keyboardist Hajime Yoshizawa in 2008 from Village Again. The excellent piano trio album acoompanied with drummer Peter Erskine (former member of Weather Report and uncle of Yoshizawa) and bassist late Dave Carpenter, with much straighter modal Jazz with Yoshizawa's wonderful lyrical keys. The album is currently only available officially in Japan, but can be purchased as import.

There is an excellent post on the album at nutriot.com with audio sample.
Hajime Yoshizawa - Inocent Nocturne [source: nutriot.com]

Tracklist:
1. Song To Remember
2. May
3. Jerkyll & Hyde
4. Eastern Step
5. Siesta
6. Thursday
7. Cat Chat Poh
8. Summer Backyard
9. Shukaku No Toki

Link in comment

Hajime Yoshizawa Official Site
Hajime Yoshizawa on Myspace
Hajime Yoshizawa on Extra Freedom Artist Bio (Sorry, Japanese only)

Gilles Peterson Worldwide Award 2009 The John Peel Play More Jazz Award Winner: Jazzanova

At Gilles Peterson Worldwide Award, each year "The John Peel Play More Jazz Award" is given to the artist who was not afraid to display John Peel-like-minded musical eclectism. This year's winner is Jazzanova.

Jazzanova is 6 men DJ/ producer collective from Berlin, Germany, and one of the main artists associating with Gilles in terms of representing "Join The Dots" concept with their music. In 2008, Jazzanova released their second album "Of All the Things", their first full album in 5 years from "In Between" in 2003.
Jazzanova on Myspace

Though many of their remix are dancefloor-oriented sounds, they take such an extensive amount of time for their album production, subliminally and intelligently incorporating retro sounds like 60s and 70s soul, funk, and falk music into their own interpretations. It is like a filling a hole, the last piece of missing puzzle of our time, crossing the boundary of various musical influences from every aspects, unlike what could have been overshadowed by chart-topping musical styles. Here are video clips of their recording sessions (and another one). Instead of going to electronic, what amaging about Jazzanova is that they never forget who plays music and who listens them. That brings lively vibes to their music, as if it were produced with live musicians. This album might not be seen as typical Jazz album, especially winning "Play More Jazz Award" from Gilles Peterson, compared to past winners. They are not Jazz artists nor do not fall into the category of post-modern, hard-bop, avant-garde, and others. But, to put it in simple words, their music is beautiful. It makes eyes and ears open, and I think that is what Jazz is about.


Tracklist:
01. Look What You’re Doin To Me feat. Phonte
02. Let Me Show Ya feat. Paul Randolph
03. I Can See feat. Ben Westbeech
04. Lie feat. Thief
05. Little Bird feat. Jose James
06. Rockin' You Eternally feat. Leon Ware & Dwele
07. So Far From Home feat. Phonte
08. What Do You Want? feat. Jon Dukie
09. Lucky Girl feat. Paul Randolph
10. Gafiera feat. Pedro Martins & Azymuth
11. Morning Scapes feat. Bembe Segue
12. Dial A Clich feat. Paul Randolph
13. Let Me Show Ya feat. Paul Randolph (Henrik Schwarz Remix)

Robert Mitchell Trio (3io) "The Greater Good", Gilles Peterson Worldwide Best Jazz Album Award 2009

One of the best Jazz album to come in 2008 is Robert Mitchell's "The Greater Good". Not much for me to say about him and his solo music anymore, because, though his solo career is still short, he has been in the scene playing with various artists in eclectic styles of music including TY, 2 Banks of 4, Courtney Pine, and I.G. Culture. His new album features covers of Massive Attack's Teardrop, Wayne Shorter's Dance Cadaverous and Galt McDermot's Space. Please listen if you like post-modern sound of piano trio with multi-layered mix of musical influences.

Personnel:
Robert Mitchell - Piano
Tom Mason - Bass
Richard Spaven -Drums
Tracks Composed by Robert Mitchell

Tracklist:
1. Cumulus
2. A Map of the Sky
3. Dance Cadaverous
4. Quantum
5. Space
6. Ochre
7. Crystal Eyes
8. Teardrop
9. The Blessing
10. Greater Good

Robert Mitchell Official Site
Robert Michell blog
Robert Mitchell on Myspace
Interview with Robert Mitchell on Basic Soul (Jan 2006)
BBC Music Introducing - Robert Mitchell

Steve Reid "NYC, Domino, 2008

Continuing with Steve Reid releases, this is his most recent work, a collaboration with Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet, called "NYC" from Domino US. Completely electronic Jazz. I usually do not obtain a copy of new Jazz releases these days, but this was different case.

Personnel:
Steve Reid - Drums
Kieran Hebden - Electronics

Tracklist:
01. Lyman Place
02. 1st & 1st
03. 25th Street
04. Arrival
05. Between B & C
06. Departure

Four Tet Official Site
Four Tet on Myspace
Domino Recording
Domino USA