If you’re looking for some great new music to discover this weekend, look no further than our weekly New Release Cheat Sheet.
New Songs and Videos
Black Flower, “Morning in the Jungle” [Video Premiere]
Black Flower, the Brussels-based hybrid jazz five-piece led by saxophonist/flutist/composer Nathan Daems, released their new album, Magma, on January 28 on Sdban Ultra. Order it here. The quintet is known for its vibrant mix of Ethio jazz, afrobeat, psychedelia and oriental influences. The lead single from the upcoming record, “Morning in the Jungle,” features mystical vocals from Belgian singer Meskerem Mees. The accompanying video, shot by Victor Van Rossem, was shot on 16mm Kodak film using a homemade “time-slice” device developed by Tim Macmillan back in the early eighties.
Aaron Neville and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, “Stompin’ Ground”
Vocalist Aaron Neville and star-studded horn section Dirty Dozen Brass Band have recorded a collaborative studio track, “Stompin’ Ground.” The song appears in the upcoming documentary Take Me To The River: New Orleans, directed by Martin Shore, which documents the musical lineage of New Orleans. It will also be included in the documentary’s soundtrack album, due out April 1 via Petaluma Records. Pre-order it here.
Tigran Hamasyan, “Ara Resurrected (Dawatile Remix)”
Armenian pianist/composer Tigran Hamasyan has released the remix of “Ara Resurrected,” a song that had originally appeared on his acclaimed 2020 full-length, The Call Within. The remix, released via Nonesuch, was recorded by David Kiledjian, a.k.a. Dawatile, and finds the producer/composer/instrumentalist adding electronic elements to Hamasyan’s piano playing from the original recording. Listen to it via the player below. “Ara Resurrected (Dawatile Remix)” also follows Hamasyan’s previously-released variation on “Our Film,” another track from The Call Within, titled “Revisiting the Film.”
New Albums
Iwan VanHetten, Parabbean Tales (Blue Canoe)
UK-based trumpeter/keyboardist/composer Iwan VanHetten combines Caribbean-influenced music with contemporary jazz and funk on his upcoming Blue Canoe debut, Parabbean Tales. Out today on Blue Canoe, the album weaves a narrative of VanHetten’s childhood and expresses the love for his native music. Order Parabbean Tales here.
Azar Lawrence, New Sky (Trazar)
Joined by an illustrious cast of musicians, veteran saxophonist/composer Azar Lawrence reflects on the positives gained in recent times and offers a defiantly optimistic musical soundtrack for the post-pandemic age. The resulting New Sky is also a culmination of Lawrence’s musical journey and, as he shares via a statement, “all those energies that have been acquired throughout that journey coming together in a focused manner.” Order New Sky here.
Stro Elliot, Black & Loud: James Brown Reimagined by Stro Elliot (UMe)
Producer Stro Elliot celebrates the legacy of James Brown via ten new remixes of some of the funk pioneer’s most iconic tracks. “There are genres and subgenres that wouldn’t exist today without him,” he says via a statement. “Whatever genre one might place me is included. This is a dissection and celebration of that.” Order Black & Loud here.
Click here to read our list of new albums released this month (February 2022) that you need to know about.
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