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.

RE:WARM Records are very pleased to announce their next release ‘Rituals’, a new compilation series from the curator and DJ, Josh Mason-Quinn, aka Somewhere Soul.

A captivating and emotive listen, ‘The Eternal Now’ sees Chip at the top of his game, creating an other-worldly dreamscape with enchanting sound.

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. 

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

It’s a deeply personal oering about her trek to falling back in love with musical composition over the past four years.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

First Word Records is very proud to present 'The Liminality of Her', a brand new 10-track album from their newest signing, Amanda Whiting; a highly-acclaimed Welsh harpist & composer.

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

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.

First Word Records are very proud to bring you a new album from Don Leisure with Amanda Whiting.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Drums in Dub features eight tracks of instrumental Dub delight, specially designed for the 1970s Dub connoisseur.

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. 

Mildlife's 2018 critically renowened album 'Phase' back in supply.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

New York-born, Tamil Nadu-raised singer and transdisciplinarian Ganavya – “among modern music's most compelling vocalists,” according to the Wall Street Journal – releases her new album, Nilam.

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).

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. 

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.

On Kaleidoscopic Visions, one of London’s most vital musical figures gives us a sparkling glimpse of the multi-coloured lens through which his unique sound is now refracting

Ancient Infinity Orchestra is a joyous large ensemble that has communal music-making at the heart of everything they do. And that includes the melodies that flow out of their new album It’s Always About Love which blossom with uplifting improvised contributions that circle around bandleader Ozzy Moysey’s beautiful songs; generous sonic gifts of healing and repair.

Greg Foat's newest project '6 Days in Leysin' is yet again, highly anticipated amongst his loyal fan base. With over 100k monthly listeners on Spotify, and over 6k Instagram followers - each Greg Foat album exceeds the last. Greg's last release, 'Midnight Wave' has hit 50k streams in it's first 3 weeks.

Find a Way' is the new album from Manchester-based pianist, composer, and producer Matt Wilde, released via his own imprint Hello World Records. The album serves as a reminder that creativity should be accessible and the importance of opening yourself to the unexpected as you 'Find a Way' through all endeavours. Digging into improvisation and jazz harmony on the LP, he crafts a sound that bridges jazz, hip hop, and electronic music, adding: "The creative act is not a matter of waiting for the perfect conditions, but of moving gently, insistently, through the imperfect".

Nadya Albertsson returns with her most personal work to date, Swaying, out now via Rebecca’s Records.

The acclaimed album from Svaneborg Kardyb is now repressed on bio vinyl. The Danish duo, Nikolaj Svaneborg (keys) and Jonas Kardyb (drums, percussion) craft intricate, cyclical compositions that balance introspective warmth with an underlying sense of movement. Jazz-tinged minimalism that drifts between contemplation and momentum, where soft Wurlitzer swells and crisp percussion ripple like echoes in still water.

A blend of jazz, ambient, and experimental sounds, the album was crafted in a spontaneous, deeply personal atmosphere, recorded late at night in the cozy, smoky setting of SFJ headquarters

Drawing on contemporary classical, free jazz, and ambient influences - think Alice Coltrane, Ambrose Akinmusire, Kaija Saariaho, Azimuth, and Angel Bat Dawid - the trio’s instrumentation creates a sound that is both expansive and intimate.

On his sixth studio release Roulette, the prolific producer, songwriter, pianist and MC Alfa Mist has created his own sci-fi universe - a vast dystopia where themes of revenge, forgiveness and redemption loom large.

Internationally acclaimed drummer, producer, and sonic collagist Makaya McCraven returns to announce four distinct yet interconnected EPs - Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, and PopUp Shop. The four EPs are also compiled on a 2xLP physical release titled Off the Record, Together they mark McCraven’s first recorded offerings since 2022’s In These Times and a deep return to his signature “organic beat music” approach. Built from live recordings, the music is later reshaped by McCraven via extensive editing, overdubs, and post-production at his home studio in Chicago.

Backed by bassist Tom Driessler (Yussef Dayes, Adele) and drummer Zoe Pascal, the album showcases Yoni’s distinctive, outward-looking approach to instrumental music, merging jazz elements with modern, experimental and electronic influences.

Pino Palladino and Blake Mills return with their second collaborative album, That Wasn’t a Dream on New Deal / Impulse! Records

An instrumental Suite based on a day in their home town of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Featuring local musicians and field recordings of bird song and pubs, this album captures the essence of life in this seaside town.

Following the underground success of their 2019 Coastal County, the duo returns with a new installment that expands their instrumental universe.

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.

Named after the theoretical breakdown of the basic elements of conscious experience, Alfa Mist's latest album 'Structuralism' is based around a conversation between Mist and his sister, discussing themes of debate culture and personal growth and is an intricate and profound glimpse into the East London artist's battles with self and the societal pressures that inform our own conscious experience.

Dream Manifest is the latest visionary statement from GRAMMY-nominated trumpeter, composer, and producer Theo Croker—a transcendent sonic journey blending jazz, soul, electronica, and Afro-futurist storytelling into a genre-fluid experience.

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.

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.