It’s Enjoy Music, and We Are Back for another week of Enjoyable Music Choices, brought to you by yours truly, Teen Daze.
Well, the seasons are changing, the leaves are starting to fall, we are all starting to shift into Soup Mode. This also means we start to ask The Important Questions, like How do we Enjoy Music in this New State of Being? How do I replace the hours of Smooth Jazz I’ve been listening to while taking in long, languid summer days? What is the meaning of life? The answer to all of these questions can be easily summed up in one simple action: We Fire Up A Different, New Kind Of Jazz.
Look, I know the word Jazz is a loaded one. I also know that I love to hear Pat Metheny say the word. Finally, I also know that he eviscerates Ken G in that video.
So with all of this in mind, I’ve decided to use this week’s edition as a way to dive into the world of Contemporary Jazz. As always, it’s important to remember that Enjoy Music is a celebration of Enjoyable Music, and nothing more. If you find something new in these selections, I send you peace and love. If you already know all of this music, I send you peace and love. We don’t discriminate baby, we enjoy Jazz!
Anyways, JAZZ: There’s such a Deep History to draw upon, so it always impresses me when an artist can move the genre a step forward, or reference the past without repeating it. I think these five tunes do a pretty good job of both of those things.
You know what to do: Enjoy Jazz!
Kamasi Washington - Knowledge (2017)
I first heard this song in a cafe in Madrid: my wife and I had found this spot, and ended up going every day for an afternoon coffee, or a delicious blueberry avocado toast for a late breakfast. I knew it was a special place when I heard this record playing. I feel like a lot of cafes in My Local Area, as Cool As They May Be, tend to play it pretty safe on the stereo. I get it. It’s not even like this record (Harmony Of Difference by Kamasi Washington, by the way) is all that dangerous! But I love the commitment to playing a modern Spiritual Jazz record in a quiet cafe.
What’s so wild about Kamasi’s playing, and arranging, is that without having heard this record yet, I knew it was him immediately. I just knew! Now, if you know the trajectory of this record at all, you know how it climaxes in the last track with a jubilant, explosion of voices singing the theme that’s introduced in this track, Knowledge. A truly incredible payoff if you stick with the whole record, which at a breezy 32ish minutes, is easy to do.
So even though Knowledge is still in the “buildup” phase of the record, the main theme is so saccharine, so easy to listen to, so emotional, that it’s impossible to not love it all on its own. Again, in the context of the record, and the way you feel when you experience the payoff on the last track Truth, I’m telling you, it makes it all the sweeter. An absolutely beautiful song, showcasing one of contemporary Jazz’s most special and unique voices. Enjoy Kamasi Washington!
Kareem Ali - Please, Forever Keep Me Near (2023)
Is the Smooth Jazz renaissance that I’ve always dreamed of, finally upon us? This tune was released this year! This is the perfect coming-together of sounds for me: wave samples, muted trumpet, soft pads, twinkling Rhodes flourishes. I understand that this type of music can veer into a Hotel Lobby House zone very quickly, but Kareem Ali is a producer who’s prolific output and dedication to the sound demonstrates a true love of the craft. Both his releases from this year, The Color of Sound and Sound In Motion are beautiful. Enjoy Contemporary Smoothness!
Makaya McCraven - Butterss’s (feat Jeff Parker, Anna Butterss, Josh Johnson, Carlos Niño, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
The features ALONE should have you stunned here. This is taken from Makaya McCraven’s 2018 record Universal Beings, which potentially has the great collection of contemporary Jazz artists on it. The result of four sessions, with four different bands, in four different locales, Universal Beings is an absolute force of nature. Everyone is on this record. But of course, if you know anything about me, you know that the LA session is my favourite, and that’s where this tune comes from! The groove here is one of my favourites on the whole record, and that’s saying something, because there are some very serious grooves on this record. The in-sync-ness of Anna Butterss and Jeff Parker’s playing is an incredible thing to hear. And of course it’s all glued together with Makaya McCraven’s incredible drumming. This is the kind of groove you get lost in. Enjoy Deep Grooves!
Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes - I Sing High (2021)
The Sams really did shake the game up when their first collection of recordings came out. I wanted to feature this tune, which is actually from their second release together, specifically because I think it encapsulates what so many people, myself included, love about their playing: tasteful, beautiful pieces that somehow feel timeless and forward-thinking. The way they go about releasing and promoting these records is also so endearing. In a world of endless self-promotion (guilty!), I love how these two let the music speak for itself! Enjoy Sams!
Nala Sinephro - Space 2 (2021)
Without a doubt, one of best records of 2021 was Nala Sinephro’s Space 1.8. It was undeniable, so immediately enjoyable. I truly could have picked any track off the LP, and it would have found a nice home in this edition; now that I think of it, the opening track might have been a better pick for an Autumnal Jazz edition of Enjoy Music, but I’m getting distracted. I went with Space 2 because I love the way it takes a traditional jazz ensemble sound, and tastefully brings it into our Modern Context. Those synth flourishes! At the end of the day, it’s just an incredibly beautiful song; the playing is so delicate, and the way everyone seems to make the right amount of space for everyone else, it’s a powerful thing to hear on a recording. This record is so varied, filled with so much beauty, and it’s Very Much worth your time and attention. Enjoy Nala Sinephro’s Stunning Space 1.8 record!
BONUS GUEST ENJOY CHOICE: SPENCER ZAHN
Speaking Of Beautiful Jazz Music, I’m so excited to have my bud Spencer Zahn contribute a BGEC to this week’s edition. I became an immediate fan of his music when I heard Key Biscayne, the first track on his 2020 record, Sunday Painter. Spencer’s music does everything that I’ve just talked about: takes aspects of “Traditional Jazz” and bring it into a new, contemporary light. What I specifically love about his music is the gentle nature of so much of it. The phrase Ambient Jazz is getting thrown around a lot these days, and however you may feel about either of those combination of words, it’s safe to say that Spencer is creating some of the most beautiful, luscious, and atmospheric “Ambient Jazz” music right now. Enjoy Spencer’s Pick!
Cole Pulice & Lynn Avery - The Sunken Cabin (Night) (2022)
In the beginning of 2023 I had been listening to Cole Pulice on night time drives through the woods in upstate NY. It was the perfect soundtrack for that time and that place. As the year continued I kept coming back to their music in different places around the world and realizing how much I connect to Cole and Lynn’s collaboration. Intonation and pitch are something that affect a listener so much in both a conscious and unconscious way, and how Cole uses this effect as a key compositional element is interesting and inspiring to me. It’s influenced my thinking a lot this year.
Thank you so much Spencer for his beautiful, perfectly themed pick, and also providing some truly beautiful context for why he chose it! I think when music is “influencing one’s thinking”, it’s worth taking note of! Thank you Spencer!
As always, let’s do a little Teen Daze housekeeping: if you’re reading this in the province of Beautiful British Columbia, I’m excited to tell you I’ll be DJing at this year’s Breakout West Festival in Kelowna! It’s next month, on October 14, and I guarantee it will be a Party.
Let’s see, what else is new here: as you already know, The Wind Surfer is out next Friday! I’m excited to get these last two tracks in the world. The last track on the EP, Surfing In France, is a very fun dance tune that I’m excited for you to hear!
I’ve got one more EP that will be coming out in November, and there’ll be more on that at the end of October.
Don’t forget to grab a hat, or a T-Shirt!
Okay, sending love to you wherever you may be in the world. As always, Enjoy Music is a truly enjoyable experience for me, and having you read it, and listen along, is such a treat!
See ya next week!
You could kick "Smooth Jazz" to the curb and dig into some "Alt-Jazz" instead: https://ifrqfm.substack.com/p/is-jazz-having-a-moment