Browsing Tag

Instrumental Jazz

Martin Packwood wrapped his latest jazz fusion, Moonlight in Paris, in the warmth of the Parisian night

Martin Packwood’s latest single, Moonlight in Paris, is a scintillatingly smooth journey through the streets of jazz fusion, where every note feels like a step along the Seine under a starlit sky. This amorous installation unravels as a sensory expedition, wrapped in the warmth of a Parisian night.

Packwood’s guitar work, reminiscent of the bluesy soulfulness of Eric Clapton, intertwines effortlessly with the jazz keys. The bluesy guitar notes, like whispers of a distant love affair, meld with percussive fills that don’t just give the score structure, they fill Moonlight in Paris with anticipation.  Each progression in the track teases the listener not unlike the narrative arc of a classic romance.

The genius of Packwood lies in his ability to draw from a diverse palette of influences. His style, a confluence of Santana’s rhythmic mastery and the improvisational spirit of jazz, makes Moonlight in Paris a track that transcends mere auditory experience. It’s a piece that paints pictures, evoking the filmic aura of a David Lynch creation.

This release, following Packwood’s consistent contributions to the jazz-rock fusion domain, confirms his place as a sculptor of soundscapes rather than just a musician. Moonlight in Paris is a nocturnal stroll through the heart of jazz fusion, leaving listeners with a longing for just one more night in the city of lights.

Moonlight in Paris will officially release on March 15; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

J reshaped the landscape of protest music with his jazzy guitar score, Shame on You

Busting the myth that protest songs need to antagonise in the same vein as Rage Against the Machine or Black Flag, the Brighton-based artist, J, exhibited how mellow sonic political activism can be with his latest release, Shame on You.

Paired with an aptly endearing official music video, the ‘oppressed version’ of the single, sans the snippets of dystopian diatribes from Trump and Bush, allows you to embrace the absurdity of our tumultuous political waters while rising above them as the lighter-than-air guitar lines seemingly defy gravity.

J’s guitar work is nothing short of phenomenal – his strings sing with a life of their own in the genre-fluid fusion of jazz, pop, and classical guitar, but notably, the secret ingredient is his unflinching sense of humour and his lack of artistic ego. It’s a rarity for an artist to be so talented and not locked into the singular vision of rock stardom; J always endeavours to create sonic experiences that resonate with his soul; in doing so, he opens up cathartic worlds with his virtuosic tongue-in-jazz-groove flare.

Shame on You will be available to stream from January 26th; stream the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Italy’s most decorated jazz Flutist, Michele Gori, became the master of expressive syncopation once more in ‘Flute Factor’.  

After becoming renowned as one of the most prominent flute players on the European jazz scene and becoming Italy’s sole jazz flute professor, the multi-award-winning Italian virtuoso, Michele Gori, unveiled one of the most definitive jazz flute collections of the era when he released his third studio album, Flute Factor.

Though we strongly recommend listening to the album in full, the expressive phrasing and improvised syncopation of the light and airy flute notes is especially striking in its cathartic flair in the standout single, Jazz Time.

With the flute notes leading the instrumental arrangement, the seminal instrumental piece carries a dreamy, almost ethereal air as Gori’s technical and rhythmic complexity softly resounds over the keys and percussive fills. Spirited and resolving in equal measure, you couldn’t ask for a more sublime sonic atmosphere to slip into.

Stream the official music video on YouTube or discover more ways to listen via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Eldad Ben Naim has delivered his hypnotic electro-jazz fusion score, Welcome Night

With a score that feels like a jazzier and smokier version of Bladerunner’s aural phonoaesthetic, Eldad Ben Naim’s seminal single, Welcome Night, is a hypnotic introduction to the jazz fusion virtuoso’s gift when it comes to laying down beguilingly elegant arrangements.

The electro-jazz instrumental soundscape puts a polyphonic spin on the blazing solos that you’d expect to blast from a sax or guitar, giving the score a playfully eccentric edge, but never compromising on the high-brow alchemy which keeps flowing your way throughout the entire duration of the 6-minute release. If you’re not left entranced by the outro, you should be pretty worried about the state of your soul.

You can check out Eldad Ben Naim’s single, Welcome Night for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Eldad Ben Naim brings a new flavour to jazz fusion with ‘In a Way of Jazz’

With his contemporary style and flair that doesn’t alienate the old school jazz aficionados, Eldad Ben Naim’s debut jazz fusion album, Watersoul, is an indulgent aural escape away from the fray of modernity.

The time signatures may be complex, but that does little to hinder the mellifluous pull of the melodies in the lead single, In a Way of Jazz. The extended track uses tribal elements along with metronomic effects to keep you entranced through the progressions. As In a Way of Jazz evolves, the sax finds its centre in the soundscape before the electric guitars start to bring arresting gravity to the release. Any existential weight you were carrying before the ambient and experimental outro will undoubtedly dissipate. The instrumental track is enough to leave your soul 10 pounds lighter.

In a Way of Jazz is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Daniel Ben Mortiz lets the rhythm blossom in his latest jazz-funk soundscape, Beso Solar.

Jazz musician, composer and producer, Daniel Ben Mortiz released his latest single, Beso Solar, on September 30th; while the blissful tones induce you into a state of entrancement, the complex time signatures in the organic, almost primal soundscape have the opposite effect as they affirm that your rhythmic pulses are well and truly at the command of Mortiz and his unpredictably arresting progressions.

What starts as a lofty and meditative soundscape transgresses into a bassline-driven feat of improvised jazz and funk alchemy that won’t fail to leave your consciousness entirely consumed.

Beso Solar is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

K-Magic gets ‘Mythic’ with Jazzy new single.

How’d you like THEM Jazz apples, then, huh? Well, so much so that we’re looking to buy the whole damn bushel of ‘em, that’s how much. Thanks to Kevin Bernstein, a 29 year old pianist, based in Brooklyn, NYC who, having lent his keyboard skills backing a variety of singers, bands, and comedians alongside his work with the Alison Shearer Band, has now launched his own instrumental solo project, K-Magic.

And what a project it is, too. Oh, yeah; about those apples. Well, that’s exactly what we have here – a whole barrel of jazzy trills, harmonies, and counterpoints. It’s fun, it bounces along, it sounds a little like the theme tune to one of those slightly more highbrow US sitcoms like Frasier or Will and Grace, or maybe the thing the band would improvise on Whose Line Is It Anyway. That’s not a bad thing, by the way – it’s an excellent musical piece, stop-starty at times, moving through two or three different movements but consistently returning to a repeating central motif, the ideal accompaniment to dinner and cocktails, and fine conversation; it’s left us wanting more, and that’s always got to be a good thing.

Check out K-Magic on Instagram and Facebook. Listen to ‘Mythic’ on Spotify.

Review by Alex Holmes

Christopher Nielsen gets inspired with a jazz-funk groove on new single ‘Payne’

Returning after a fifteen year sabbatical to a music industry which has changed beyond all expectation in the intervening years is always going to be a challenge, but it’s one which multi-instrumentalist Christopher Nielsen has taken up with aplomb. Taken from his new, thirteen-track instrumental album ‘Our Voyage Home’, ‘Payne’ is a jazzy, funky little number driven by Carmine Appice-style upfront drums and a delicious seventies-toned Rhodes piano lead.

It’s lively, old-school without being dated, rootsy, and very driven; think an instrumental jam breakdown in an Earth, Wind, and Fire concert, or a little Weather Report studio wig out time. Jazz meets soul meets folk all mixed up by pushed percussion and wandering keyboards. It’s fluid, expressive, and genuinely good, uplifting, fun.

‘Payne’, and the rest of ‘Our Voyage Home’, is available on Spotify. Check out Christopher Nielsen’s website here.

Review by Alex Holmes

Ramiro Pinhiero breaks the monocultural mould with their sweet jazzy serenade ‘Quatro Ventos’

‘Quatro ventos’ – or ‘Four Winds’ – is the latest track from prolific Brazilian-born guitarist Ramiro Pinhiero; beautiful, jazz-influenced Latin-American, the product of Argentine and Brazilian parents and a musical education including time spent in Barcelona and the United States, Pinhiero lists an impressive back catalogue of recordings and collaborations with some of the greatest names in Spanish and Latin guitar.

From new album ‘Sentido’, ‘Quatro Ventos’ mixes those same Brazilian and Argentine leanings with European influences and instrumental jazz, the guitar itself providing a vaguely Maracatu rhythm to the track, Pinhiero’s masterful fingerstyle intertwining with jazzy clarinet courtesy of Gabriel Amargent (in turn mildly reminiscent of D’Rivera or Valdez) and the stunning rhythm section of acoustic bassist Horacio Fumero and drummer Nicolas Correa. It’s at once sultry, sexy, and subtle and moody and hot, the lead instruments of Pinhiero and Amargant dancing around each other over that sublime backbeat, each bringing their passion before teasingly wheeling away once more. Like dancers in a samba, it’s a masterful blend.

Hear ‘Quatro Ventos’ on Spotify now; follow Ramiro Pinheiro on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Jake Bass – Oh Wow: Accessibly Ambient Contemporary Jazz

If you’re still under the impression that Jazz is inaccessible as a genre, prepare for your perceptions to be shattered by Jake Bass’ latest instrumental track Oh Wow which was released on March 15th.

By rhythmically infusing elements of Ambient instrumental EDM Hip Hop with smooth Blues Rock soaring guitar licks, Oh Wow unfolds offering hypnotically immersive aural alchemy with every progression.

The effortless, yet masterful guitar notes seamlessly find accordance with the electronic instrumentals which provide a solid structure to the track while the warm guitar notes gently rise above the rest of the mix. Downtempo soundscapes don’t often come as rhythmically magnetic as what Jake Bass has deftly curated in Oh Wow.

You can check out the official music video to Jake Bass’ latest single via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast