If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Linear Labs At the risk of this becoming an Adrian Younge fanpage, his latest collaboration with Jazz is Dead co-founder Ali Shaheed Muhammad sees the pair working with Brazilian samba-funk legend Dom Salvador. "Nã o Podermos O Amar Parar" is an ultra-chill track that bridges "... Black Brazilian music with the global rhythms of jazz, funk, and soul." It's the type of song you can simply put on in the background and listen while you do chores and go about your day, but you'll get true enjoyment from "N ã o Podermos O Amar Parar" the more you pay attention to it. As relaxed as the song is, there is a lot going on to reward your focus. The trio of Salvador, Younge, and Muhammad have outdone themselves on this one. Adrian Younge says of the new single: “ Não Podemos o Amor Parar  represents how the power of music can be used as a universal language, to spread love around the world." You can listen to "N ã o Podermos O Amar Parar...

Afrobeat pioneer Ebo Taylor has a new single out from his collaboration with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. "Feeling" the psychedelic Afrobeat and West African funk and mixes it with the style of jazz we've come to associate with the Jazz is Dead label. It's instantly addictive, and will instantly draw in any true music fan. It's that chilled out style of jazz that demands the audience move, and if you can sit still during "Feeling," you might want to check to see if you have a soul. Taylor turns ninety years old in January, and the fact that he is still making music this vital and engaging at this point in his career and life is something that needs to be celebrated. "Feeling" is truly a special single. Adrian Younge says of working with Ebo Taylor: “Collaborating with Ebo Taylor is definitely a bucket-list accomplishment. For me, it is the equivalent of working with musical genius Fela Kuti, because of how much I have studied both of...

Photo by The Artform Studio Back in 2023, Ghanian highlife and Afrobeat pioneer Ebo Taylor travelled to and performed in the US for the first time at the age of eighty-eight. While visiting the States, he worked with Jazz Is Dead producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (of A Tribe Called Quest) on a new album. The first single off that album can be listened to, and it is quite simply fantastic. "Obra Akyedzi (Gift of Life)" goes far past the all encompassing "world music" label. It combines elements of Afrobeat with jazz and funk for a sound that is going to resonate with anyone who has a soul. The most astounding this is that Ebo Taylor was eighty-eight when he recorded it, and it sounds like a lost album from the 70's. Open your mind and check out the brilliance of "Obra Akyedzi (Gift of Life)." Adrian Younge says of working with Ebo Taylor: “Collaborating with Ebo Taylor is definitely a bucket-list accomplishment. For me, it is the equivale...