Kyoto Jazz Massive

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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

I'm back!

A Livingroom Hush by Jaga Jazzist Album Cover
Photo: ninjatune.net

Hey, it's Karim Mosna, glad to be back with another Jazz Essentials spotlight! Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing the award-winning trumpeter Brownman Ali, you can read more here: http://www.ignitenews.ca/a-tribute-miles-davis-would-approve-of/

The band was started by teenaged brothers, Lars and Martin Horntveth in 1994. They are Influenced by everyone from John Coltrane to Talk Talk to Aphex Twin and Stereolab. Today, they're a nine piece band whose sound doesn't seem to know any boundaries.

This week, we're looking at an experimental band from Norway who was recognized by the BBC in 2002 when their album A Livingroom Hush was named the best jazz album of that year. Popular Texas rock band, The Mars Volta consider Jaga Jazzist one of their favourite bands.

LINKS:
From A Livingroom Hush "Animal Chin": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVIFUQV20NM

From A Livingroom Hush "Airborne": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0nHo1IdQ6E

REFERENCES:

"Jaga Jazzist." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaga_Jazzist