r/Jazz • • 20d ago

New Jazz Listening Club #3 - Trio Imagination - Creative Inspirations

8 Upvotes

I haven’t actually listened to this one yet, but I thought that a new release featuring the legendary 89 year-old Reggie Workman was too good to pass up. I heard a couple of minutes and it sounded interesting. One of the songs here is a rendition of the opener from Andrew Hill's Point of Departure, so that might give you an idea of the direction they're going.

This is the debut recording from a group that evolved out of bassist Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille’s Trio 3, which stopped recording with the retirement of saxophonist Oliver Lake. This time the 3rd member is a pianist, 43 year-old David Virelles from Cuba.

I’ll write my thoughts when I’ve listened to it, but in the meantime here are some reviews:

https://jazztrail.net/blog/trio-imagination-creative-inspiration-album-review

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/creative-inspirations-david-virelles-pi-recordings

Trio Imagination - Creative Inspirations

Personnel:

David Virelles: piano

Reggie Workman: double bass, percussion and water drum

Andrew Cyrille: drums and percussion

Links:

I couldn’t find Youtube or Qobuz links so if someone can post in the comments that would be great.


r/Jazz • • Aug 11 '26

New Jazz Listening Club #2 - Knats - A Great Day In Newcastle (2026)

16 Upvotes

Sorry for the delay, here’s the second album for the listening club. My plan for these threads is to focus on new jazz (released in the last 5 years or so) as we’ve all heard plenty of jazz from the golden age. I’m hoping to post every 2 weeks or so. I’m always on the lookout for new interesting stuff, so if you have any thoughts, drop me a DM.

Knats are a quintet from Newcastle upon Tyne, about as far away from London as you can get in the north of England. If you don’t know much about Newcastle, you might have a better idea by the end of the album as their hometown and the people that inhabit it are as much a part of the music as the music itself.

Newcastle’s inhabitants are known as Geordies, but this album has a double helping of Geordie as it’s produced and arranged by Geordie Greep (Black Midi) who also plays on a couple of tracks. I’m not sure how exactly to label this but as simply as possible I’d say…Fusion-poetry?

The vocals will be a sticking point for some, and a highlight for others. New member Cooper Robson’s geordie slam poetry turns up on most of the songs, spinning a yarn about someone he once met, or the history of his city. It helps that there are long instrumental passages though, so the vocals never get overwhelming for me. I see it more as another instrument that takes a solo sometimes before other players take their turn.

Speaking of the other players, it’s a really tight band. They’re labeled as a quintet, but there are 20 musicians on this record by my count (plus a poet). I’m not always great at describing music, so you’ll have to do that for yourself in the comments, but these songs are catchy and danceable. Sometimes they sound like Weather Report, teetering on the edge of smooth/cheesy territory, other times they sound much more modern.

I didn’t think I’d enjoy this because 1: fusion generally isn’t my thing and 2: I CAN NOT STAND Geordie Greep (sorry Greep stans). But it’s a really fun record, and the storytelling makes it stand out for me.

But what did you think?

Knats - A Great Day In Newcastle

Personnel:

Cooper Robson - Vocals-

Stanley Elvis Woodward - Bass Guitar/Synths

King David Ike-Elechi - Drums/Percussion

Ferg Kilsby - Trumpet/Flugelhorn

Sandro Shargarodsky - Piano/Keyboards/Synthesiser

George Johnson - Tenor Saxophone

Links:


r/Jazz • • 18h ago

Born on this day in 1938, Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì! He wasn't a strictly jazz musician, but his entire career was a dialogue with jazz and more. Originator of Afrobeat, Fela played jazz-inflected solos during marathon shows, the likes of which I doubt we'll see again. Let's salute a world icon!

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611 Upvotes

r/Jazz • • 7h ago

Won at an Ebay auction.

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58 Upvotes

I was the only bidder, cost me £25. I wanted the Vinyl but saw this for the same price and thought why not.


r/Jazz • • 11h ago

This Day in Jazz - October 15, 1955 - Monk Recorded Three New Originals for a Rival Label Without Breaking His Contract — He Just Called Himself Gigi Gryce’s Pianist

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82 Upvotes

[Thelonious Monk at Minton’s Playhouse, New York, ca. September 1947, eight years before the Gryce session; photo by William P. Gottlieb. (Public Domain, Library of Congress Gottlieb Collection, via Wikimedia Commons)]

https://jazzprofiles.com/this-day-in-jazz/

On October 15, 1955, Thelonious Monk walked into Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio and recorded three brand-new originals — “Shuffle Boil,” “Brake’s Sake” and “Gallop’s Gallop” — without a single note of it appearing under his own name. Riverside had bought out his Prestige contract the year before and expected to be the home of his music. But the date was a Signal Records session led by alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce, and Monk was nominally just the pianist. The rhythm section was the same Percy Heath and Art Blakey who had backed him on a Prestige trio record in 1954, and by Robin D. G. Kelley’s account Monk taught and directed the whole thing. Riverside’s Bill Grauer and Orrin Keepnews were unhappy, but a sideman date broke nothing in his contract. The tracks filled side two of Gryce’s Nica’s Tempo, and Riverside waited another year, until Brilliant Corners, to record Monk originals of its own.

Sources: Wikipedia — Nica's Tempo: Monk's three unrecorded compositions, Gryce billing, Kelley on Grauer/Keepnews reaction, Oct 15 & 22 1955 sessions , Wikipedia — Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington: Monk's only 1955 session of originals, Oct 15, released as Gigi Gryce Quartet , Wikipedia — List of compositions by Thelonious Monk: first recordings of Brake's Sake, Gallop's Gallop and Shuffle Boil, Oct 15 1955 , JazzLeadSheets — In a Meditating Mood: Don Sickler notes, 'October 15 was a quartet session, with Thelonious Monk on piano'


r/Jazz • • 2h ago

John Scofield Electrospective tour

14 Upvotes

Has anyone caught one of Scofield’s performances this October? How are they? I’m looking at going soon.


r/Jazz • • 6h ago

Brazillian traditional, jazz, and fusion that goes loud?

19 Upvotes

Been listening to some Brazil ‘66 and realized i’m sick of listening to “cool calm brazilian bossa” a la Jobim. Whats some brazilian music thats loud and energetic?


r/Jazz • • 5h ago

John Scofield Quartet: October 14 in Cincinnati

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16 Upvotes

The 16 date tour began last night.. John Scofield, g; Larry Goldings, keys; Otiell Burbridge, b, Adam Dietch, d.


r/Jazz • • 17h ago

Remembering Fela Kuti (1938-1999) on his Birthday!

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117 Upvotes

Another October Legend...

Fela Anikulapo Kuti was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti (15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997). From Nigeria, he created the Afrobeat genre - a derivative of Jazz, Highlife, Yoruba/African Music, Funk, etc. He was also a political activist - jailed hundreds of times for his efforts by Military Governments of the time.

I was fortunate to see him live a few times. His shows were something else! He only played unreleased compositions at his concerts. The audience interaction was also electric.

He had collaborations with Jazz artists like Lester Bowie, Roy Ayers, etc. He also met Sun Ra, Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and James Brown/band members, during their visit to Lagos. Fela liked John Coltrane's music too. He also met Ornette Coleman during his 1986 US tour in NY.

Too many favourites to remember... In no particular order, they include: Water No Get Enemy, Zombie, B.O.N.N. (Beasts of No Nation), G.O.C. (Government of Crooks) - unreleased, I.T.T. (International Thief Thief), B.B.C. (Big Blind Country) - unreleased, Roforofo Fight, Shakara, Army Arrangement, Unknown Soldier, Power Show, Palm Wine Sound, Dog Eat Dog, J.J.D., Go Slow, M.A.S.S. (Music Against Second Slavery) - unreleased, J.L.T. (Just Like That), Mistake, Mr. Grammarticalogylisationalism is The Boss, Coffin for Head of State, etc. In fact, I like all of them! :)

His later compositions are very good too. It's just that his style and focus changed. The tracks got longer in the 1980s to about 30 minutes long, and then 45 minutes or more in the 1990s. By then, you got 2 tracks in a concert. :)

- If you need nearly all his released albums in one box set. I recommend

https://www.discogs.com/release/9588173-Fela-Anikulapo-Kuti-The-Complete-Works-Of-Fela-Anikulapo-Kuti

- Details of some concerts can be found here:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/fela-kuti-33d690cd.html

- His tracks are still one of the most sampled by musicians in other genres too. See: https://www.whosampled.com/Fela-Kuti/

- This is also a podcast released last year. See https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/fela-kuti-fear-no-man-6240541/episodes/recent

Please let's remember the legend, with your favourites, recommendations, stories, etc.


r/Jazz • • 1h ago

Your opinion on Tigran Hamasyan, and especially his newest album "Manifeste"?

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• Upvotes

r/Jazz • • 2h ago

Advice for a first year in a jazz college?

4 Upvotes

Throughout my music journey and especially recently I find myself practicing lots or at least a normal amount for two or three weeks, and then losing interest for another 1-2 weeks and barely practicing at all. Sometimes I’m super interested in jazz and can’t wait to practice, and sometimes I can’t force myself to even pick up the guitar and practice for a second, or even listen to jazz at all. Anybody have a similar experience and have any advice? Because recentlyI’ve been wondering if I just don’t love it enough to be a professional one day, or if I’m just doing something wrong with my mindset or practice routine.


r/Jazz • • 10h ago

A path to the Jazz

16 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Let me introduce myself. I’m 51, an amateur drummer, and a music lover.

Music has been one of my main interests since my teenage years. I grew up listening to The Beatles, CCR, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, and many others, but the genre that truly captured my imagination was progressive rock, especially bands and artists like Yes, ELP, Queen, Camel, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, and many more. At the same time, I developed a deep love for classical, medieval, and Renaissance music.

I never felt particularly drawn to the music of the 1990s, when grunge and the whole movement surrounding it became such a big sensation. However, there was one genre I remained almost completely immune to for decades: jazz. And the funny thing is that I always knew it was a genre of undeniable musical quality.

Partly, I had this prejudice that jazz was elevator music, the kind of music you hear in hotels and restaurants, playing quietly in the background while nobody really pays attention to it. I also found it boring, seemingly lacking a clear purpose, with melodies I could rarely recognize, and almost always instrumental.

I also associated jazz mainly with New Orleans jazz, big bands, swing, and the whole musical scene of the first half of the twentieth century.

Meanwhile, I was still fascinated by the great works of Yes and Genesis, with their rich musical landscapes and atmospheres; by Rush and their lyrics; and by Gentle Giant’s technical complexity, rhythmic richness, and harmonies. In other words, I was looking for something very different from what I thought jazz had to offer.

And so the years went by, until I turned 50. 😣 Something seems to have changed in my mind, or perhaps in the way I listen to music.

First, I rediscovered the Carpenters, this time actually paying attention to their music, and I was absolutely blown away by Karen’s voice, the production, and Richard’s arrangements. Because of the usual clichés and prejudices, I had always thought of them as a rather bland band, even though the only song I really knew was Sing.

Then, thanks to Spotify’s algorithm, I came across Chet Baker. Miles Davis followed, and there was no turning back. After that came John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk and Bill Evans. At the same time connect with the Jazz fusion of the 70s with Chick Corea, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Billy Cobham among others.

Something happened to me: this music completely drew me in. I’m still a newcomer to the world of jazz, but little by little, I’m diving deeper into this vast ocean and discovering that behind something that had seemed so foreign to me for so long, there was an absolutely fascinating universe.

Sorry for such a long introduction, but since this is my first post here, I wanted to share a little summary of my musical journey and how I eventually ended up falling into the jaws of jazz.

If you find my story interesting, or if you’ve had a similar experience, I’d love to hear about it and read your stories and recommendations.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Best wishes to you all!


r/Jazz • • 4h ago

Fela Kuti - Lady

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6 Upvotes

Not jazz per se, it is Afrobeat, but his music was in full communion with jazz, having full dialogue with it in each and every song and performance he did.


r/Jazz • • 11h ago

Lobby Jazz Music to replace AI pieces currently played

18 Upvotes

Hello all! I currently work nightshift security for a high rise, so my opening process includes turning on the TV’s, with one set to a jazz music album. Only recently though I learned it’s entirely made with AI, and while my boss doesn’t care what’s played really I certainly do. I’m an ex-musician wannnabe, so music in general is extremely special to me, and I don’t think you can call something music if there was never an emotional tie to the creation. Every note with care, every chord with feeling, usually with only one opportunity for perfection (on a live performance that is), you can hear it and it’s gone when you just have a machine do all the work for you.

So with that being said, what’s some smooth lobby jazz pieces I could use? Checked out Chaos in the CBD but wasn’t the right vibe, need something a bit less energetic.


r/Jazz • • 5h ago

Earplugs for Kamasi Washington concert?

4 Upvotes

Hello,

Would you recommend wearing earplugs for a Kamasi Washington concert in a relatively small, indoor venue? Usually I only wear them for heavy metal concerts (I don't own proper concert earplugs so I make do with the ones made for sleeping). I've never missed them at jazz concerts, but since Kamasi uses a lot of musicians and a heavy orchestration, I'm wondering if I should get proper concert earplugs. (Also, if you have a specific brand that works for you, I'd appreciate advice in that regard too!)

Thanks, everybody


r/Jazz • • 13h ago

Like it is

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17 Upvotes

r/Jazz • • 4h ago

Sunny Side of the Street sung backwards?

3 Upvotes

I can just hear it in my head, a duo from maybe the 40’s or 50’s that rearranged the lyrics, specifically the chorus went “The side of the street that’s sunny.” Please help me lol. Who was it?


r/Jazz • • 2h ago

Grassy Park Requiem (Slow) - Robbie Jansen (Cape Jazz)

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2 Upvotes

r/Jazz • • 18h ago

Let's recognized Bill Charlap, born on Oct. 15, 1966. Son of a singer and a composer, he's the preferred partner for many singers and celebrated for his lyricism in the Great American Songbook both as a leader and a sideman.

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30 Upvotes

r/Jazz • • 16h ago

How underrated was Stanley Cowell?

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21 Upvotes

I think I've found one of my new favorite pianists, I am digging more into discography but I rarely ever see him mentioned. His playing especially his comping is just so nice and refreshing.


r/Jazz • • 12h ago

Jazz recommendations for a dreary fall?

8 Upvotes

Something that incapsulates cold and melancholy while still being relaxing to listen to if that makes sense


r/Jazz • • 1h ago

Looking for a book

• Upvotes

Hey all. I’m trying to remember the name of a book I read probably 25 or 30 years ago. Sorry in advance for not having a ton of detail to offer, I only remember that I liked it at the time and some other vague info. It’s been bugging me hard that I can’t recall more about it. It was based in the Midwest somewhere and told the story of some traveling musicians, it was fictionalized but had reference to Gene Krupa, Bix Beiderbecke, etc, so likely took place in the 30s/40s. I remember Kansas City featuring in it but I feel like that wasn’t the setting, but I could be wrong. Any ideas? I’ve tried searching it online with the above criteria but am not getting much back.


r/Jazz • • 6h ago

Suggestions request: jazz songs with non-romantic lyrics?

3 Upvotes

First post here. Friendship, protest, and dark humor are my 3 favorite topics for lyrics, but other non-romantic topics are welcome too. Poetic elements (ie extended metaphors) and imagery appeal to me.

What A Wonderful World, Black & Blue, Strange Fruit, Mississippi Goddam, and 'T' Ain't No Sin come to mind.

Please help me build my playlist. Thanks in advance :)


r/Jazz • • 1d ago

My Nomination for album of the year

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109 Upvotes

Mountains by Emma Dayhuff

Composer, Bassist- Dr. Emma Dayhuff

Trumpet and Percussion- Corey Wilkes

Tenor Sax and Percussion- Isaiah Collier

Piano and Keys- Paul Cornish

Drums- Jonathan Pinson

Vocals- Akenya Seymour

Guitar- Andrew Renfroe

All-stars line-up, Johnathan Pinson blew my mind, he's the kind of drummer you need with Isaiah Collier in the band.

honorable mentions:

Members... Don't! by Tyshawn Sorey

Liminal by Elsa Nilsson

Drowning on Dry Land by Isaiah Keith

Transcend by Dave Douglas


r/Jazz • • 5h ago

If I wanted to study the history of Jazz what 5 Albums would you suggest listening to?

1 Upvotes