The Listening Guide
🎶 The listening guide: five albums, released during the past twelve months, chosen around a weekly theme 🎶
This week’s theme is jazz remixed: five remix records putting a new spin on album material from some outstanding players and groups. Tracks from trumpeter Yelfris Valdés’ first full-length record are remixed by artists like Quantic and Likwid Continual Space Motion on For The Ones...Remixed, while DJ Plead and Asmara are amongst the four artists to remix tracks from fellow trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s album, Polyhymnia. Joe Downard had a hand in the remixing of his own project, Seven Japanese Tales, with Todd Speakman Sound also contributing to two different remixes of two album tracks. Germany’s Web Web—already known as willing collaborators—hand remix responsibilities to the likes of Khalab, Hector Romero & Alaya on their Remixes #1 EP. Rounding off the list is a part remix, part live session EP from Bryony Jarman-Pinto. Artists like dego and 2000Black are on hand to remix her tune, Sour Face. You can support each of these remix projects on Bandcamp!
Yelfris Valdés – For The Ones... Remixed
Yazz Ahmed – Polyhymnia Remixed
Album of the Week
Our NQ Jazz album of the week is the eponymous debut album from 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition winner, Samara Joy. Joy is backed by the Pasquale Grasso Trio on this twelve song tour de force, recorded at Oktaven Audio in October, 2020. Referring to the album and its songs, Joy says: “It's a glimpse of what I've learned so far, and a way for me to pay homage to those who have come before, while lending my own perspective to these songs.” You can support the album on Bandcamp!
Classic Album
Our classic album this week comes from the late saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and educator Gigi Gryce–later known as Basheer Qusim. Recorded with Rudy Van Gelder and released in 1960, The Rat Race Blues features trumpeter Richard Williams, pianist Richard Wyands, bassist Julian Euell, and drummer Granville Roker. The album proved to be one of Gryce’s last as leader. His quintet morphed into the Gigi Gryce Orch-tette, resulting in another album release in 1961, but it is thought that Gryce began to withdraw from the jazz scene later in the decade. Both his genius for a lick and his abilities as a solo player are evident on Blue In Bloom, one of two Norman Mapp pieces amongst the album’s five tracks. The album is available on streaming services within a collection of Gryce’s classic albums from 1955-60. You can find hard copies on platforms such as Discogs.