Vibrations

“Vibrations”

(DeepMatter)

London and its surrounding areas continue to provide creative cauldrons for jazz and jazz-adjacent music. Brixton-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Simon Jefferis has been stirring excitement with his hybrid of jazz, hip-hop and electronica, working a retro-futuristic blend seam that’s also proven fertile ground for the London-based quintet PYJÆN. In fact, a couple members of that group (saxophonist Ben Vize and trumpeter Dylan Jones) join Jefferis on his debut full-length recording, Vibrations (DeepMatter). A deft hand at creating engaging beats, Jefferis also plays guitar, keyboards, bass and percussion, in addition to drums, on most tracks here. For the album’s title track, Jefferis crafts a very chill vibe, a liquid bass line and a slinky hip-hop/R&B-inspired backbeat maintaining a relaxed but never complacent rhythm. Ife Ogunjobi contributes a bright trumpet solo before ceding the spotlight to pianist David Mrakpor, who matches the mood with a radiant statement of his own. The piece winds down on an unexpectedly lovely note.