'La Traversee' by Daïda

Daïda's music releases have consistently proved to be the showcase for a dynamic jazz ensemble with a distinctive and unique musical vision.

While probably best wearing the tag of a jazz act, their musical make-up proves to be compounded from such an extensive smorgasbord of influences that theirs is truly an unhindered and all-encompassing vision of contemporary jazz that is just a joyous experience for a listener to immerse themselves within.

With 'La L​é​gende de Da​ï​darabotchi' serving as the band's inaugural release, the six-track project very quickly establishes Daïda's versatile sound with tracks capturing their penchant for eclectic, high energy and intricate compositions.  Daïda's first full-length would eventually follow in 'La Passion Du Cri (Kyrielle)' - equally stunning - and quickly succeeded by a range of standalone singles unveiled over a comparatively short amount of time.

Clearly in the midst of a run of booming creativity, Daïda's second full-length release comes in the form of 'La Traversee'.  As if even possible, Daïda finds ways to raise the bar even higher with a series of sensational concept-themed compositions that present their most inspired effort yet.  But for the Parisian outfit, raising the bar with each subsequent release seems like the most natural thing for the group to do.  Comprised of members Auxane Cartigny (synths), Arno de Casanove (trumpet), Antonin Fresson (guitar), Samuel F'hima (double bass) and Vincent Tortiller (drums), Daïda continue to strive for the next level through boundless imagination and indelible talent.

With tracks throughout 'La Traversee' inspired by dreams, thoughts, fears, passions and inspiration, the album potentially serves as the purest presentation of Daïda to date.  The charging unbridled energy of 'Aristie', the brilliant off-kilter clunkiness of 'La Paix Avant Le Silence' and the frenetic energy of 'Riposte' serve as just some of the phenomenal highlights throughout the album.

Bursting with personality and charm, Daïda deliver an album of brilliance and one befitting their ambitious scope. 

'"Harlem to Havana": Afro​-​Cuban Modernism VOL​.​1' by New Jazz Underground

The new release from the New York-based New Jazz Underground once again provides a fascinating depiction of an innovative and creative jazz trio continuing to establish themselves as a defining voice for the genre.

With its three band members having met and connected via their time as Julliard students, saxophonist Abdias Armenteros, bassist Sebastian Rios and drummer TJ Reddick have cultivated a strong online following over a comparatively short period of time.

Thanks to a series of creative live performance videos housed on their YouTube channel, New Jazz Underground fully demonstrate their devotion and appreciation to jazz's architects and icons but still strive to push forward in a quest to establish their own sound - one that is influenced by contemporary takes on hip-hop, neo-soul and Latin aesthetics.

An exquisite introduction to New Jazz Underground for listeners came in the form of the trio's debut single 'Cartel', featuring pianist Eric "ELEW" Lewis and released in January 2023.  Recorded a mere four days prior to its release, the vibrant and uplifting track perhaps showcased more nods to a classic and quintessential perspective on New York jazz but one that is no less engaging.  'The MF DOOM SUiTE' would follow later that year and provide a completely different dimension to the trio as four tracks from the dearly departed Metal Face's catalogue were lovingly reimagined through New Jazz Underground's distinct vision brilliantly tackling production by Doom and Madlib and doing expert justice to the fandom.

2024 sees the trio once again redefining listener expectations with the release of their new EP, '"Harlem to Havana": Afro​-​Cuban Modernism VOL​.​1'.  Serving as their most involved set yet, New Jazz Underground showcase an entirely new dimension to their music with the project immersed within Latin American and Cuban rhythms masterfully interspersed with the progressive take on contemporary jazz.  Over the course of the EP's four tracks, the trio are joined by keyboardist Axel Tosca and vocalist Gina D'Soto who provide sensational value to the music and again highlight the New Jazz Underground's propensity to relish in the joys of collaboration.  'The Best Thing' marks a particularly outstanding track as is the project's potential scene-stealer in 'Cómo Remolino' which D'Soto just soars over.

Thanks to their boundless talent and ingenious way of connecting with their audience, New Jazz Underground seem poised for unlimited success.  And for a band as creative, exciting and versatile as they are, it's more than deserved.

'Royalty For Real' by Susanne Alt

It would probably be fair for a case to be made citing jazz as the most intimidating genre of music for the uninitiated to delve into.  It's lengthy compositions with artists often relishing the freedom of improvisation and further lacking the reprieve of a vocal, can certainly prove too daunting a prospect to undertake.  But for the expansive, diverse and rich genre that jazz is, it can all come down to having the right access point.  For me, in my early twenties at the time, my entry point was the music of US trumpeter, Roy Hargrove.  More specifically, through one of his many side-projects, The RH Factor.

Hargrove's merging of jazz-funk stylings with those of the neo-soul and hip-hop luminaries he was consistently collaborating with in the early-2000s - like D'Angelo, Erykah Badu and Common - proved for me an exciting bridge from a world I was very comfortable in and that I knew a lot about to a brand new one that I would ultimately go on to cherish just as much.

Roy Hargrove's incredible ability to create something magical - like with The RH Factor but also through his Latin, trio and big band projects - proved to be a vital part of his musical make-up and one of the things that would ultimately draw Susanne Alt to his music.

For the German-born, Amsterdam-based saxophonist, Alt's talents have been justifiably celebrated for years.  A highly-educated and highly-decorated artist, Alt has seen tremendous successes in her career; As well as having cultivated a catalogue that has positioned her as an inspired jazz creative, Alt's musical passions have also found her nurturing her penchant for electronic music as an artist, DJ and broadcaster.  Alt's breakthrough release, 'Saxify' (2016), could even be said to showcase the same sensibilities and principles as Hargrove's RH Factor, with Alt embracing hip-hop and neo-soul, all over-arched by a strong jazz-funk aesthetic.

Consistently unhindered in her approach, Susanne Alt's journey as an independent artist affords her the gift of creative freedom to explore the musical avenues at her disposal.  Again, perhaps similar creative leaps and risks that became synonymous with Hargrove over the years.  A chance meeting between the two dating as far back as 1994 would ultimately see the pair regularly perform together further solidifying their convergence despite arriving there via very different paths.

'Royalty For Real' is Susanne Alt celebrating the music of Roy Hargrove.  Over the course of the album's seven tracks, Alt navigates a personal and intimate course that pays loving homage through a series of tracks directly inspired by the trumpeter.  There is even a cover of the Hargrove's classic 'Roy Allan' - originally housed on his 1995 album 'Family'.  Another 'Family' track makes an appearance in the form of 'The Nearness of You' - the Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington-penned number that Hargrove also had an affection for.

Alt's vision is brilliantly executed with the assistance of long-time Hargrove collaborators, Gerald Cannon on bass and drummer Willie Jones III.  It's already an inspired assembly but with the talents of pianist James Hurt and percussionist Robert Glass rounding out the quintet, Susanne Alt's return to jazz becomes an even more compelling listen.  The music is beautifully composed and wonderfully performed boasting some sensational highlights like the joyous nature of 'Blue Notes & Fairy Tales', the charm of the album's title track or the elegance of 'The Nearness of You'.

'Royalty For Real' delivers as a sensational release; one that does justice to its subject and one that further presents Susanne Alt as a boundlessly creative and indelible talent.  In time to come, it just seems to be inevitable that listeners will eventually cite Susanne Alt's own musical endeavours as their own entry points into the at-one-time intimidating genre that now sees them as devoted jazz fans. 

Blue-in-Green:PODCAST #131: Mike De Souza

Welcome to Episode #131 of the Blue-in-Green:PODCAST which this week sees Imran connect with London-based guitarist and composer, Mike De Souza.

Having just released his second full-length project at the end of 2023, 'Chrysalis' further held the distinction of having found a home on the revered Spanish label, Fresh Sound Records.  Despite being a project that initially found its life during the quarantine period, 'Chrysalis' became an album about hope through adversity and a stunning piece of work to add to De Souza's burgeoning catalogue.

With two albums and an EP ('Road Fork', 2018) now under his belt, De Souza continues to cement his name as a solo artist in his own right in addition to his already stunning résumé which includes a slew of releases via collaborative projects, session work and global touring duties.  Perhaps best known for the genre-defying Big Bad Wolf project which generated the fantastic 'Pond Life' album in 2017 and was subsequently followed by a selection of standalone singles, De Souza can further boast collaborations with Twospeak, Alex Paxton, Simon Read and Phil Meadows as well as having secured touring duties alongside the revered US trumpeter Terrence Blanchard.

We were grateful to catch-up with Mike to discuss the new album, his early connections to music and the guitar, the creative process and Big Bad Wolf.  We'd love to extend a gratious thank you to Mike for his time and for gifting us with a really fascinating conversation.

To purchase your copy of 'Chrysalis', please visit Mike's Bandcamp page.

Blue-in-Green Sessions · Blue-in-Green:PODCAST_#131_Mike De Souza

'Nord Havn' by Kalaha

Kalaha have established a reputation for themselves that now comes with the expectation from listeners that, musically, anything for them is possible.

With releases through the revered April Records, the Danish quartet have revelled in music that runs the literal gamut of dynamic and varied soundscapes that displays the group's propensity to continuously defy genres and musical boundaries.

Kalaha's last album - 'Tutku' released in 2022 - saw the core unit incorporate vocalist Hilal Kaya into the fold along with the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra in their celebration of 70's Turkish music; prior to that, 'Mystafa' (2021) proved a thrilling showcase for Kalaha's musical gumbo style of global grooves, electronica and even some 80's synthpop that was nothing short of joyous.

Having initially come together after having performed an improvised show in 2013 at the electronic STRØM festival in Copenhagen, Kalaha are comprised of band members Niclas Knudsen on guitars, Emil de Waal on drums and percussion, Jens "Rumpistol" Christiansen on synths and Rhodes and Anders Stig Møller on bass and synths.  Over the years, the Kalaha collective have become their own dynasty of sorts with the individual band members firmly immersed as solo artists in their own right and collaborators across a multitude of various projects.

While past releases have seen the quartet relish in the excitement of collaboration - including tracks with the aforementioned vocalist Kaya, Peter Lopes Andersson, My Wittenburg Berents, Lærke Viola Lentz Milani and Kirsten Louise Bidstrup Hemmingsen - 'Nord Havn' sees Kalaha keep things more in-house and more instrumental this go-round.  It could also be said that while 'Tutku' was in fact a wonderful achievement, the record was fully immersed in their vision of psychedelic Turkish rock and in turn perhaps the most focused Kalaha release in some years.  'Nord Havn' uses the group's jazz sensibilities as a fascinating springboard to present their more typically unpredictable sonic palette across the album's nine tracks.

The slow build of the brilliant album opener 'CiklideKaj' is bolstered by some excellent guitar work that fuels a dusty and gritty Western undercurrent for the song which is then masterfully followed by the considerably more pop-y tones of 'Norsk Fars'.  A one-two combination that perfectly encapsulates Kalaha's ability to take their music in vastly different directions but still find a way to keep each song making sense with the one before and the one after.  The incredible sonic adventure that is 'Tunnel Fabrik' warrants special mention as the blistering, multi-textured and energetic gem is a real standout. 

April Records have long proved to be a phenomenal label bolstered by some immeasurably talented artists who wave the flag proudly for Danish jazz.  As one of the label's flagship artists, Kalaha are a collective that embody these principles and continually step out of the box in a bid to push themselves and the genre forward.  And even though Kalaha clearly don't like to make it easy for themselves, we all now know that for them - musically - anything is possible.