WHAT AM I LISTENING TO THIS WEEK? Week 5

This post and more to follow each week will bring to your attention some of the albums I’m currently listening to. Check them out. You may find something you like. That is my hope.

This week I have a mixture of new, older (not old), Jazz, jazz funk, Soul jazz, rock and fusion. Just trying to keep y’all well rounded.

SOULIVE – DOIN’ SOMTHING

I’m still in my funky mood so I came across this group. I remember hearing some of their tunes back in the day. This jazz funk group is made up of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums) and Neal Evans (Hammond B3 organ, bass keys, clavinet). These guys are from Woodstock New York and the band started in the late nineties. This was a 2001 album from their Blue Note recordings.

STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS – RHYTHM PEOPLE (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization)

This album kicks ass. It’s a mixture of funk and jazz fusion with an edgy dose of underground black soul rebelliousness (don’t ask me to explain that). This 1990 album was saxophonist Steve Coleman’s 5th album and 4th with Five Elements. This is one of my favorite albums period.

KING CRIMSON – BEAT

One of my favorite rock groups of all time King Crimson still sounds relevant even in the saturation and mishmash of todays rock genre. These guys were at times very weird but hugely talented. But their music was always on the edge and pushing boundaries. This is just one of their many excellent albums. It’s featured here because I recently purchased an original vinyl copy.

YUSSEF KAMAAL – BLACK FOCUS

This group encompasses two people, Kamaal Williams (keys) and Yussef Dayes (drums). You may remember back in my blog week 4 we listened to Kamaal’s New Heights/Snitches Brew mini LP. This 2016 date was their only release together. They toured extensively with guest artist following the release. They have since split up but separately they’ve moved on to become promising artist on their own.

DONNY McCASLIN – FAST FUTURE

Donny McCaslin, more recently known for his role on David Bowie’s final album Blackstar, is a saxophonist who has been recording jazz since the early 90s. I find this album to be one of his more creative and accessible releases. If you are a vocal fan you can check out Blackstar or his 2018 release Blow.

Here is an added bonus. Donny’s Fast future with the NEC Jazz Orchestra