As AI becomes an increasing threat to humans trying to make a living from creative activities, Nubiyan Twist’s latest album is a defiant riposte. It is a celebration of the joyful energy and chaos that comes from musicians getting together in a room to play. While that could imply a scrappy sound, it would be a wildly inaccurate description of the ensemble. Chasing Shadows represents a skilful interception of jazz, afrobeat, R&B and electronics, fused with a mastery that reflects the nine-piece band’s background having formed in 2011 while studying at the Leeds College of Music.
Their fifth album resists the temptation of indulging in extended jams, all eleven tracks timing around the four-minute mark. New vocalist, Eniola Idowu, brings an extra soulful touch…
Tag Archive: Strut
Many important West African musicians built productive careers in 1970s Britain, and the local stars were eager to incorporate their scintillating sounds into their own music. Originally from Ijebu Ode, Nigeria, percussionist Gasper Lawal spent much of the early part of the decade moving through the happening London scene as a session and gig musician for the likes of Joan Armatrading, Graham Bell, Stephen Stills — and even Barbara Streisand. There were stints in various groups too, including the Ginger Baker-led Air Force. But Lawal soon resolved to work on his own music, and his debut album, Ajomasé, first released in 1980 and now newly reissued by Strut, is a fascinating and surprising record with unusual eclectic flourishes throughout. “I wanted to do…
If only one name comes to mind when you think of Ethio-jazz, it’s almost certainly that of Mulatu Astatke. A vibraphone and percussion virtuoso, Mulatu has also been prolific on the keys, releasing records under this stylistic nomenclature since the 1970s. Inspired by Ethiopian melodic modes and the rhythms and instrumentation of Latin and other American jazz traditions, Mulatu studied at Berklee College of Music. Ethio-jazz is as cool now as it was then, if not cooler for the vintage air that surrounds it; even its use in NPR music breaks can’t undermine its radical complexities.
That’s not to say, though, that Ethio-jazz is a genre of the past. That much is clear on Mulatu Plays Mulatu, the newest release from the octogenarian musical giant. He frames it as…
Strut Records proudly presents the official reissue of Hidden Fire Volumes 1 & 2, the final album released by Sun Ra on his El Saturn label in 1988.
Captured live over three nights at the Knitting Factory in New York City, these performances mark the closing chapter of a 33-year odyssey of radical, independent music-making. Originally issued in tiny quantities with minimal packaging and cryptic artwork—often featuring hand-written labels or Ra’s own handmade designs—Hidden Fire was among the most elusive entries in Sun Ra’s vast discography.
Musically, these recordings stand apart from Ra’s other ’80s compositions. Here, Hidden Fire plunges into darker, more dissonant territory. Ra performs exclusively onn the Yamaha DX7…
Made Through Ritual is a new chapter in the six decade legacy of Plunky & Oneness of Juju. Leader James “Plunky” Branch, has overseen many lineups. Since 2002, his son, producer, drum machine wizard, trumpeter and percussionist Jamiah “Fire” Branch has been aboard. He grew up with Jamal Gray, son of legendary DJ, producer and concert promoter Jimmy Gray, who co-founded the storied Black Fire label with Plunky. Jimmy died in 1999; Jamal was 13. Now a well known hip hop producer, percussionist, keyboardist, and sampling master, he’s also a fine rapper. He founded the spiritual jazz hip hop band Nag Champa Art Ensemble. Plunky heard great things about the band and drove to DC to see them in 2017. He was impressed. Then he heard Jamal’s Godspeed…
Remastered by Technology Works.
Strut presents a new edition of one of Sun Ra‘s most celebrated albums, Sleeping Beauty, reissued in its original artwork for the first time. Originally released in 1979 on his independent Saturn label, Sleeping Beauty captures Sun Ra and his Arkestra at their most soulful and serene. A masterclass in cosmic jazz, the album blends lush grooves, celestial soul, and meditative funk with Ra’s singular spiritual vision — a sound both grounded and otherworldly. The album emerged during an extraordinarily fertile period for Sun Ra in late-‘70s New York. Between 1978 and 1982, Ra “occupied” Variety Recording Studios on West 42nd Street, often staging marathon sessions following late-night Arkestra gigs around…
For nearly a century, leisurely strolling through the Colombian cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla has meant being ready to party on any given corner. Booming from colorful sound systems known as picós, the sticky coastal air buzzes with a dizzying mix of Jamaican soca, Ghanaian highlife, Congolese soukous, Arab disco, and local staples like salsa and champeta.
These mobile discos, usually family-owned and passed down through generations, are synonymous with the neighborhoods where each clandestine party was formalized into a micro-economy. Picós are emblazoned with cheeky names and flashy visual identities, with the entrepreneurial selectors known as picoteros gaining notoriety with “exclusive” record collections procured…
A cosmic fusion of deep funk, interstellar jazz, and avant-garde soundscapes, On Jupiter stands as one of Sun Ra’s most iconic releases. Recorded in 1979 during a prolific period at Variety Arts Studios in New York, this album captures the Arkestra at the height of their creative powers, blending futuristic improvisation with infectious rhythms and otherworldly textures. Sun Ra’s Variety Arts Studios sessions (1978-1982) were legendary-he recorded there two to three times a week, often after a late-night concert, gathering his musicians on West 46th Street at 10 a.m. for marathon sessions that stretched into the early morning. These recordings featured a core group of John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Danny Thompson, Michael Ray, Tyrone Hill, Craig Harris, Luqman Ali…