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21 exhilarating records from the contemporary UK jazz scene
We’re living during an amazing era for UK jazz. Here’s a list of the records which have captured the energy of the new movement and pushed the genre forward.
It's undeniable that British jazz is having a breakthrough moment – but if you've had your ear to the ground, you'll know the scene has been buzzing for years. Musicians are studying the greats while experimenting with new styles, incorporating elements of dub, hip-hop, Afrobeat, UKG and grime, bringing together diverse heritages and creating new cultural contexts.
In the past, jazz’s reputation has perhaps suffered slightly from the perception of an elitist attitude among its fanbase. But the contemporary UK scene is welcoming of new listeners who’ve been enticed towards jazz via club music and hip-hop. “Jazz is something I’m relatively new to,” admits DJ Jamz Supernova, who presented a Jazz Special on her 1XTRA show last November – a show she calls "hands down the best piece of radio I have made!" Her new love for the genre is rooted in a recognition of the way jazz underpins a lot of contemporary music – even if the influence isn't always obvious. "I feel it’s my duty to showcase all sides of black culture," she continues. "And perhaps it will inspire a listener like me, who on the surface thinks they have no ties to jazz music in it’s current form, but listening to the new wave artists now knows that its influence has been there the whole time.”
In recognition of this exciting era, here's a list of 21 great UK jazz records released in the last decade, selected by scene leaders – including Tenderlonius, Emma-Jean Thackray and Adam Moses – and some of the UK best music writers. OK, we've bent the rules in a few places – collaborators from outside the UK appear on a few of these records – but we’re arguing that this is all in the spirit of the free-spirited vibe of contemporary jazz. Scroll down to delve into some of the best records the scene has produced.
We Out Here artwork
© Brownswood
1. Various Artists
We Out Here (Brownswood, 2018)
If you’re looking for a clear entry point into London’s new jazz underground, We Out Here may be your best bet. Conceived by Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings and recorded in a three-day stint at Fish Factory Studio in Dollis Hill, London in August 2017, the nine-track compilation brings together many of the scene’s key players, including Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Joe Armon-Jones and Shabaka Hutchings. Its take on jazz is at times faithful, other times open to outside influence: hear how Moses Boyd’s The Balance layers silky electronics and cascading drum loops, a reminder of his parallel fascination for grime and hip-hop beat tapes; or Theon Cross’ Brockley, which sees the bandleader using the deep tones of his chosen instrument, the tuba, like an electronic producer might employ blasts of sub bass. (Louis Pattison)
2. Nubya Garcia
Nubya's 5ive (Jazz Re:freshed, 2017)
Nubya Garcia plays the saxophone like she's dancing, for pleasure, to her own band. Whether she's playing over something loose and funky (Lost Kingdoms), complex and hyperkinetic (Red Sun), or gently leviational (the opening of Contemplation), each note she plays radiates the joy of just being there, and a sense of multidirectional possibility: a nonchalant sense that whichever way she goes next will be the right choice.
This album is one of the greatest statements yet of how the new London jazz generation can be faithful to the deep history of the music, while still making club music that works in the moment: in particular, Moses Boyd's drumming manages to replicate oddly modern twists, like J Dilla sampler glitches or accumulating dub echoes while still locked into the ensemble. Particularly when the Black-Atlantic African-Latin-Caribbean swing of the two versions of Hold kicks in, this is one of the ultimate expressions of today's jazz being created specifically for bodies in motion in the here and now. (Joe Muggs)
3. Tom Misch
Beat Tape 2 (Beyond The Groove 3, 2015)
Picked by: Jamz Supernova
For me, this project was my starting point, in terms of the sort early sounds I was listening to that led me to jazz. I’m sure many purists would argue that it’s not a jazz album, but that’s what I love so much about the new wave! They’ve made it into their own thing. I think it inspired a lot of in the box producers and young self-taught producers to start experimenting with live sounds. I’ve always found it a soothing listen. Sometimes my mind and body are going a 100mph, so I’ll stick this on with headphones and it makes me stop and just be in the moment.
Yussef Kamaal
© Larissa Araz
4. Yussef Kamaal
Black Focus (Brownswood, 2016)
Dedicated jazz heads will tell you that the UK scene has been in fine health for ages, and labels such as Eglo, Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section and Tenderlonius’ 22a have long been funnelling jazzy textures onto the dancefloor via 4/4 club beats. But for a lot of young listeners, Black Focus was the crossover record that finally persuaded them to listen to instrumental jazz.
14 min
See. Hear. Now. with Yussef Kamaal
Watch an exclusive See. Hear. Now. session with UK jazz duo Yussef Kamaal.
Yussef Kamaal was the London duo of producer/keys player Kamaal Williams – also known by his successful house music project Henry Wu – and United Vibrations drummer Yussef Dayes. Tied together by their seemingly telepathic musical bond, Black Focus gave laidback excursions into jazz-funk and soulful hip-hop plenty of space to breathe, lightly juxtaposing them with breakbeat and jungle rhythms inspired by the urban machinery of the big smoke. The duo abruptly broke up within a year after the album’s release, but they left behind a documentation of this era that could one day be hailed as a classic. (Davy Reed)
12 min
See. Hear. Now. with Emma-Jean Thackray
Emma-Jean Thackray performs an exclusive See. Hear. Now. session.
5. Emma-Jean Thackray
Ley Lines (The Vinyl Factory, 2018)
Originally from Yorkshire, Emma-Jean Thackray’s entry into music was through Tingley Brass Band, for whom she played principle cornet aged 13. Thackray is hardly a traditionalist, though – a student of famed British improviser Keith Tippett, today you might find her encouraging the London Symphony Orchestra to wrap their violin strings with tinfoil, or dropping tuba and flugelhorn amidst rolling Afrobeat grooves. While before she’s often been found as part of a wider ensemble, Ley Lines – released 2018 on Vinyl Factory – finds the Red Bull Music Academy alumnus writing, composing, singing, and playing every instrument from the comfort of her own South London bedsit, inspired by the example of celebrated hip-hop beatmaker Madlib. (Louis Pattison)
6. Kamaal Williams
The Return (Black Focus, 2018)
Picked by: MckNasty
The live shows have been amazing. I think a lot of people don’t realise this but when myself, Pete [Martin, bassist] and Kamaal are on the stage and we’re experiencing what the people are experiencing all at the same time, because there’s a lot of improvisation. And that’s the way the record was done as well. Kamaal was just like ‘this is what I’m seeing in my head, here’s a blank canvas with the outlines, right boys get your paintbrushes out, let’s add some colour.’
5 min
Henry Wu presents Kamaal Williams and Children Of Zeus – Still Standing
Live band performance in Red Bull Studios London. Kamaal Williams and Children Of Zeus team up to perform an original version of Children Of Zeus' Still Standing, featuring The Triple S Choir.
There’s energy there, the youthful, boisterous, ‘I don’t give a fuck’ kind of thing. Like, we love all the greats – we love Miles [Davis], we love Herbie [Hancock], we love John Coltrane, [John] Scofield – but we’ve taken that, flipped it, and we’ve made some special music. The guys who came before us, they’ve done their thing. Reality is, we could never recreate what Herbie done. We could never recreate what Miles done. But we take influences, and we do what we do now. That Return record? I can’t even call it jazz. It’s just a vibe, it’s fresh. It’s a London thing.
Together, As One artwork
© Dinosaur
7. Dinosaur
Together, As One (Edition, 2016)
Picked by: Emma-Jean Thackray
Deerhoof, to John Zorn, to Django Bates, to Loose Tubes, to mystical Celtic folk melodies – all are woven into these truly haunting compositions. The sophisticated interplay between the group showcases their deep musical understanding of each other and years of playful collaboration, and the searching nature of the musicians of Dinosaur – four of the most able instrumentalists and improvisors to ever come out of the UK – are so vibrantly displayed in every moment. Yet with such displays of musical prowess, everything seems ego-less and all about serving the art. Dinosaur as ever are clever and full of wit and on Together, As One, with its strong aesthetic ties to Miles Davis's electric period, this album feels as important and genre breaking as those Miles albums turned out to be. Like we could look back in 20 years and see Together, As One being the turning point.
Galaxies not Ghettos
© United Vibrations
8. United Vibrations
Galaxies Not Ghettos (12tone C.I.C, 2011)
Picked by: Adam Moses of Jazz:refreshed
Right there at the beginning of this current new wave of London jazz – and hailing from South East London – was United Vibrations. They’re the blueprint.
UV are Wayne Francis (sax), Ahmad Dayes (trombone), Kareem Dayes (bass) and Yussef Dayes (drums). Their self-released album Galaxies Not Ghettos was a precursor to the sound that is commonplace now; a head swirling mix of Afrobeat, jazz-fusion and funk with a punk attitude. UV were known for their high-energy live shows with tracks like No Space No Time and My Way sending crowds into a frenzy on the dancefloor. It would not have been surprising if they struggled to recapture that vibe in the studio recorded album – but capture the vibe they did. The pulsating basslines, the triumphant horns, the empowering chants and the driving drum rhythms take listeners on a journey to jubilation – a journey on which they may see the face of Sun Ra!
Listen to Galaxies Not Ghettos over at Bandcamp
Tenderolonius
© Press
9. Tenderlonious – The Shakedown ft. The 22a Archestra (22a, 2018)
Picked by: Emma-Jean Thackray
22a continues to be at the heart of London's forward-thinking jazz scene. Right now everything feels like a lit firework and the 22a gang are definitely gunpowder. With their hearts rooted in the world of the hard-bop greats like Herbie and their ears searching for the deepest house 12"s, they keep your feet moving with the latest cut from Tender and the dream team. Driving grooves, lush chords and melodies that flirt with both disco and blues; the loose structures and jam-like feel of each tune keeps everything fresh and transports you to the studio to that very moment in time, to feel the energy and almost smell the jazz in that little room full of undoubtedly sweaty, wonderful boys.
Listen to the Shakedown over at Bandcamp
10. A.R.E. Project
A.R.E. Project (Technicolour, 2017)
We had to stretch the definition of "UK jazz" to include this one, but The A.R.E. Project is an intriguing experiment in the genre's recent history. The project is collaboration between Shabaka Hutchings and the US-born, India-raised and London-based percussionist Sarathy Kowar as well as Chicago experimentalist Hieroglyphic Being – who’s been known to incorporate jazz influences (both musical and spiritual) into the shimmering sound of his unconventional house and techno productions. Recorded across two live sessions (90 minutes of which were streamed via NTS) in London’s Lightship95 studio, the Association for Research and Enlightenment Project saw Kowar lock into the groove of Hieroglyphic Being's shimmering soundscapes while Hutchings let his soul soar via his sprawling sax. (Davy Reed)
11. Yazmin Lacey
Black Moon (Running Circle, 2017)
Picked by: Jamz Supernova
Yazmin Lacey is a Nottingham-based artist who came up through Gilles Peterson’s Future Bubblers initiative. This project is so well crafted and it’s a great introduction to her. My first thoughts were no one sings like this anymore! I liked the fact her vocals weren’t over processed. It’s an intimate record, I find myself feeling quiet and reflective whilst listening, thinking of past and current relationships. Yazmin is one of those artists that other artists really admire. We did a Future Bounce live show with a new US artist called Mac Ayres, and he personally requested her.
Instead artwork
© Colluctor
12. Collucutor
Instead (On The Corner, 2014)
Picked by: Tenderlonius
Instead was the debut LP by the Collucutor ensemble, led by the incomparable Tamar Osborn. You can hear the record has been inspired by some of the greats – Yusef Lateef, Joe Henderson, Alice Coltrane – with deep influences from classical, Indian and African styles. There’s a hypnotic mix of slow-moving woodwind, percussion and bass. In the crazy UK jazz scene we are living in today, this band have to be the most slept on and underrated. The level of musicianship is so high. Not many people could share a stage with these guys!
13. Joe Armon-Jones
Starting Today (Brownswood, 2018)
For his first album as a band leader, pianist and Ezra Collective member Joe Armon-Jones called in a few favours from prominent names in in the London jazz scene. Moses Boyd and Nubya Garcia are part of his band, while singer/guitarist Oscar Jerome makes a number of appearances on the album and Luke Newman – founder for the celebrated STEEZ jazz night – shows up to spit a surreal rap verse under the moniker Big Sharer. Not afraid to delve into other genres, Starting Today also sees Armon-Jones sprinkle his silky keys over dub and hip-hop influenced jams. An adventurous debut that shines with youthful energy. (Davy Reed)
New Jazz Imagination artwork
© [Ahmed]
14. [Ahmed]
New Jazz Imagination (Umlaut Records, 2017)
For all that Pat Thomas inhabits the post-serialist soundworld of free-improvisation, there’s a rhythmic drive to his piano playing that connects it not only to the jazz tradition, but to reggae, funk and jungle. Those currents flow through his and Orphy Robinson’s Afrofuturist free improvisation project Black Top. But they also feed into [Ahmed], his group with saxophonist Seymour Wright, drummer Antonin Gerbal, and bassist Joel Grip. Their 2017 debut New Jazz Imagination reimagines the music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik, an overlooked Arabic jazz pioneer of the 1950s. It’s a gas to hear an uncompromising avant-gardist like Wright digging into Abdul-Malik’s tunes with such glee. The group’s sense of groove is almost perverse, as Thomas and Gerbal lock into a demented march behind Wright’s stuck-record motifs. Somehow it totally swings. (Stewart Smith)
Find out more about New Jazz Imagination here.
Laptop Suntan
© Paper Tiger
15. Paper Tiger
Laptop Suntan (Wah Wah 45s, 2013)
Listening to Paper Tiger's records, at first, you could be forgiven for thinking they've primarily come out of a computer and sampler. The group, from Walsall via Leeds, are very much in the post-Flying Lotus “beat scene” tradition of psychedelic hip-hop, and the inclusion of UK and US rap and grime voices only amplifies the sense that these are beats first. But then you'll start to notice how the horn section is locked into the bleeps and swooshes, and that half the time you're not listening to a breakbeat cutup, but a drummer perfectly replicating a junglist or hip-hop beat scientist – and that's when the dawning realisation comes that yes, you're listening to a jazz record. (Joe Muggs)
Binker & Moses
© Press
16. Binker & Moses – Dem Ones (Gearbox, 2015)
Picked by: Adam Moses
This album goes in HARD and kind of sums up the new attitude of London jazz – raw and honest. The personalities of both Binker Golding and Moses Boyd are unleashed onto the beautiful vinyl: the way Binker can go from the playful – if you know Binker, you will know the jokes this guy has – to spitting pure fire through the horn. Similarly, how you can almost see Moses slyly smiling while licking shots on the drums.
On paper, this collaboration, although not a new idea in jazz – as there have been sax/drums duo albums from John Coltrane and Rashied Ali as well as Max Roach and Anthony Braxton to name a few – is still a tough format. No soft dancing keys, no deep rounded bass, just sax and drums, nowhere to hide. Yet, Dem Ones pulls you in and keeps you there. This is a record that won the accolades in the ”jazz world”, but they did it their own way. No compromise.
17. Matthew Halsall
On The Go (Gondwana Records, 2011)
Everything about Matthew Halsall's composing, arrangements and trumpet playing is beautifully poised. So much so, in fact, that even when they're uptempo, his pieces can feel crystalline: like they're natural structures hanging there, suspended in time. On this album, there's a wide variety, from the almost folk-ish modality of The Journey Home to the Latin-influenced and aptly titled Music For A Dancing Mind – and there’s always the spiritual aura of Don Cherry, Alice Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders hanging over things. But it's the dreamy ballads like Song for Charlie, Singing Everyday and Breathless, with their dreamy Bill Evans/Chet Baker drift, that his perfect poise really comes into focus. (Joe Muggs)
Shabaka and the Ancestors
© Leeroy Jason
18. Shabaka Hutchings & The Ancestors
Wisdom of Elders (Brownswood, 2016)
Picked by: Mcknasty
I think Shabaka’s really amazing. He’s got that whole experimental, eclectic, leftfield thing going on. It’s almost hippyish, kind of psychedelic. But at the same time it has an earthy influence to it as well, having an African background to it. That’s dope. [For this project] Shabaka brought those South African influences with the team he worked with out there. Siyabonga Mthembu from The Brother Moves On does some of the lead vocals [on this record] and he’s got this amazing depth to his voice, he almost sings from a very ancestral place. So the mixture of that, when ancestral and psychedelic collide… woah! I think that’s quite amazing.
Alexander Hawkins Cheltenham jazz festival
© Edu Hawkins Music Photography
19. Alexander Hawkins
Unit[e] (Self-released, 2017)
One of the most brilliant pianists of his generation, Alexander Hawkins has been active in numerous projects over the past decade, from hook-ups with master percussionist Han Bennink and Turkish cosmonauts Konstrukt, to his own solo and ensemble excursions. The 2017 double album Unit[e] sees the Oxford-based pianist wave goodbye to the septet who recorded 2014’s deliciously knotty Step Wide, Step Deep, and introduce a larger group featuring London improvisers like Julie Kjaer and Alex Ward, alongside younger players like Dinosaur’s Laura Jurd. The septet disc – which features Sons of Kemet’s Shabaka Hutchings and Tom Skinner – pays homage to American free jazz on Jerome Cooper’s stomping We The People, and channels everything from European modernism to Chicago house on the two part “[C]all”. On the second disc, Hawkins presides over a controlled chaos of skewed jazz motifs and mind-boggling free improvisation, all the while maintaining a conceptual unity. (Stewart Smith)
Listen to Unit[e] on Bandcamp
Your Queen Is a Reptile artwork
© Sons of Kemet
20. Sons of Kemet
Your Queen Is A Reptile (Impulse!, 2018)
Making their debut on the legendary jazz label Impulse!, Shabaka Hutchings’ band Sons of Kemet delivered an exhilarating statement which bursts with rebellious energy. Standing in opposition to the British monarchy, SoK dedicated each song on the LP to an inspirational women of colour – Angela Davis, Doreen Lawrence, anti-apartheid activist Albertina Sisulu and Hutchings’ great grandmother Ada Eastman are among those who are coronated as queens. Musically, the set up is minimal. There’s Hutchings’ saxophone, Theon Cross’ tuba and a dual drummer setup, featuring a rotating cast of Tom Skinner, Seb Rochford, Eddie Hick and Moses Boyd. Vocalists Congo Natty and Joshua Idehen make brief appearances. Between them, the musicians harness great power, using ragga, dub, and grime to help fuel this original, hard-hitting style of jazz. (Davy Reed)
21. Melt Yourself Down
Melt Yourself Down (Leaf, 2013)
A long-running maverick voice in British jazz, saxophonist Peter Wareham rose to recognition as part of Acoustic Ladyland, an adventurous London group whose 2005 album invested jazz with the raucous energy of punk rock. Wareham also plays in Seb Rochford’s Polar Bear and the London collective F-IRE, but his most startling group is undoubtedly Melt Yourself Down. Named after an album by no-wave saxophonist James Chance, the project – which has also featured Shabaka Hutchings, Mauritian vocalist Kushal Gaya and electronica producer Leafcutter John – is a full-tilt exploration of North African, Middle Eastern and Latin American styles that flattens cultural differences through sheer steamroller momentum. (Louis Pattison)
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