Jan Johansson (1931-1968) is a Swedish jazz pianist who sadly passed away at the young age of 37. He is best known (and revered) for his best-selling 1962 Jazz på Svenska recording. Translating as “Jazz in Swedish”, the recording provides interpretations of popular Swedish folk songs on the piano and accompanied on the double bass. “Visa från […]
Jazz
Dhafer Youssef: Les ondes orientales
Time Out provides an excellent introduction to Dhafer Youssef: “…the Tunisian vocalist and oud virtuoso juxtaposes the ancient, mystical, hypnotic music of Islamic Sufism with the textures of electric jazz.” While Dhafer Youssef’s electronic side is more evident in older recordings like Divine Shadows (2006) or Digital Prophecy (2003), the personnel he has assembled for the […]
Miles Davis: So what
Kind of Blue is a monument. Still, standard works of reference that have over the years become cornerstones of a particular genre can sometimes be intimidating for the beginner. Want to explore the world of jazz but don’t know where to start? The vast bulk of modern jazz simply derives from Kind of Blue, which remains an […]
Nomad Soul Collective: Murmuration
“Murmuration” is an uplifting and unusual track with a 7/8 time signature by Nomad Soul Collective, a young London-based British band. Influenced by The Cinematic Orchestra, the collective came to prominence in late 2011 when the tune was used as the soundtrack to a short video which went viral on Vimeo. The eponymous video by Sophie Windsor Clive […]
Ibrahim Maalouf: Questions and answers
“Questions and Answers” is another song from Ibrahim Maalouf taken from Wind (2012), his latest release. Once again, the quarter tone trumpet allows the musician to create a lovely hybrid music that spans across several genres: I have with me an instrument that reflects exactly what I would like to say […] I believe my music […]
The Bad Plus: Everywhere you turn
The Bad Plus is often presented as an American jazz trio from Minneapolis. A more appropriate description would be that of three adventurous musicians playing instruments traditionally associated with jazz (drums, double bass and piano) but composing tunes following Rock structures, or de-constructing famous Pop anthems. Over the years, Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, Tears for […]
