Looking for some Monday motivation? We’ve got you covered. From a rock legend’s first jazz project to a preview of one of today’s top music mavericks' first album release in five years, here are five new songs you can listen to right now to start your week the right way.
Snarky Puppy, "Embossed"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCjE6Vl5XOM
Snarky Puppy is releasing a series of bonus and extended tracks from the recording session of their latest album Immigrance. "Embossed," written by Snarky Puppy member Bill Laurance, is the first of these to have been shared. The rest of them will be released throughout the remainder of 2019. Laurence, via a press release, says of "Embossed" that it is "a reaction to the social, political and environmental anxiety of the times. It's a musical call to arms, asking the listener to engage both as an individual and as a member of larger movements for change."
Chrissie Hynde, "Caroline, No"
https://youtu.be/wZbXqz-23AE
Rock legend Chrissie Hynde has announced that her first jazz-tipped album of covers, Valve Bone Woe, will be released on September 6, and shared a preview track from the album - a piano-led take on The Beach Boys' "Caroline, No." Bone Valve Woe, produced by Marius De Vries and Eldad Guetta, was recorded with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble and features renditions of songs from a wide range of artists, including Frank Sinatra, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus, among others. The Pretenders frontwoman told Clash that "jazz is something I grew up around (thanks to my bro) and I've always had a soft spot for it."
Ashley Henry, "The Mighty"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55RgMczXMRM
London pianist-composer Ashley Henry has shared "The Mighty," a genre-bending track showcasing his varied roots and influences - from hip-hop to grime to classic jazz. This is the first single from his 15-track album Beautiful Vinyl Hunter, which will feature such great artists as Makaya McCraven, Keyon Harrold, Ben Marc and Luke Flowers, and be released on September 6. Beautiful Vinyl Hunter is Henry's follow-up to his Easter EP. The British artist has said of his music that it is "a straight-up reflection of who I am; London in all its mixed up glory. The immigrant in me has musical roots that are traced back to the 1600s, so it's important my music today reflects that jazz alpha narrative across different genres and generations."
Flying Lotus, "Spontaneous" and "Takashi"
https://open.spotify.com/album/4SVExpnvY3JkEo3FeEGSMH
Flying Lotus has announced his new album, Flamagra by sharing two new tracks from the record: "Spontaneous," a breezy ballad featuring singer-songwriter Yukimi Nagano of the electronic group Little Dragon, and the soulful, nonconformist jazz instrumental "Takashi." Flamagra is due out May 24 via Warp Records and is Flying Lotus' first album in five years, following 2014's You're Dead. It will feature a wide range of great guest artists, including cult filmmaker David Lynch on the lead track "Fire Is Coming," plus Solange, Anderson .Paak and Thundercat, among others.
Ron Carter and Danny Simmons, "For a Pistol"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqkeubz6RNk
Bass legend Ron Carter and acclaimed poet Danny Simmons have announced the release of a new album, The Brown Beatnik Tomes - Live at BRIC House, on July 7 via Blue Note. The album documents a night of jazz and poetry from last autumn at Brooklyn's BRIC House and that featured a selection of poems and paintings from Simmons' 2014 book, The Brown Beatniks Tomes. "For a Pistol," the album opener as well as its first single, embraces the activist spirit of the late writer/poet Amiri Baraka, an influential voice in African-American history and culture.
Featured photo by Andre Stumpf.
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