Contemporary Jazz

The all-star collaboration between a producer, a saxophonist, and a symphony is a celestial event. But it’s Pharoah Sanders’ playing that holds it all together, a clear late-career masterpiece.

Dance, No One's Watching is an ode to the sacred, yet joyous act of dancing, an album that musically guides you through a night out in the city, from the opening of possibilities as a new evening spans out ahead, to dawn’s final hours as the night comes to a close.

Blue Note Re:imagined is a brand-new collection of classic Blue Note tracks, reworked and newly recorded by a selection of the UK scene’s most exciting young talents.

Marc Moulin’s Top Secret is a mixed bag of downtempo jazz treats and sweet-sounding rhythmic forays into the dark of night

Trumpeter, bandleader and composer Matthew Halsall announces landmark new album An Ever Changing View, an expansive, immaculately conceived project which presents Halsall’s signature blend of jazz, electronica, global and spiritual jazz influences. 

Like former and present Gondwana Records label mates such as GoGo Penguin and Portico Quartet there’s something strongly cinematic about Kessoncoda’s music, like a narrative arc which unfolds through different themes and moods, with an ebb-and-flow of intensity, as breath-taking swells of melody burst into being, eventually to resolve in a wondrous climax.

Nala Sinephro’s sophomore album, titled Endlessness, expands her scope from the inward journey of Space 1.8 into widescreen orchestral ambient jazz compositions.

After putting down the saxophone, the instrument he has become synonymous with, Shabaka returns with his first full length album under his own name.

London Brew is inspired by Miles Davis’ album, Bitches Brew. Recorded in December 2020 at the Church Studios, this three-day recording session brings together 12 London-based artists

Elevating, uplifting and beautifully arranged.

Almost three decades on from their last release, Acid Jazz forefathers Galliano are back with news of their new LP ‘Halfway Somewhere’ which is being released on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings.

Superkilen the new album from Danish duo Svaneborg Kardyb, Nikolaj Svaneborg (keyboards) and Jonas Kardyb (drums), is named after a public park in the ethnically diverse Nørrebro district of Copenhagen.

Tom Misch releases his highly anticipated debut album Geography via his own label Beyond The Groove / Kobalt Music Recordings.

Kamasi Washington releases his new album, Fearless Movement, via Young. Washington calls Fearless Movement his dance album.

Blue Note Re:imagined returns this year with a new 16-track compilation featuring fresh takes on music from the illustrious Blue Note vaults recorded by a heavyweight line-up of the UK jazz, soul and R&B scene’s most hotly-tipped rising stars.

Translated from Spanish as 'The Shade', Chip Wickham's debut album La Sombra drops after a 25-year career touring, recording and experimenting across three decades of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, Latin and electronica.

Emma-Jean Thackray, the visionary producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, releases her highly anticipated second album, Weirdo via Gilles Peterson’s celebrated label, Brownswood Recordings / Parlophone Records.

Butcher Brown releases their new album, Solar Music. While rooted in jazz, their musical exploration expands into a blend of genres, including Hip-Hop and R&B / Soul.

First Word Records is very proud to bring you a brand new EP from Amanda Whiting, entitled 'Can You See Me Now?'

Channeling spiritual/modal jazz and Latin rhythms, they simultaneously reference the greats such as Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane, while maintaining a fresh perspective on ensemble dynamics.

A galvanising statement of intent, traversing jazz, funk, dub, hip-hop and soul music, entirely written, produced and mixed by Armon-Jones himself.

Horizon is a new collaborative album by Resavoir & Matt Gold.

Chip's back for more, partnering with Lovemonk once again to enchant and heal with his cosmic, spiritual jazz.

Two-time ARIA Award-winning Naarm / Melbourne-based psychedelic jazz outfit Mildlife present their much-anticipated third studio album, Chorus.

Shabaka Hutchings debut release under his own name, Afrikan Culture, was released on Impulse! Records in May 2022. 

Orbits, the sophomore LP from The Circling Sun, channels the cosmic energy of '70s spiritual jazz, filtered through synths, layered percussion, and ethereal choirs.

The James Taylor Quartet were the original group on the Acid Jazz scene, and ‘In The Hand Of The Inevitable’ was their triumphant 1995 Top 40 return to the Acid Jazz label.

Ashley Henry presents his second album, Who We Are, a London-born jazz journey that unites devotion, collective dreaming, and the fight for freedom.

Something For Real’ is Kiefer’s first ever live album, performed by Kiefer and his trio, consisting of frequent collaborators Luke Titus and Pera Krstajic.

Greg Foat’s The Glass Frog, released on Blue Crystal Records, is a sublime blend of smooth jazz and spacey, euphoric atmospheres. Foat shines as the lead at times, while the band complements him perfectly, setting a relaxing mood throughout the album.

A part of Gilles Peterson’s expanded network, Future Bubblers is backed by Arts Council England, which continues to focus on uncovering unsigned talent and growing the audience for innovative, experimental music.

Marysia Osu’s debut album, “harp, beats & dreams,” is a captivating journey of self-exploration and emotional expression, blending classical harp with innovative electronic production. A graduate of Brownswood’s ‘Bubblers’ academy and a key member of Levitation Orchestra, Marysia brings a unique background, including a classical music degree from Trinity Laban.

Multi-award-winning singer-songwriter and leading UK jazz vocalist Zara McFarlane releases Sweet Whispers – Celebrating Sarah Vaughan on 14th June.

2023 sees the return of multi-talented Norwegian producer Espen Horne to Wah Wah 45s, after a 24 year hiatus.

Matthew Halsall releases a limited-edition vinyl only pressing of Bright Sparkling Light, a luminous three track EP featuring some of his most gorgeous compositions. 

What We Say / What We Do is nothing short of a triumph, it will make you dance, you will play it on repeat, and after every couple of listens your favourite song will change, just like a good record should, right? And this is a great record. The synths on The Unknown dance around a creeping rhyth...

John Carroll Kirby follows up his Stones Throw debut My Garden with a vinyl release of a collection of ambient pieces for piano.

Chip Wickham is a jazz musician and producer who divides his time between Spain, UK and the Middle-East and who has made a name for himself with a series of beautifully crafted solo albums that draw equally on the hard swinging spiritual jazz of Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef and Sahih Shihab, alongside the music of British jazz legends such as Tubby Hayes and Harold McNair and the more contemporary sounds of Jazzanova, Kyoto Jazz Massive and Robert Glasper.

Blue Note Re:imagined II once again infuses the spirit of the new UK jazz generation into the legendary label’s iconic catalogue.

“Necessary Fictions” is an album of ambitious fresh developments from a band fully at ease with who they are: confident enough to open the door to collaboration, excited about where they can explore next, and keen to have fun doing so.

For his third long-player under the Phi-Psonics banner, Ford-Young marshalled a series of live recordings at the Healing Force Of The Universe record store in Pasadena, sculpting fourteen tracks, largely composed in the moment with a fluctuating cast of players, which wonderfully transmit his ideals of community and inner peace.

Web Web with their sixth album in seven years and with a new touch. More psychedelic, sometimes more krauty than before.

Inspired by the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north-west of Madrid, his home since August 2022, Milo Fitzpatrick presents Sierra Tracks the new album from his expansive, cinematic, chamber-jazz project Vega Trails.

A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole is the latest album from London-based composer-poet-activist-improviser Alabaster DePlume, his first major work following 2022’s GOLD and 2020's To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol 1.

Sixteen years after their previous effort, in 2017 Nicola Conte met again his friend and colleague Gianluca Petrella, an encounter that led to the release of 3 EP's and this full-length album.

Diogo Silva, Nuno Fulgêncio and Rui Martins collectively go by the name Bardino.

The publication of "Jet Sounds" in October 2000 and its subsequent release on the international market represented the turning point from the initial productions carried forward by Schema and the new course taken by the label reaching sales of 40,000 copies and still counting.

At 88 years of age, the Ghanian highlife and afrobeat pioneer Ebo Taylor travelled to the US for the very first time to perform at the now iconic Jazz Is Dead concert series, selling out venues across the country. It was during this time that Ebo recorded a psychedelic afrobeat album alongside Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Dutch jazz/dance group Jazzinvaders team up with the legendary organist Lonnie Smith for this kicking new 10 track album that was recorded live in the studio.

In truth, there is so much on this album to appeal to so many different listeners: tight – and new! – beats, exotic melody, far-out horns, references from within and without the worlds of Jazz, Library, Ethio, etc etc, as well as the wholly analogue ATA sound that satisfies DJs and audiophiles alike.

Tear-up bad-boy brass-band scorchers. Just like dad crossed Sun Ra with Kool And The Gang, this crashes funkdafied New Orleans street jazz into hip hop. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is a 9-piece, Chicago-based jazz group featuring 8 sons of Phil Cohran (SUN RA) on horns.

Across the Not Real People EP, oreglo showcase their innovative take on multiple genres: freewheeling through heavy rock riffs to drill-inspired percussion and breezy reggae, the quartet have cultivated a unique sound that acts as a melting pot of all the sounds they know and love from London.

Hill Collective is a jazz ensemble based in Brighton, UK. Led by saxophonist and composer Pete Piskov, the group offers a fresh musical attitude, employing modern improvisation techniques and nuanced compositions - a soulful, avant-garde addition to the bustling UK jazz landscape.

UK jazz ensemble The Jazz Defenders release their third album "Memory In Motion" in April on Haggis Records (home of The Haggis Horns and Malcolm Strachan).

For the first time, Brandt Brauer Frick’s seminal album Mr. Machine is reissued on coloured vinyl.

"We're at a point now where playing and writing together can sometimes feel almost telepathic, that as individuals we can tune in to a collective resonance..."

Snarky Puppy has built a loyal following with their adventurous blend of jazz, rock and funk based around a heavy touring schedule and live-in-studio video content. 

The music on Mensa Rotunda collects inspiration from numerous sources, but always with a groovy beat as companion. 

On this unique session, two of the finest exponents of the London jazz scene, Tamar Osborn and Al MacSween, join forces with members of the celebrated Danish psychedelic underground – Jonas Munk, Jakob Skøtt and Martin Rude – to create a heady sonic brew. 

Sababa 5 continues their musical journey following the success of their acclaimed self-titled debut album, which fused deep funk and Middle Eastern grooves.

Impulse! Records proudly announces the signing of free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements with their label debut Protect Your Light.

UK jazz master Chip Wickham follows last year’s brilliant soulful long-player Cloud 10 with a deftly crafted, reflective EP of beautiful spiritual jazz sounds influenced by the soulful sounds of Yusef Lateef.

Halsall draws on a diverse range of influences from Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, Phil Cohran and Leon Thomas to the more contemporary sounds of The Cinematic Orchestra, Max Richter and Nils Frahm to deliver his most complete recording to date. 

Over the course of the last five years, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio have established themselves as the world's premier funky organ trio.

Jazz Room Head Honcho Paul Murphy kept hearing all these fab versions of some of his favourite tunes. He couldn't release them all, a year is just not long enough so it was time to put together the first Jazz Room Records Compilation, entitled JAZZ ROOM PRESENTS: COVERS. Snappy & to the point.

Jiyu has been described as modern late-night nu cosmic space jazz, and releasing their latest highly acclaimed second album, Totem of Quiet Mystic, the group has received international recognition from medias like Jazzwise and from a wide array of iconic DJs like Patrick Forge and Chris Coco.

Greg Foat, Moses Boyd and Jihad Darwish in a classic piano trio setting.

Now performing with a full live band, the LP demonstrates an impressive progression in not only Greg’s own musicianship, but also the project’s overall scope, allowing him to push boundaries and capture the energy that only a group of musicians can.

Daybreak is Sven Wunder’s fifth full-length album, seamlessly continuing the progression of his musical oeuvre.

Greg Foat and Forest Law (Brownwood, Bongo Joe)collaborate on an epic concept album about Life, Death, painting and Surfing. Inspired by the art and life of a local Isle of Wight artist and surfing legend Dave Gray.

Described by the Wall Street Journal as “one of modern music’s most compelling vocalists,” New York-born and Tamil Nadu-raised singer and multi-instrumentalist ganavya shares an ambitious new album, "Daughter of a Temple", via LEITER.

Keyboardist, producer and songwriter Joe Armon-Jones shares his most elevated solo project to date, ‘All The Quiet’. A galvanising statement of intent, traversing jazz, funk, dub, hip hop and soul music, entirely written, produced and mixed by Armon-Jones himself.

This compilation sees the return of Acid Jazz’s iconic ‘ Totally Wired’ series, which became a huge success in the early 1990s, following the international breakthrough of the likes of The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai and the James Taylor Quartet.

Nadav Schneerson's debut album, Sheva was recorded over two days at the Fish Factory Studio in London.

Lascelle 'Lascelles' Gordon - the driving force behind Vibration Black Finger – astonishes us yet again with a magnificent second album.

The album marks the Hot 8 Brass Band's first new project since 2019, featuring previously released single "Big Tuba", their cover of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and Al Green's "Let's Stay Together".

Makaya McCraven’s International Anthem debut In The Moment is the album that properly introduced the then-burgeoning drummer/producer to the world.

A Paradise In The Hold is an album of yearning. It’s about Ivor Novello Award winning Yazz Ahmed’s dual heritage, drawing on traditional music and folklore as well as her own personal experience as a British-Bahraini woman.

List of Demands, Damon Locks' first foray into creating an entire album from spoken and text-based work, finds the Chicago-based musician and educator collecting cultural abstractions and reorganizing them into a firm truth. The album lays out a vision of Black liberation and transmits it outward as a song cycle of bite-sized.

Three time Grammy nominated Hiatus Kaiyote return with their eagerly anticipated new album Love Heart Cheat Code.