Thank you!

Hi there it's Karim, I just want to thank you for reading the Jazz Essentials blog. As you may have noticed there have not been regular posts in awhile, this is because I've been working to deliver the Nu Jazz and related content in one central place, the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page. If you enjoy listening to interviews with Nu Jazz artists, new music, and thought-provoking articles about music, culture and more then I strongly encourage you to stay with me by liking the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page and following me on Twitter.

This blog will remain as a resource for the previously profiled Nu Jazz artists, encourage friends and family who you feel may be interested in discovering Nu Jazz to visit and interact with the blog.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you will stay in touch via the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page and on Twitter.

Diana Krall at Hamilton Place: A Quiet Night to Remember

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The hardest part was restraining myself from singing aloud last night, at the posh Hamilton Place as Diana Krall performed songs from her latest album Wallflower which features familiar pop hits of the '60s, '70s and 80s, including California Dreamin' by The Mamas and Papas, Operator by Jim Croce and Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House.

Krall also drew material from previous albums, including the electrified Tom Waits song, Temptation to the long-time fan pleasers Let's Fall In Love and a special emphasis on her Bossa nova release "Quiet Nights", especially complimented by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.  

Having caught her on the 2013 "Glad Rag Doll" tour, the incorporation of vintage film yet again was amusing, but at times distracted from the music. A particular highlight was when the film and lights went out for a special tribute to Joni Mitchell, it was Krall performing solo, illuminated only by the flickering light of the stage candles as she performed Mitchell's A Case Of You  

While Krall did reminisce about returning home to British Columbia and re-discovering her vinyl, I was a little disappointed that the stories were briefer than her previous tour. As a jazz radio host, I've always been a fan of artists' telling the stories you can't hear by just listening to a CD.  Krall did loosen up the mood a little with some unplanned chatter, and improvising on the piano. It's those little things; the interaction with fans, the orchestra and the presentation that made it a quiet night to remember!

Diana Krall will be performing this Wednesday May 27 at the Centre in The Square in Kitchener, the Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Saturday May 30, and many more dates!

International Jazz Day Part 2

Today is International Jazz Day, and the celebration continues! What are your favourite nu jazz tracks, jazz compositions, standards and albums? Post links in the comment section or on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page (Please like the page). Here's a little Adam Dorn (a.k.a. Mocean Worker):  "Chick A Boom Boom"

More tracks will be posted on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page

Post your favourites in the comment section below and on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page.

Thanks! Happy Jazz Day!

International Jazz Day

Today is International Jazz Day, so let's celebrate! What are your favourite nu jazz tracks, jazz compositions, standards and albums? Post links in the comment section or on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page (Please like the page). I'll pick the first track. This week's spotlight artist is Sven Van Hees, an artist who helped spur the lounge, chill-out of the 2000's, a futuristic, ambient nu jazz. 





Click here for "Breakfast with Abductees" by Sven Van Hees. 

More tracks will be posted on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page

Post your favourites below and on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page.

Thanks! Happy Jazz Day!

This will take a second

Hi! Thanks for reading the Jazz Essentials blog. If you have a second, could you Like the Jazz Essentials Facebook page.  There's a lot more great nu jazz news and music that I am sharing via Facebook. Thanks so much. Enjoy! 

Sven Van Hees

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This week we spotlight an artist who in the mid 1980s was a DJ on pirate radio as a teenager. Yes at age 15 he was producing and mixing the first Radio-Dance show in Belgium. He would start producing his own records in his twenties.

His 1999 album Gemini has received a lot of praise and is regarded as an important influence on the chill-out/lounge/downtempo movement. He would start his own label, called YOUR LIPS in 2005.


LINKS:
All from Gemini
"Ocean Jive"
Love the bass in this one, "Matrass Mambo"
"Breakfast With Abductees"



REFERENCES:
"Sven Van Hees." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Sven+van+Hees

Kyoto Jazz Massive

Photo: 

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This week we're Japan-bound spotlighting brothers Okino Shuya and Okino Yoshihiro. In Japan, the first name is the family name, that's why Okino came first. The brothers have been DJing since the 80s. They formed the group, Kyoto Jazz Massive in the early 90s. They have helped build the Jazz Crossover Scene in Japan and have attracted a following not only domestically, but internationally. In 2000, the single "Eclipse" reached number 1 on the BBC Radio One chart and their 2002 album Spirit of The Sun has been well received globally. 

LINKS:
"Eclipse"
"The Brightness of These Days"
"Substream"
"A Calamaria"
Kyoto Jazz Massive's take on the legendary bossa nova tune, "Mas Que Nada"




REFERENCES:
"Kyoto Jazz Massive." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Kyoto+Jazz+Massive

Zero 7

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The roots of this British chillout, downtempo duo can be traced back to 16 year olds Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker who calls it "a long conversation about music which has lasted ever since”. 
According to their Facebook page, Sam has bragging rights, as he proved that he could listen to a whole Herbie Hancock album while smoking a bong without being sick. While Henry was a big fan of 80s soul music, particularly Teddy Pendergrass. The duo paid their dues working  at RKA Studios in London serving food and drink to the artists, while developing their music production abilities (Facebook). 

Their remix of Radiohead's Climbing Up The Walls put them on the map, a song which they had persuaded their friend and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich to allow them to work with. This led to support from Gilles Peterson of BBC Radio and since then have released albums that brought worldwide attention such as: Simple Things in 2001, When It Falls in 2004 and the Grammy nominated The Garden in 2007 (Facebook).  

Their best known song "In The Waiting Line" has been featured in episodes of House and Sex & The City and in the film, Garden State (last.fm).


LINKS:
Clip from Garden State, where "In The Waiting Line" plays 
(The song only) "In The Waiting Line"
"Destiny" 
Great song from The Garden, "Waiting to Die"

REFERENCES:
"Zero 7." (n.d.) Facebook. Retrieved April 11, 2015 from: https://www.facebook.com/Zero7/info?tab=page_info

"Zero 7." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Zero+7

Bonobo

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Simon Green (known as Bonobo) grew up in Hampshire, England, but would move to Brighton which is where he gained confidence DJing and producing. The independent label Tru Thoughts was crucial in getting Bonobo's music to the world, marketing him as "a serious talent; able to bring a true musician's edge to electronic music, with all the freedom that skill allowed("About.")." 

His music is often categorized as trip hop and downtempo. He will be performing in Toronto at the Hoxton on May 29th ("bonobo (dj set)"). Oh and by the way according to Merriam Webster dictionary, a bonobo is actually a rare anthropoid ape, found in Africa south of the Congo River ("Bonobo-Definition").

LINKS:
"El Toro"
A laid back track called "Silver""Kiara"

REFERENCES:

"About." Retrieved from: http://bonobomusic.com/about.php

"bonobo (dj set))." Retrieved from: http://embracepresents.com/event/bonobo-dj-set/

"Bonobo-Definition." Merriam-Webster.com Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bonobo

Mop Mop

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This week the spotlight takes us to Cesena, Italy and it shines on Andrea Benini. Benini is a graduate of Discipline dell Arti, della Musica e dell Spettacolo or DAMS, where he studied African-American and Contemporary Music. Before recording music, Benini interviewed artists between 2000 and 2003 for the Italian magazine Percussioni. In 2005, he started the jazz/funk group Mop Mop, Mop Mop has released 11 albums to date, and has had one of their songs, "Three Time Bossa" included in the soundtrack to the Woody Allen film, To Rome With Love.



LINKS:
From To Rome With Love: "Three Times Bossa"
"So High"
"Living Beat"
"Ash"

REFERENCES:
"Biography." Retrieved from: http://www.mopmop.com/biography/

Need a Nu Jazz fix...

Here is my Nu Jazz playlist, many of these artists are featured on my weekly show and have been spotlighted through this blog. If you ever need a nu jazz fix, feel free to crank up this playlist. Enjoy!

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Cassandra Wilson

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This week we're going to Jackson, no not to listen to Johnny and June Carter, but Jackson, Mississippi native Cassandra Wilson. She has been performing since she was a child in the 70s. In the 80s, she would work with legends, Dave Holland and Abbey Lincoln in New York, and sing with Steve Coleman's group the M-Base Collective before pursuing a solo career (allmusic.com).  Her repertoire includes jazz standards, and rootsy, country, blues interpretations of pop and rock classics like: Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time", "The Weight" by The Band and "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young (last.fm). 

Wilson has also experimented with hip-hop and has released an album with many original songs called Another Country (allmusic.com). 

As a fan of Miles Davis, she had the great fortune of opening for Miles in Chicago in 1989, and released a tribute called Travelling Miles in '99 (last.fm).

LINKS: 
Interview with Cassandra Wilson about recording her album Another Country in Italy 

"Harvest Moon"

"Waters of March"

New music! Cassandra Wilson's version of "Strange Fruit"

REFERENCES:

Yanow, Scott. "Cassandra Wilson." 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassandra-wilson-mn0000197460/biography

"Cassandra Wilson." Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Cassandra+Wilson?ac=Cassandra

Soulstance

Photo: www.discogs.com

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This week the spotlight shines on two brothers from Milano, Enzo and Gianni Lo Greco ("Soulstance Discography"). If you love the smooth laid back bossa nova style served up with a contemporary groove, then this duo is for you. Enzo plays bass, guitar, flute and keyboards, while Gianni takes care of the drumkit and percussion ("Soulstance").


LINKS:
"The Time" 
"Truth, Simplicity and Love"
"Touchstone"




REFERENCES:
"Soulstance Discography." Retrieved from: http://www.discogs.com/artist/5742-Soulstance
"Soulstance." iTunes. Retrieved from: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/soulstance/id16428622

Klaus Waldeck

Photo: myspace.com

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This week the spotlight takes us to Vienna, where an aspiring pianists' life took a sudden turn when he destroyed a Bechstein piano while re-wiring it. He was 15 at the time. He would later go to law school and become a copyright lawyer. But a legal case involving a Beatle would change his life's direction back to music (last.fm). Waldeck explained,

“It was during the time when George Harrison got sued for ripping off an old Motown tune...I realized the way forward was to work a melody until it didn’t belong to anyone anymore (last.fm)."

Waldeck's music tend to feature female vocalists Joy Malcolm (of Incognito), Brian Amos or Zeebee. Today several of his albums including, The Night Garden Reflowered, Balance of the Force, Balance of the Force Remixed, Northern Lights-EP and This Isn't Maybe are out of print and very rare. His most successful album is called Ballroom Stories featuring Austrian vocalist Zeebee (last.fm).

LINKS:
"Memories"
"Addicted"
"Why Did We Fire The Gun?"
"Make My Day"




REFERENCES:
"Waldeck." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Waldeck?ac=Waldeck

Palov & Mishkin

Photo: http://www.last.fm/music/Palov+&+Mishkin/+images/58887055

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This is a duo made of close childhood friends in Athens, Palov & Mishkin. Sharing a common love for music, the two would form their first group while in school. However, around 1987, Mishkin suddenly had to move to a faraway town. They had no contact for almost 20 years, until one day in March of 2006, they happened to meet in the same taxi. And the music began. The duo released 2 albums including the highly praised Think Twice.


LINKS:
"Et De Clarinete"
"De Mi Careta"







REFERENCES
"Palov & Mishkin." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Palov+&+Mishkin
"Palov (Palov and Mishkin). Soundcloud. Retrieved from: https://soundcloud.com/palov-palov-and-mishkin

Nuspirit Helsinki

Photo: http://www.discogs.com/artist/717-Nuspirit-Helsinki

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Their name tells you where they're from (Helsinki, Finland). The group was formed in 1998 by producers, Tuomas Kallio and Hannu Nieminen, but Finnish musicians are a big part of Nuspirit Helsinki's sound with up to ten different guest musicians playing together on a given track.

Nuspirit Helsinki's sound is often called a modern big band sound. However, they are a group that is hard to pigeonhole, and is probably best uncategorized. Enjoy their music for what its worth.


LINKS:
1) Their first single, "Take It Back"
2)"Seis Por Ocho" 
3) "Orson"
4) "Subzero"

REFERENCES:
"Nuspirit Helsinki." last.fm Retrieved from:
http://www.last.fm/music/Nuspirit+Helsinki

"Nuspirit Helsinki." allmusic.com Retrieved from:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/nuspirit-helsinki-mw0000221361

Lisa Ekdahl

Photo: https://myspace.com/ekdahllisa

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Her voice is described as "soft, supple, smooth and child-like." (Wikipedia) It's perhaps the child-like part that makes her music so appealing and unique. 

When she was 19, Ekdahl began performing in small jazz clubs with the swedish jazz trio, The Peter Nordahl trio. She calls the experience with the trio, "a form of musical education." Her debut album released in 1994 won her three awards in her home country of Sweden ("Biography-Lisa Ekdahl"). 

She has published 10 albums, six of the ten are in Swedish, the other four are in English (last.fm). 


LINKS:
Her biggest single, "Vem Vet": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GDQGAZunEg
"Now baby or Never": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_zEWdzNths
Song + Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcz8MyQipIA

REFEENCES:
"Biography-Lisa Ekdahl." Retrieved from: http://lisaekdahl.com/biography/
"Lisa Ekdahl." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Lisa+Ekdahl
"Lisa Ekdahl." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Ekdahl

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Photo: https://www.facebook.com/BigBadVoodooDaddy

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With the big football game this weekend, I thought it was only appropriate to feature a Ventura, California based swing revival band who played the 1999 Super Bowl halftime show ("Big Bad Voodoo Daddy"). 

Their name came from band leader Scotty Morris' meeting with blues great Albert Collins at his concert. Albert Collins signed Morris' poster "To Scotty, the big bad voodoo daddy."Morris said, "I thought it was the coolest name I ever heard on one of the coolest musical nights I ever had. So when it came time to name this band, I didn't really have a choice. I felt like it was handed down to me ("Big Bad Voodoo Daddy)." 

The band promoted their tribute to Cab Calloway called How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, on Dancing With The Stars and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ("Big Bad Voodoo Daddy"). 

Similar to their contemporaries, The Brian Setzer Orchestra and The Squirrel Nut Zippers, their sound recalls the swing and jump blues of the 40s and 50s (i.e. Louis Prima, Cab Calloway, Glenn Miller) but adds in contemporary genres like ska and rockabilly. Swing Revival (also called neo-swing) was especially popular in the 1990s and early 2000s ("Swing Revival").

LINKS:
Perhaps their best known song, "Go Daddy Go": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehtEFCuBD_8

This one really swings!, Jumpin' Jack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEWuZ0QBvlo

"Why Me?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKpVGKOa2xs

Tribute to Cab Calloway, "Minnie The Moocher": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5OpyFCBgWc

REFERENCES:
"Big Bad Voodoo Daddy." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bad_Voodoo_Daddy

"Swing revival." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_revival

9 Lazy 9

Photo: ninjatune.net

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This group was started by an artist who would become established in his own right, James Braddell (known to the world as Funki Porcini). In 1992, he wasn't calling himself Funki Porcini yet, his pseudonym at the time was Giacomo Braddellini, basically an Italian translation of his original name (last.fm). After meeting Keir Fraserello, 9 Lazy 9 was born. Based out of Italy, 9 Lazy 9's sound is described as a "smoky Mediterranean mix of vibes and good times. (ninjatune.net)" The group was one of the first to sign with the independent label, Ninja Tune, a label that would later sign Mr.Scruff, Bonobo and Jaga Jazzist just to name a few (Facebook). 9 Lazy 9 joined the label when it was "one grey metal cupboard in a run down London loft (ninjatune.net)."

LINKS:
"The Herb": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSjyNgQAc6w
"5 AM": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E88bB77yIY
This one has a bossa nova feel to it, "The Flying Nun": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj7bWvoBouM

REFERENCES:
"9 Lazy 9." last.fm. Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/search?q=9+lazy+9
"9 Lazy 9/Artists/Ninja Tune." ninjatune.net 2015. Retrieved from: http://ninjatune.net/artist/9-lazy-9#.VMPr5mTF9LY
"Ninja Tune Official." (n.d.) Facebook. Retrieved January 24, 2015 from: 
https://www.facebook.com/ninjatuneofficial/info?tab=page_info

Gecko Turner

Gecko Turner
Photo: www.vivirextremadura.es

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His love of music began as a kid in the 70s when he discovered the greats like The Beatles and The Stones, it was The Stones that led him to him discovering blues greats like Muddy Waters and Big Joe Turner. By listening and playing along with the blues he learned to speak English. As a young adult, he would later grow to love jazz and hitched around Spain following Dizzy Gillespie's tour. When he was 20 he moved to London with a borrowed guitar, played locally and explored the jazz scene there. He would move back to Spain to take a job in a bank, but after his wife died of a long-term illness, Turner was back at music. It's always refreshing to hear Spanish artist Gecko Turner's playful yet laid back sound. Spanish music journalists call his sound 'Afromeño' which translated means Africa and Extremeño which is the region of Spain where Turner is from, but besides African and local influences, North American and Caribbean music are also integrated into his sound (Gecko Turner). 
Enjoy!


LINKS:
"Toda Mojata": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNwkXGeHE34
A Music Video that involves boxing, knitting, and more, "En la calle on the street": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atzD3y9FiD8
(Vocal Version) "Limon En La Cabeza": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYq2fYLNhqE


REFERENCES:
"Gecko Turner." AllMusic. Retrieved from: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gecko-turner-mn0000860882

Movits!

Movits! spotlighted on The Colbert Report
Photo:http://thelaughbutton.com/

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They're a Swedish trio who got their name from a character in a poem by Swedish 18th-century poet Carl Michael Bellman. They performed and were interviewed by Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report in 2009.

After the show, Colbert mentioned that Movits' album Äppelknyckarjazz  had become popular on Amazon, he refers to this as the Colbert Bump. 

It's hip hop that swings!, Give Movits! a listen, let me know what you think in the comments section. Thanks for reading! 

LINKS:
Clip from The Colbert Report, gotta love Colbert's moves! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gf4eVVXTgM

As performed on The Colbert Report, "Fel Del Av Garden": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaeImQ0TSg

Featuring Timbuktu, "Na Na Nah!" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkz8_d1rUIU

"Äppelknyckarjazz": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8fIVTH0TiM


REFERENCES:
"Movits!" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movits!

Erik Truffaz

Erik Truffaz
Photo: http://eriktruffaz.com/

He would make his musical debut at the age of 10 performing in his father's band. At 16, he discovered what many consider to be the definitive jazz album, Miles Davis, "Kind Of Blue." The album inspired the young man to pursue a career as a trumpeter ("Erik Truffaz," last.fm).

He studied at Switzerland's Geneva Conservatoire, and would form his first group, Orange (Soon his experimentation with contemporary genres would begin, as Truffaz explains in his life timeline on his Facebook page:

"Marcelo Giuliani and I are touring with Silent Majority, an instrumental rap music band with Nya and Pierre Audeta. I immerse myself in hip hop culture. That music is fascinating, the crowd enthusiastic (Facebook)."

In 1996, Truffaz's band became the first French band to be signed to Blue Note USA. Truffaz's music can vary from a jazz fusion sound, to a sound fusing hip hop, reggae, soul and contemporary jazz (Facebook)."

LINKS:
"Siegfried": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jZH-yn6q2E
"Let Me Go" feat. Sophie Hunger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPv9lH_23FU
"Yellow Daffodils" feat. Malia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JHxqxZE2d0&list=PLPdcsEK4w_QQIf_WFBbk6xKHpW2bGULbX

REFERENCES:
 "Erik Truffaz." (n.d.) Facebook. Retrieved January 2, 2015. from: https://www.facebook.com/eriktruffaz/info?tab=page_info


"Eric Truffaz." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Erik+Truffaz