The Intersection: Future Sounds of Jazz

The Intersection is a new feature on JazzWrap that looks at artists that blend jazz with electronica (a tradition pioneered by none other than Miles Davis on such classic recordings as On the Corner).

This week's focus is Compost Records' Future Sounds of Jazz series.

Compost Records is a German label closely associated with the electronica genre called "nu jazz" or more generically "downtempo." Most people familiar with this sophisticated 21st century style will tell you that the Future Sounds of Jazz series is the nu jazz benchmark. They'll get no argument here.

The Michael Reinboth-produced 11-part series (so far) boasts a list of label and non-label talent including Jimi Tenor, Wagon Christ, Gentle People, Nightmares on Wax, Fauna Flash, Turntable Terranova, FunkStorung, Beanfield, Rainer Truby Trio, Tosca, Alex Gopher, Jazzanova, A Forest Mighty Black, United Future Organization, Peter Kruder and many many more.

Stylistically, the sounds encompass chilled downtempo, trippy exotica, jazzy drum 'n bass, Latin-tinged house, abstract hip hop, cut 'n paste and hard-edged techno. Over the course of the series, however, the emphasis is on uptempo highly polished dancefloor nu jazz.

While most of the music in the FSOJ series demonstrates a love of jazz feeling even when jazz chops or overt improvisation are apparent.

For example, Future Sounds of Jazz Vol. 8 offers up a dozen tracks, most exclusive to Compost and available for the first time on CD. Big beats mesh with murky synth loops and Latin rhythm beds, punctuated occasionally by soulful vocals and jazzy piano fills. It's a slick mix. Kaos' "Around in Circles" is cinematic big beat jazz par excellance. Jon Kennedy's "Smith vs. Smith" is simultaneously funky and intriguing. Moonstarr's "Dust" sounds like Latin lounge sucked through a hip-hop time warp. And Butti 49's "Spiritual Rotations" is jazzy as hell without meandering into self-indulgence. All in all, very nice and not in the least bit challenging -- perfect for the cocktail hour.

Next week: Amon Tobin

The Intersection: Mocean Worker

The Intersection is a new feature on JazzWrap that looks at artists that blend jazz with electronica (a tradition pioneered by none other than Miles Davis on such classic recordings as On the Corner).

This week's focus is Mocean Worker.

Mocean Worker aka Adam Dorn is one of the jazzier electronica musicians out there, and with good reason – he has it in his blood. Dorn's dad Joel was one of Atlantic Records’ top producers during the 1960s and '70s, helming sessions by John Coltrane and Charles Mingus, as well as Roberta Flack, Bette Midler and the Allman Brothers. As for Adam, he studied at the renowned Berklee College of Music and has worked with artists as varied as David Sanborn to Hal Willner to Chaka Khan. Adam and his dad also have reissued jazz albums from the defunct Muse and Landmark labels on their own 32 Records.

Mocean Worker began promisingly with the cut ‘n’ paste drum ‘n’ bass album Home Movies from the Brainforest ('98), which was released by the punk label Conscience. His appreciation of Latin rhythms and crime jazz moods is evident on “The Mission” and “Overtime” which smolders with film noir intensity. His mash-up of “Summertime” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” is among the best of its late ‘90s retro kind.

Dorn moved to Island Records’ subsidiary Palm Pictures for his strong second effort, the more polished Mixed Emotional Features ('99). By turns jazzy and cinematic, this album further demonstrates Dorn’s love of tasty samples, but also shows some significant growth in his synth and production skills. An atmosphere of intrigue and drama pervades tracks such as “Rene M” and “Heaven @ 12:07.” And the cut ‘n’ paste retro jazz workout “Counts, Dukes and Satyrs” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on his first album.

Dorn’s third album Aural & Hearty ('00) is the clubbiest of his efforts and probably the most disposable, but does offer another trip down millennial sampledelic nu-jazz in “Velvet Black Sky.”

When Mocean Worker returned four years later with Enter the MoWo! ('04), Dorn’s taste for funky beats and jazz loops (“On and On”, “Right Now”) were back at the forefront. The album also features a number of special guests including Les McCann (“That’s What’s Happenin’ Tonight”), Bill Frissell (“Salted Fatback”), Steve Bernstein of Sex Mob (“Only the Shadow Knows”), and Hal Willner (“Move”) as well as David "Fathead" Newman, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Nina Simone. Enter the MoWo! may be the best introduction to Mocean Worker.

For his fifth album, Dorn continued to ply the old school beat jazz vibe and Latin jazz grooves with Cinco de MoWo! ('07). Check out the infectious sample-jacking splendor of “Shake Ya Boogie”, and the cameo appearances of Herb “Tijuana Brass” Alpert (“Changes”) and Rahsaan Roland Kirk (“Siss Boom Bah” and “Reykjavik”). While the hooks aren’t quite as infectious as Enter the MoWo!, Cinco de MoWo! effectively builds on Dorn’s jazz-inspired electronica sound.

Next Week: Compost Records' Future Sounds of Jazz series

The Intersection: Jaga Jazzist

The Intersection is a new feature on JazzWrap that looks at artists that blend jazz with electronica (a tradition pioneered by none other than Miles Davis on such classic recordings as On The Corner).

This week's focus is Jaga Jazzist.

Norwegian nu jazz fusionists, Jaga Jazzist, scored an underground hit in Scandenavia with their full-length debut, A Livingroom Hush (2001). This 10-piece band is as unique sounding as anything in jazz or electronica today. By combining trumpets, bass clarinets, trombone, guitar, bass, tuba, Fender Rhodes, vibraphone and drum 'n' bass-style programming, Jaga Jazzist (or simply Jaga) create a dense, complicated, melodic balance of man and machine. Stand-out tracks include the single "Animal Chin," the spacious "Cinematic," the hypnotic "Airborne," the uplifting "Lithuania," and the infectious "Made for Radio."

Jaga's follow up, The Stix (2003), continues along the same lines, but ratchets up the electronic element, which adds interest to most tracks ("Kitty Wu," "Toxic Dart," "Day") while overwhelming others ("The Stix," "Doppleganger").

The e.p. release that followed, entitled Magazine (2004), is actually a reissue of the band's early work, and it's more like A Livingroom Hush than The Stix. The quality of the material is excellent and the musicianship exemplary. Stand-out tracks include the invigorating "Jaga ist Zu Hause" and the gorgeous "Plym".

When Jaga returned with new material on What We Must (2005) they sounded a bit more prog than before with greater emphasis on keyboards and guitars. Emotionally resonant melodies meet virtuouso ensemble performances on tracks such as "All I Know is Tonight," "Stardust Hotel" and "Oslo Skyline." While the material and performances are impressive, some of the charm of the earlier work is lost. Still, all of these releases are highly recommended.

Jaga Jazzist is the answer for anyone who thinks the mix of electronica and jazz is limited to the downtempo grooves that feature a jazzy breakbeat (like Mr. Scruff's catchy "Get a Move On" or St. Germain's "Rose Rouge," which was used in a luxury car commercial). Jaga Jazzist is way beyond jazz posing -- they've got serious chops, melodic gifts and an eagerness to push the electronic jazz genre to new heights. They actually create music worthy of the label, but in their case, the label hardly does them justice.

Next week: Mocean Worker