Close Out Inaugural Run of Jazz Is Dead Releases with
Remix Album Revisiting Full Catalog with
Critically Acclaimed Producers
on Remixes JID010
Featuring Remixes by Musical Alchemists
from the Jazz Is Dead Sphere:
Cut Chemist, DJ Spinna, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Akili, Shigeto,
Pink Siifu, Dibiase, Natureboy Flako, and Kaidi Tatham
As the final chapter in the initial run of Jazz Is Dead releases, Remixes JID010 continues the creative catharsis of an exhilarating new chapter in jazz music. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad tapped nine iconic creators to reimagine their personal favorites from Jazz Is Dead’s catalogue to-date, who created striking new versions of songs by Marcos Valle, Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, Azymuth, João Donato, Doug Carn, Brian Jackson and The Midnight Hour. Holding the line taut like a bass string, Younge & Muhammad only invited those special musical alchemists who have previously participated in Jazz Is Dead happenings, or those who are slated to share that stage soon: Cut Chemist, DJ Spinna, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Akili, Shigeto, Pink Siifu, Dibiase, Natureboy Flako, and Kaidi Tatham. It’s a family affair.
The album blasts off with Kaidi Tatham’s reinvention of Marcos Valle’s wistful beachside stroll, transforming “Gotta Love Again” into a strutting, pulsating excursion equally at home in the club and headphones. Building off of Valle’s mellifluous vocalizations, Tatham harnesses the composition’s polyrhythms to build a soulful, jazz-house track that floats over ethereal synths and stutter-steps to a propulsive beat entirely unimaginable, yet true to the spirit of the optimistic and effortless original.
On his remix of Gary Bartz’s “Soulsea” Cut Chemist taps into the big-beat atmospherics of his old running partner, DJ Shadow, to craft a moody, echo-laden, percussive down-tempo saxophone meditation. Creating drama over bombastic beats, Cut Chemist layers Bartz’s searching sax refrains over sparse keyboard bars.
Brian Jackson’s mellow masterpiece dedicated to the recently departed jazz vocalist, “Nancy Wilson”, receives an epic overhaul by producer Shigeto with help from harpist Ahya Simone and DJ Dez Andres. More than tripling the original’s duration while adding layers of new sounds, Shigeto’s remix weaves in and out of movements that alternately showcase Jackson’s soulful flute work, Simone’s sparkling harp and Andres’ bubbling percussion. Imagine if Dorthy Ashby and Hermeto Pascoal dropped in on Miles’ In A Silent Way sessions.
It might have been a foregone conclusion that Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad would give their Jazz Is Dead series the remix treatment, but that doesn’t mean this is your average remix album. Just like Younge and Muhammad fused their aesthetic with the musical masters they invited to collaborate with for Jazz Is Dead, the DJs, producers and musicians tasked with remixing songs from the catalogue tapped into the same jazz ethos, resulting in imaginative and sometimes radically reimagined versions of the originals.
One happy thing to be grateful for during otherwise trying times is finally getting to hear and enjoy new work by a man whose music is familiar to millions even if his name is less so. Indeed, Gil Scott-Heron continues to cast such a wide shadow that even many of his biggest fans often seem to forget that there's another name next to his on the bulk of his albums, the name of a man teamed up with Gil as a teenager and proceeded to ride out the decade as his writing partner, keyboardist, arranger, and bandleader for their Midnight Band. That man's name is Brian Jackson.
His considerable backlog of unheard material reveals a still-energetic and still-vital icon of the music wing of the Black Liberation movement. Prepare to hear from a musician whose work has contributed to the enhancement of all our lives in some form or another with the latest installment of the Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge’s Jazz Is Dead series.
“Brian Jackson is the first album we recorded for Jazz Is Dead. He set the tone for the entire label,” reflects Younge. “He turned our aspirations global. We never knew what this could all be, but with his inspirational character and musicianship, he led us on the right path. We are forever indebted to this icon.”
Brian Jackson JID008, available August 6, is the first full album released by the great man in 20 years (with the exception of Evolutionary Minded, an homage to Gil released eight years ago) and it's a testament to his multifaceted talents that while there are moments throughout that hint at his game-changing history and track record, for the most part it reveals a musician who pulls from lessons garnered over a 50+ year career only to keep his eyes firmly fixed on the future. “When we got together, the sounds flowed effortlessly,” recalls Jackson.
“As Dru, Adrian, Adam and I were charting a course for Jazz Is Dead from outside of our imaginations to a destination of wonder and possibilities, in walks legend and fellow Brooklynite Brian Jackson,” says Shaheed Muhammad. “We let the impact be our guide, fully capturing the moment in this recording. Brian’s smile and free flowing style takes us to the place where groove meets chill. This is the dawning of JID recordings.”
Brian Jackson JID008 serves as a masterclass in unbridled and open-minded creativity, no different from what Jackson did half a century ago. The ease and comfort with which his ideas integrate with those of musicians a generation younger than him bears this out. To listen to this album is to hear a hot up-and-coming musician who also happens to be a major jazz-funk legend.
Jackson really earned the equal billing on that string of classic Arista albums he and Gil made together because he went a long way towards keeping the musical ship of Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, and the Midnight Band's musical ship afloat. Many of the classic tracks on those albums bear Jackson’s name alongside Gil's in the writing credits and his distinctive musical signature brought all of it to life. Jackson has kept a considerably lower profile over the last few decades since those halcyon days but those fortunate enough to have caught him live playing and singing the GSH/BJ classics he was so central in creating (as well as tantalizing glimpses of newer material) know that his music, chops, wisdom, and charm are fully intact and in fact even better than ever, like a bottle of fine jazz-funk wine.
“It wasn’t until Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge and I joyfully completed the sessions at Linear Labs in February of 2019 that I remembered my favorite song of my former writing partner Gil Scott-Heron’s post-70s tracks, ‘Don’t Give Up,’ was produced by Ali,” remembers Jackson. “Adrian had already made an impression on me for his soundtrack work on Black Dynamite, Luke Cage and his authentic ‘70s music feel.”
"Nancy Wilson" is an elegiac tribute to the recently departed jazz-R&B icon, hinging on the combination of Jackson’s magical flute sound and a simple-yet enchanting piano motif playing against a funky rimshot/kick drum pattern. Even devoid of lyrics, the sincerity of this tribute to the already much-missed chanteuse comes through loud and clear in every bar of this wonderful and effortlessly melodic track.
A dramatic Rhodes intro from one of the true masters of the instrument, soon joined by drums, bass and mini-Moog, heralds "Mars Walk," which is a kind of sonic equivalent of bouncing around the surface of our neighboring Red Planet in a space suit. Think of this track as a jazz-funk Rover.
“’What’s this,’ I inquired as I opened the case to the alto flute Adrian had laying around the studio amid the myriad other instruments he had collected,” recalls Jackson. “Within minutes, I was recording with it. A few more tracks in, and I had jumped on the Minimoog to add some melodies and piano to tracks Adrian and Ali had penned. The next day, we went in and wrote a song together on the spot, with Malachi Morehead holding the rhythm down tight.
The first several bars of "Ethiopian Sunshower" simultaneously recall the essence of both post-bop and early fusion, but they quickly give way to a delicious Ethio-Jazz-inspired Afro groove on which Jackson’s flute once again makes an appearance in the role of a funky snake charmer over percolating percussion. It all adds up to an album highlight sure to inspire many remixes.
"Bain De Minuit" was inspired by Jackson’s wife, who happens to be French, and is the album's longest and most reflective track, reminiscent of some of the mellow-yet-deep classics he wrote or co-wrote with Gil such as "A Very Precious Time" or "A Prayer for Everybody." The influence that their recently departed close collaborator Malcolm Cecil had on Jackson’s music can also be felt in some of the synth tones heard throughout the track.
“If for some reason the respect and love we have for each other is not evident in the sounds here, let me tell it straight,” declares Jackson. “From the first minute, we could feel that our musical roots made us all a part of the same tree. This album is the offshoot of that notion. It is my hope these sounds also nourish the roots of your spirit.”
1) Under The Bridge
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Fender Rhodes piano, Alto flute, Monophonic synthesizer
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Electric bass guitar, Electric guitar, Clarinet, Percussion
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
2) Mars Walk
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Fender Rhodes piano, Monophonic synthesizer
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Electric bass guitar, Electric guitar, Clarinet, Percussion
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
3) Young Muhammad
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Clavinet
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Grand piano, Electric bass guitar, Electric guitar, Clarinet, Percussion
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
4) Nancy Wilson
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Alto flute
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Grand Piano, Electric Bass, Electric guitar, Clarinet
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
5) Baba Ibeji
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Fender Rhodes
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Electric Bass, Electric guitar, Clarinet
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
6) Duality
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Fender Rhodes piano
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Grand Piano, Electric Bass, Electric guitar
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
7) Bain de Minuit
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Fender Rhodes piano, Monophonic synthesizer
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Electric Bass, Electric guitar, Clarinet
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
8) Ethiopian Sunshower
a. Musicians:
i. Brian Jackson: Fender Rhodes piano, Alto & C Flute
ii. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Electric Bass, Electric guitar, Alto saxophone, Monophonic synthesizer
iii. Malachi Morehead: Drums
b. Written by: Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Jazz Is Dead’s Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad Collaborate with João Donato: An Innovator of Brazilian Bossa Nova, Jazz Fusion and Funk from the Golden Era
Where’s João Donato? It’s a frequently asked question, referring simultaneously to the physical location and the musical moment he inhabits. A sampling of some of his more descriptive song titles suggests Donato’s comfort with musical hybrids: “Bluchanga,” “Sambolero,” and “Sambongo,” to name just a few. Lacking a formal genre for his style of music, Donato’s is a distinct sound, immediately recognizable from the first few bars of any of his compositions. He was funky back when “funk” was a bad word (listen to either of his 1960s Brazilian LPs, Sambou, Sambou and The New Sound if Brasil, for proof). His compositions are deceptively simple, while his arrangements are harmonically complex, revealing their intricate details upon repeat listening.
Today, Donato brings this flavor, now near synonymous with his name, to a new album in the Jazz Is Dead series with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Joāo Donato JID007. “Donato is one of the greatest Brazilian composers from that golden era. His signature style, simple melodies combined with colorful chordal progressions, establishes a new lane for Jazz Is Dead,” explains Younge. “João is one of the most innovative Brazilian jazz composers of the last century. Creating with and learning from this maestro was one of the greatest experiences of my career.”
On the first day of recording, João Donato was so flattered that to learn Younge and Muhammad had crafted some tunes for him to grace that on the second day, the maestro showed up to the studio with a composition in honor of his new musical partners: “Adrian, Ali and Gregory.” Gregory (aka Greg Paul) delivers an effortlessly buoyant rhythm to support Donato’s whimsical and wistful Fender Rhodes. Younge and Muhammad added the flute melody after the sessions, a perfect tribute and compliment to this master arranger, sweet and melancholic at the same time.
Building off a sinister interlocking drum and bass pattern, Donato, Younge, Muhammad, Paul and vocalist Loren Oden, assemble a swaying and swirling tune with a romantic mantra, “Nāo Negue Seu Coraçāo,” which translates to “Don’t Deny Your Heart.” Aspirational saxophones dance among cascading monophonic synths, a churning Hammond B3 and cutting fuzz guitar while Donato’s subtle and slinky Fender Rhodes leads the way through the musical maelstrom. Delivered in Portuguese, Oden sings the song’s emotional energy into existence.
If Jon Lucien made a fusion album, it would have sounded something like “Forever More.” Oden’s vocals capture the longing and romanticism of the title, while the rhythm section harkens back to the last album Donato recorded in Los Angeles in 1970, a jazz fusion fore-runner full of pulsing polyrhythms and urgent melodies. “You guys made me like L.A. again,” Donato told Younge and Mohammad towards the end of his 2019 trip to record this album and perform at the Jazz Esta Morto series.
João Donato deserves a place among the legends of Brazilian music, alongside Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Dorival Caymmi, Ary Barroso, and select few others. Ironically, his constant experimentation with different genres – the very essence of his greatness – make him a challenge to classify and perhaps held him back from becoming the household name some of his peers became. Asked how he would describe his own work, he says, “It’s my style of music, the way I think about [music]. I don’t even think about it, it’s just the way I do things. I don’t know if it even has a name.”
Donato has finally received long overdue accolades for his contributions to date. An archetypal “musician’s musician,” Donato’s stepped out of the shadows more recently, recording at an unprecedented rate and collaborating with a variety of musicians, from Brazil and beyond, old and young. Still going strong at over eighty years old, the late praise and recognition is finally coming for the artist who Claus Ogerman offered to arrange an album, who Antonio Carlos Jobim called a genius, and who no other than João Gilberto claims invented the bossa nova beat.
“Has the day unfolded without a smile landing on you? Then follow the road to a João Donato song, you are sure to find one there,” says Muhammad. “João, one of the founding fathers of bossa nova has opened his magical melodious spirit to us here at Jazz Is Dead. Together we found beleza na música.”
When two of hip-hop’s most accomplished composers get together to make an album you know the results are going to be special. Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) & Adrian Younge began their work together in 2013 on the critically acclaimed album There Is Only Now and their partnership cemented on their score work for Marvels’ Luke Cage. Today, they are proud to announce the forthcoming release of their carefully constructed and masterful The Midnight Hour. It is the duo’s long awaited album and it showcases their songwriting ability like never before. Lead track and first single “Questions” featuring CeeLo Green is out today and has an unlikely origin story that CeeLo, Adrian and Ali originally explained to Pitchfork back in 2016, when a demo version of the song appeared as a sample on “untitled 06 | 06.30.2014.” off of Kendrick Lamar’s untitled unmastered. project. The completed track perfectly captures the album’s underlying roots in hip-hop’s origins and can be heard HERE. The 20 track, full length double album, will be released on Linear Labs and distributed digitally by INgrooves and vinyl will be distributed by Traffic Entertainment, world wide on June 8, 2018.
Black Beacon
2. Mare feat. LadyBug Mecca
It’s You feat. Raphael Saadiq
Questions feat. CeeLo Green
So Amazing feat. Luther Vandross
Gate 54
Do It Together feat. Bilal
Redneph In B Minor
Better Endeavor
Smiling For Me feat. Karolina
Don’t Keep Me Waiting feat. Marsha Ambrosius
Bitches Do Voodoo feat. Angela Munoz
Possibilities feat. Eryn Allen Kane
Mission
Dans Un Moment D’errance feat. Laetitia Sadier Questlove and Keyon Harrold
Love Is Free feat. Eryn Allen Kane
Together Again feat. No I.D. and James Poyser
Feel Alive feat. Karolina and Loren Oden
There Is No Greater Love feat. Loren Oden and Saudia Yasmein
