I don't know if you'd like them, but try The Reign Of Kindo. There's a great deal of jazz and rock fusion there. Also, with tasty vocals and instrumentality!
Modern Jazz (as in recent) Music Suggestions
Like many a jazz lovers, I absolutely love the sound of the usual suspects - John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, etc.
I was wondering if anyone can recommend artists/groups from the more recent era (1995 and onwards) that maintain the same sonic signature but perhaps infuse their music with more modern (e.g. fusion, rock) artifacts ala Romantic Warrior.
P.S. Not a fan of 'big band' jazz or swing, but dig the bossa nova sound
I was wondering if anyone can recommend artists/groups from the more recent era (1995 and onwards) that maintain the same sonic signature but perhaps infuse their music with more modern (e.g. fusion, rock) artifacts ala Romantic Warrior.
P.S. Not a fan of 'big band' jazz or swing, but dig the bossa nova sound
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Another vote for Kamasi Washington's "The Epic" as suggested by gsm18439. The only caveat is that while it's "modern" (a 2015 recording) parts of it sound very retro...like late Coltrane as per the Pitchfork review here: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20557-the-epic/ It is a LOT of music...3 hours on 3 CDs. Something else worth checking out: Chick Corea's Akoustic Band, "Alive". Great music and performances as well as excellent sonics - especially for a live recording. |
I'm a big fan of the Israeli-born guitarist Oz Noy. He's been in New York the last 20 years and I think he's the best jazz/rock fusion guitarist on the scene. Sort of Hendrix meets Mclaughlin playing Monk, if you will, but that's only part of the picture. A lot of chops, a lot of taste, imaginative tunes and good covers. The best primer is his recent live CD "Asian Twistz." |
I suggest checking line-ups of Montreal Jazz festival. The best musicians gather there: Roy Hargrove -- trumpereer Ambrose Akimusire -- trumpeteer Bill Frisell (He took lessons from Johnny Smith) -- electric guitar and experimental electronics Alan Jackson -- multi-string electric basses known in bands Spyra Gyra and Fourplay Brian Blade -- drums better and faster than Buddy Rich in his prime! John Pattitucci -- string and electric basses Snarky Puppy -- funky big band lead by Michael League (electric bass) Richard Bona -- electric bassist Phillip Johnston -- soprano and alto saxes with Microscopic Septet band and also Big Trouble. They improvise on old foxtrots and swing compositions adding more modern harshness. Marc Ribot -- electric guitar John Medeski - Martin - Wood or MMW -- known funky jazz trio Exploring Northern Europe: Jazz-Baltica is a festival, but not quite: It's more of a jam sessions with coolest Northern European jazz musicians such as: Wolfgang Hafner -- founder and drummer; Nills Lundgren -- trombone, vocal Marcusz Wasilewski -- piano and keyboards Lars Danielsson -- bass Till Bronner -- trumpet Nils Petter Molvaer -- trumpet with sound effects and pedals Eivind Aarset -- guitar with experimental electronics and many others And finally, for the most of the greatest ones, follow and explore ECM label at all times! Highlights are: Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, Jack Dejonette -- trio and obviously their solo works Pat Metheny -- no need to introduce indeed Carla Bley Egberto Gismonty Eberhardt Webber Colin Walcott, Nana Vasconcielos Bill Connors Keith Jarrett |
Arafiq - glad you like the Alan Pasqua (well some of it!). Sound quality is really good...even on Spotify ;-). A few of the tracks can be a bit challenging but keep listening and it's almost like "the logic" starts to sink in. I'm listening to it as I write (bought the CD today and burned it to hard drive). For the Ambrose fans in this thread, worth noting he plays on this recording. Nels Cline guitarist extraordinaire of Wilco is on it too. Not sure why he's slumming w/Jeff Tweedy (kidding). Anyway, it's a recording that keeps drawing me back...too few of those these days. Good thread you started. Thanks. I'll be following it and checking out some of the other recommendations. |
Check out the ATC label. Avashai Cohen (trumpet and bass...2 different guys) Snarky Puppy Vijay Iyer Chris Potter Sean Jones Fred Hersch Linda Oh Brecker Brothers Dave Douglas Jeremy Pelt Wyclffe Gordon Joe Lovano Christian Scott Branford Marsalis Marcus Miller Kenny Garrett Brian Blade This, along with the above suggestions, is just a small taste of the last 20 years of new-er jazz artists. And then there are the vocalists. |
Thanks, guys. Really appreciate the suggestions. For now, I'm trying to see which of the recommended artists are available on Tidal. Unfortunately, Jerome Sabbaugh, as well as Brad Mehdaul, are not there, so I might order the CD later. I did listen to the sample track and it sounds really good. Exactly what I was looking for. I did find Alan Pasqua (Anti-social Club) on Tidal. Really enjoyed it. Some tracks are a bit too up-tempo for my taste but quite a few (e.g. Prayer) were quite good. And they sound fantastic on my system - very holographic. Thanks for the suggestion, ghosthouse. I will definitely try to listen to other suggestions on Tidal, if available, over the weekend. |
Jerome Sabbaugh - The Turn - great sax led band (guitar, bass, drums) also audiophile demo quality recording a steal $25 LP pressed at QRP, or CD buy direct from his website http://www.jeromesabbagh.com/ Big story about it on kickstarter too. Cheers, Spencer |