Slim pickings for the month of November. Not really sure as to why, can only speculate as to the reason such fewer, new albums, were released. Still, there are a couple of good releases I’d like to briefly talk about so let’s get right to it.
Yussef Kamaal: Black Focus
A fresh, modern sounding album this is. Some would say this album is an indicator of what jazz music is going to be in the future. You can hear some soul and hip hop influence throughout this recording. “Strings of Light” is definitely a highlight on this album for me. A prime example of fusing hip hop, electronics, and jazz music together to create a unique genre bending experience.
Rudy Royston: Rise of Orion
This album has a modern jazz sound that reminds me a lot of Joshua Redman’s album Beyond especially during its high energy moments. This album has great compositions and some of the best solos I’ve heard all year. I particularly enjoyed “Kolbe War” this was a very high energy tune with lots of interaction between the drums and the saxophone.
Despite the lack of variety this month both of these albums are top notch and should be listened to by all Jazz lovers throughout the rest of 2016 and beyond. Are there any albums that you felt should’ve been on this post? Have a different album as your best of the month? Tell me about it on the comment section below.
The Jazz Loop 