The Listening Guide
🎶 The listening guide: five albums, released during the past twelve months, chosen around a weekly theme 🎶
With Brownswood’s ‘Indaba Is’ compilation, featuring a number of exciting contemporary jazz artists from South Africa, due early next year, this week’s listening guide features five albums by artists from South Africa. From young drummer Tefo Mahola’s debut album, to pianist Nduduzo Makhathini’s first album for the Blue Note label, there’s a wealth of fine music to explore. Support Thandi, Sisonke, Tefo, and BirdSong Ensemble via Bandcamp, and find Nduduzo Makhathini’s album via the Blue Note store.
Thandi Ntuli – Live at Jazzwerkstatt
Sisonke Xonti – uGaba the Migration
Tefo Mahola – First Offering
BirdSong Ensemble – Imvuselelo
Nduduzo Makhathini – Modes Of Communication: Letters From The Underworlds
Album of the Week
Our NQ Jazz Album of the Week was recorded remotely during lockdown by New York-based electronic artist Ikue Mori and Kobe-based duo Satoko Fujii (piano) and Natsuki Tamura (trumpet). ‘Prickly Pear Cactus’ is an avant-garde work which hears each artist layering free-flowing parts on to tracks of varying length and density. With extended piano technique, jazz improvisation, and a wide range of electronic textures, it’s a fascinating and experimental album. Check it out on Bandcamp!
Classic Album
This week’s classic album is one of many outstanding sixties and seventies British jazz releases to feature the playing of Ian Carr, Art Themen, Don Rendel, Norma Winstone, Dave Green, and of course, Michael Garrick. Original copies of ‘The Heart is a Lotus’ change hands for big sums, and you need only listen to it to discover why.