Adrian Younge's new album Younge is being called his "magnum opus"

Adrian Younge's new album "Younge" sounds like a well-orchestrated 70s Italian soundtrack awaiting a film. Check it out.  

Here's the scoop...

Younge is Adrian Younge’s magnum opus: a record that redefines what orchestral composition can mean for a new generation of jazz and hip hop. It is a bold, instrumental statement that positions Younge not only as a composer, but as an architect of a new musical language, one that looks backward and forward at the same time. 

The album is rooted in the lineage of composers who unknowingly laid the foundation for hip hop decades before it existed. Figures like Lalo Schifrin, David Axelrod, Ennio Morricone, Galt MacDermot, Bo Hansson, and later visionaries such as Portishead’s Geoff Barrow created cinematic, emotionally charged music that was often overlooked in its time. Their records would later be rediscovered by crate diggers and transformed by producers searching for sounds that felt timeless, dangerous, and unexplored. 

Hip hop expanded by inheriting this forgotten language. Through sampling, producers didn’t just borrow melodies; they absorbed orchestration, mood, tension, and storytelling from composers who were operating far outside the mainstream. In many ways, hip hop became the vehicle that preserved and amplified these ideas, introducing new generations to music that had always been ahead of its time. 

Younge is composed with that full historical awareness. It is orchestral music written from the perspective of today’s producers, music that anticipates reinterpretation, deconstruction, and reuse. Think of it as a 1970s soundtrack album imagined through modern ears: arrangements built around space, restraint, and texture; movements that feel cinematic yet modular; compositions that invite dialogue rather than demand finality. 

You can get a copy of Younge via Bandcamp right here. Listen to the lead track "Portschute" and "Il Mattino" below. 

Brazilian soul great Carlos Dafé previews new album with "Bloco da Harmonia"

Listen to Carlos Dafé's "Bloco da Harmonia" off his forthcoming collaborative album with Adrian Younge for Jazz Is Dead. 

Carlos Dafé – Jazz Is Dead 25

Carlos Dafé, born in Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, grew up surrounded by music and poetry. His father, a chorinho player, and his mother, a poet, nurtured his talent from a young age. By four, he was correcting notes in his father’s rehearsals; by eleven, he was studying at the Conservatory of Music, and by fourteen, he was performing with ensembles and orchestras. In the 1970s, Dafé became a pillar of Brazil’s Black music movement, alongside Tim Maia, Cassiano, Wilson Simonal, and Banda Black Rio. Known as “The Prince of Soul,”a title bestowed by Nelson Motta, Dafé brought samba, soul, and funk into harmony, creating enduring hits like A Beleza É Você Menina.

Dafé’s career spans decades of collaborations, accolades, and cultural influence. From touring internationally with the Marine Corps band to composing film soundtracks, his contributions have shaped Brazil’s artistic identity. InTrem do Soul, a 2021 documentary about Rio’s Black cultural scene, Dafé’s work is celebrated as a cornerstone of the movement. His deep voice, poignant lyrics, and innovative sound have made him a mentor and a cultural icon for generations. Adrian Younge discovered Dafé’s work through the song “Pelas Sombras” from Arthur Verocai’s groundbreaking 1972 album, a work sampled by artists such as Dr. Who Dat? and Michael Da Vinci. They were introduced by Verocai himself, which led to their collaboration on Jazz Is Dead 25, which marks a bold new chapter in Dafé’s career. In Los Angeles, Dafé was captivated by Younge’s creative process. “I was in awe of the stupendous arrangements Adrian had created, so I made sure to leave plenty of space for the instrumentals to shine,” Dafé said. Alongside collaborators BID, Gabriel Moura, his wife Marilda, and son Jorge Mário Dafé, he wrote melodies, lyrics, and spoken-word passages inspired by stories he once told his children.

Dafé also sought spiritual inspiration during the recording process, visiting a nearby church to pray for guidance. Reflecting on a conversation with Tim Maia from the 1970s, he noted how Maia had predicted the rise of spoken-word pop music, foreshadowing rap. With this in mind, Dafé infused the album with vocal textures inspired by Barry White and rhythms that echo his soulful roots while embracing modern innovation.

With Jazz Is Dead 25, Carlos Dafé reaffirms his legacy while venturing into uncharted musical territory. The album celebrates Dafé’s extraordinary ability to bridge the past and present, blending soul, samba, and funk with contemporary experimentation. His story, voice, and artistry continue to inspire, making him not only a cornerstone of Brazilian Black music but a timeless figure in global music. 

You can pre-order Carlos Dafé's forthcoming album Jazz Is Dead 25 right here. Listen to an audio clip of "Bloco da Harmonia" below. While you're waiting, those who don't already own Carlos Dafé's classic 70s recordings should check out the "Best Of" compilation gathering together Dafé's primo material recorded for Warner between 1977 and 1979 which was released by Mad About Records back in 2020 but is still available digitally via Bandcamp right here.

One For The Weekend: Dom Salvador w/ Adrian Younge

Check out "Não Podermos O Amar Para" by Brazilian samba-jazz legend Dom Salvador with Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad. 

Here's the scoop...

With lyrics that declare, "Tem um tempo pra sentir, tem um tempo pra tocar, tem um tempo pra lutar, não podemos o amor parar, (There is a time to feel, a time to play, a time to fight—we cannot let love stop)" Adrian Younge wrote this song while reflecting on Dom Salvador's role in using music as a tool for social change and the ongoing struggle of Black Brazilians. The track encapsulates the spirit of resilience, reinforcing the message that love and resistance must never be stopped. Dom Salvador's signature piano playing gives the song its heartbeat, his touch a reminder of his immeasurable contribution to Brazilian music.

Jazz Is Dead continues its journey of honouring musical legends with Dom Salvador JID024, an album that revisits and revitalizes the pioneering spirit of one of Brazil’s most influential musicians. Dom Salvador, the trailblazer who fused samba with jazz, funk, and soul in the late ’60s and early ’70s, is the cornerstone of a movement that shaped the sound of Black Brazilian music. Now, in collaboration with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, he returns to that foundation in a wholly new way.

One For The Weekend: Ebo Taylor w/ Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Ebo Taylor puts his own spin on Afrobeat with "Kusi Na Sibo." Catch Ebo w/ Pat Thomas at the Concert Hall on April 13. 

Happy Birthday Lonnie Liston Smith!

Celebrating the birthday of Lonnie Liston Smith with some 1973 footage and a few songs from his recent album for Jazz Is Dead.  

Adrian Younge shares collaboration with Afrobeat boss Tony Allen

The late Nigerian drumming dynamo Tony Allen – longtime Fela Kuti sideman – has an unreleased Jazz Is Dead session on the way.

Here's the scoop from Jazz Is Dead...

The genius that is Tony Allen departed this mortal world in April of 2020, but not without leaving an unmatched legacy that crossed oceans and borders, bridging cultures and forging a sound that changed music. As the drummer for Fela Kuti’s revolutionary Africa 70, Allen’s polyrhythmic drumming defined Afrobeat, combining American Jazz and Nigerian Highlife to animate one of the most iconic performers of all time. Over the course of Allen’s tenure with the group, and later as a solo artist, he would continue to relentlessly innovate, incorporating new sounds and working with scores of contemporaries. His contributions as an artist and cultural ambassador left an indelible impact on every genre of popular music, from Techno to Jazz to Rock and Hip-Hop. Tony Allen’s music stands as an ongoing testament to the interconnected musical relationships and dialogues across the African diaspora, and their lasting influence on how we listen.

Aside from traditional Yoruba Juju music, Tony Allen was enamoured with Jazz, particularly the recordings of Art Blakey, Max Roach, and Elvin Jones, musicians who had begun to experiment with West African rhythms and musical concepts. At the time, Nigeria’s immensely popular Igbo Highlife music was incorporating influences from Jazz formulating what became known as Afro-Jazz, connecting the American genre back to its roots. These early cross-cultural dialogues pushed Allen to develop a drumming style that fused Highlife and Jazz. In the mid-1960s, Allen met Fela Kuti, and the two formed the group Koola Lobitos, which would later grow to become the legendary Africa 70 band. Nigerian audiences did not immediately take to this new sound, but following a trip to the United States, Kuti was exposed to James Brown and the Black Panthers. Allen began to incorporate the sounds of Black American Funk and Soul. By the 1970s, the group morphed their influences into Afrobeat, the sound of post-colonial Africa, making music that was concerned with economic and political liberation and Pan-Africanism.

The nearly 30 records which Allen appeared on with Africa 70 contain some of the most innovative drumming of all time. Throughout his time with Fela Kuti and Africa 70, Tony Allen introduced the world not only to Afrobeat, but to an entirely new way of conceptualizing rhythm.

In his post-Fela career, Allen moved to Paris and continued to be a vanguard. He experimented with Dub, Electro, and Hip-Hop. He was a willing mentor, collaborating with several generations of musicians inspired by his vernacular. French pop artists, such as Sebastien Tellier, Air, and Charlotte Gainsbourg, called upon Allen to help shape some of their most well-known work, such as Tellier’s “La Ritournelle” and Gainbourg’s “5:55”. His collaborations with Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz formed the bands The Good, the Bad, and the Queen and Rocket Juice and the Moon, where rock stars like Paul Simenon and Flea were eager to enter conversation with a musician Brian Eno once called “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived”.

On some of his last recordings, Allen returned to his love of Jazz, while reminding listeners of the ongoing influence and legacy of the diaspora. Recording with Blue Note, he released a tribute to his hero Art Blakey, along with an album of original material and collaborating with the South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. In 2018, Allen and Techno pioneer Jeff Mills released an EP that fused Afrobeat, Jazz, and Techno. On 2021’s aptly titled posthumous recording “There Is No End”, Allen worked with Hip-Hop artists such as Danny Brown and UK Grime star Skepta. Allen remained a constant innovator, absorbing sounds that had derived from West African music and conversing with new generations, passing on the ideals of Pan-Africanism. For Jazz Is Dead producer Adrian Younge, it is no small honor to share new music recorded with the drummer revolutionary Tony Allen.

"Don't Believe the Dancers" is the first single from the forthcoming Tony Allen JID018. Have a listen below. 

Mysterious jazz keyboardist Garrett Saracho tells his story

Garrett Saracho, who cut the Chicano jazz gem En Medio for Impulse! in '73 chats with Adrian Younge about his life. 

Listen to "People's Revolution" by Henry Franklin

Black Jazz bass boss Henry "The Skipper" Franklin just cut a new album for Jazz Is Dead – listen to "People's Revolution"

Happy Birthday Doug Carn!

Celebrating the 73 birthday of keyboardist extraordinaire Doug Carn with a recent Jazz Is Dead recording and a few gems. 

Brian Jackson previews new Jazz Is Dead album with Adrian Younge

Legendary Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson releases his long overdue new album Aug 6th. Check out two tracks below.

Here's the scoop from Jazz Is Dead...

Brian Jackson JID008 is the first full album released by the great man in 20 years and it's a testament to his multifaceted talents that while there are moments throughout that hint at his game-changing history and track record, for the most part it reveals a musician whose considerable lessons learned from the past only serve to keep his eyes firmly fixed on the future. It's a masterclass in unbridled and open-minded creativity, no different from what Brian did half a century ago. The ease and comfort with which his ideas integrate with those of musicians a generation younger than him bears this out. To listen to this album is to hear a hot up-and-coming musician who also happens to be a major jazz-funk legend.

Brian Jackson's Jazz Is Dead 008 is out August 6. You can pre-order it via Bandcamp right here. Check out "Mars Walk" and "Nancy Wilson" below followed by an interview with Adrian Younge's chat with Brian Jackson. 

For Further Listening:

Saxophonist Gary Bartz reflects on his jazz career

Check out Gary's conversation with Jake Feinberg and two tracks from his new Adrian Younge collaboration

Doug Carn connects with Adrian Younge on Jazz Is Dead 5

Spiritual jazz great Doug Carn steps out of the shadows for a great new recording with Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Here's the scoop...

Doug Carn's newest project, his entry in the Jazz Is Dead album series helmed by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, takes his unique and timeless art and places it within the context of a musical culture that has always taken cues from his 70s classics. There's no mistaking the musical mind that created legendary albums like Infant Eyes and Adam's Apple, but the encounter of that with the distinctive jazz-hip hop-funk-noir that is the Younge/Muhammad/JID trademark creates something worthy of comparison to Carn's past work but which could only have been made right now. One can detect nods to musical motifs by Carn's jazz peers that have served as frequent sample fodder, but his compositional and improvisational integrity remain indisputable throughout.

Get a copy of Doug Carn's Jazz Is Dead 5 right here. Listen to "Processions" and "Lion's Walk" below.  

Brazil's Azymuth preview their new album for Jazz Is Dead

Check out "Sumaré" and "Apocaliptíco" off Azymuth's forthcoming album for Adrian Younge's label Jazz Is Dead out Oct 23.

Pre-order the new Azymuth album via Bandcamp right here

Roy Ayers joined by Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad for new album

Roy Ayers: Jazz Is Dead 0002 is slated for release by the Jazz Is Dead label on June 19th. Listen to "Synchronizaton Vibration" and Jazz Is Dead 001.  

Here's the scoop...
Timeless music exists as a piece of art that is perpetually in vogue; a creation of sound that never sours with future generations.  For Jazz Is Dead, a taste for timelessness is essential and our strength is based on presenting the unexpected.  With great pride, we announce a new album with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge and the godfather of neo-soul: Roy Ayers Jazz Is Dead (JID) 002

With a career spanning nearly 60 years, he’s inspired a multitude of artists with his jazz-oriented R&B: a fusion of post-bop and soul that canonized his place in the world of music.  He’s one of the most sampled artists of all time, responsible for some of your favorite songs by A Tribe Called Quest, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and more.  His formative years came in the ‘70s, with a slew of Polydor releases including He’s Coming, Vibrations and Everybody Loves the Sunshine.

The Los Angeles bred Ayers was raised near the epicenter of the west coast jazz scene, Central Avenue.  By day, a pleasant downtown for the segregated black middle class; by night, a dynamic multi-cultural thoroughfare of music, entertainment, and Black excellence.  At a time when Bebop was the new wave, musicians ranging from Lionel Hampton, Charlie Parker, and Ella Fitzgerald were frequent regulars.  With fast tempos, instrumental virtuosity and complex chord progressions, it was the younger generations answer to the oversaturated jazz of yesteryear. At the age of 5, Ayers attended a Lionel Hampton concert, where he was personally gifted a set of mallets by the legendary vibraphonist. “I was singing before the vibraphone but I was playing the piano because we had one at home…the piano really made me want to play the vibraphone.”  Ayers sought to become the next Hampton.

At 17, Ayers convinced his parents to buy him a $300 vibraphone, with the goal of one day becoming a professional musician.  As he progressed, he began performing with fledgling musicians like Bobby Hutcherson and Edwin Birdsong.  He also played with more established artists like Chico Hamilton, Teddy Edwards, Jack Wilson, Phineas Newborn and Gerald Wilson.  His persistence paid off and he found his niche as a touring vibraphonist for the flautist Herbie Mann.

Towards the end of his four-year tenure with Mann, he signed a deal with Polydor that would define his career.  Slowly, he began to forego some of his post-bop virtuosity for a prevalence in groove and R&B.   Unbeknownst to Ayers, he would create a catalog, ultimately serving as the predecessor to neo-soul.  This move was heavily influenced by his childhood friend and frequent co-producer, Edwin Birdsong.  During these formative years, Ayers found a new purpose and reached a wider audience with soulful iterations of jazz.  In ’76 he released “Searching,” and “Everybody Loves The Sunshine,” the latter serving as one of the most influential songs of his career.

“The song changed everything for me. It’s still the last song of my show. People always join in and it’s been sampled over 100 times, by everyone from Dr. Dre to Pharrell Williams,” stated Ayers.  His biggest hit was ironically recorded at night and the phrase just came to his head.  Roy chanted, “Feel what I feel, when I feel what I feel, what I’m feeling. Then I started thinking about summer imagery. Folks get down in the sunshine, folks get brown in the sunshine, just bees and things and flowers. It was so spontaneous. It felt wonderful and I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound: a mix of vibraphone, piano and a synthesizer.”

It's this simple blending of soul and jazz that revolutionized a sound of music for years to come.  Prior to recording Jazz Is Dead 002, he worked with Alicia Keys, Thundercat and Tyler The Creator.  When asked why he still continues to record music, he had one simple answer, “For the younger generation. That’s exactly why I do it, exactly for that reason.”

Black Thought vs. Syl Johnson

Black Thought from The Roots does a fine version of Syl Johnson's "Is It Because I'm Black" backed by Adrian Younge.

DJ Shadow @ The Phoenix, Saturday

Following the smashing success of The Mountain Will Fall, DJ Shadow (returning to Toronto to spin at The Phoenix on Saturday) has announced the release of a 20th Anniversary re-release of Entroducing in a special ENDTROSPECTIVE Edition, due October 28. You can pre-order the 6LP vinyl box, 3CD digipak versions and limited edition 12" remixes directly from DJ Shadow's site right here.

Says our man Shadow...
“As a music lover, my favorite records always have some hallmarks of an era, but also sound as if they could have been made almost any time within a 20 year time span. I’ve always felt that as someone who buys a lot of records and sits there and studies them and kind of vibes off them, I also feel like once you put something out into the world, it can be discovered later. That happened so much with Endtroducing – 10 or 15 years down the road, people were discovering it.”

The deluxe CD/LP collection features the original album as well as demos, alternate takes, live versions, and expanded liner notes from an interview conducted by Eliot Wilder, the author of DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing… (33 1/3), along with never-before-released photographs by Brian "B+" Cross and Phil Knott. In addition, the package features 12 exclusive remixes, produced by Prince Paul, Adrian  Younge Hudson Mohawke, Daedelus and other forward looking artists, will also be available as the standalone digital album, Entroducing Re-Emagined. Check out the complete tracklisting after the Clams Casino remix of Stem / Long Stem and a snappy reworking of Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt from Paul Salva below.




ENDTRODUCING – THE ALBUM

1. Best Foot Forward
2. Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt
3. The Number Song
4. Changeling
**Transmission 1
5. What Does Your Soul Look Like Part 4
6. Untitled
7. Stem / Long Stem
**Transmission 2
8. Mutual Slump
9. Organ Donor
10. Why Hip Hop Sucks in ‘96
11. Midnight In A Perfect World
12. Napalm Brain / Scatter Brain
13. What Does Your Soul Look Like Part 1 – Blue Sky Revisit
**Transmission 3

EXCESSIVE EPHEMERA
1. Best Foot Forward – Alternate Version
2. Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt – Alternate Take Without Overdubs
3. The Number Song – Cut Chemist Party Mix
4. Changeling – Original Demo Excerpt
5. Stem – Cops ‘N’ Robbers Mix
6. Soup
7. Red Bus Needs To Leave!
8. Mutual Slump – Alternate Take Without Overdubs
9. Organ Donor –Extended Overhaul
10. Why Hip Hop Sucks in ’96 – Alternate Take
11. Midnight In A Perfect World – Gab Mix
12. Napalm Brain – Original Demo Beat
13. What Does Your Soul Look Like – Peshay Remix
14. DJ Shadow Live In Oxford, England, Oct. 30, 1997

ENDTRODUCING RE-EMAGINED
1. Best Foot Forward – Teeko Remix
2. Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt – Salva Remix
3. The Number Song – Lee Bannon Remix
4. Transmissions – Kuedo Remix
5. Changeling II – Adrian Younge Remix
6. What Does Your Soul Look Like Part 4 – DJ Spinn Teklife Remix
7. Stem / Long Stem – Clams Casino Remix
8. Mutual Slump – Daedelus Remix
9. Organ Donor – UZ Remix
10. Midnight In A Perfect World – Hudson Mohawke Remix
11. What Does Your Soul Look Like Part 1 – Prince Paul Remix
12. Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt – Bondax & Karma Kid Remix

Raekwon, Ghostface & Rza jump on Adrian Younge's Return Of The Savage

Long before Adrian Younge fan club member DJ Premier released his PRhyme collabo with Royce da 5'9" exclusively using samples of Younge's recordings, the multi-instrumentalist composer, arranger and producer was already well-known to beatheadz for his brilliant work scoring Scott Sanders' 2009 blaxploitation salute Black Dynamite and the inspired Philly soul update Adrian Younge Presents The Delfonics. Here's a short documentary about Younge and his work that's worth checking.



Since releasing the amazing faux-giallo soundtrack Twelve Reasons To Die with Ghostface Killah and companion instrumentals set on Rza's Soul Temple label back in 2013, Younge has been hard at work building his own Linear Labs operation on the down low. To preview the four impressive albums he has slated for 2015, Younge assembled the Los Angeles label sampler now available on CD, LP and as a digital download.

Along with  Return Of The Savage (listen below) featuring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Rza from the upcoming Twelve Reasons To Die II album, there's the Memories Of War collabo with Stereolab chanteuse Laetitia Sadier off the forthcoming 'Something About April II and a joint called Feel Alive voiced by Karolina and Loren Oden from The Midnight Hour concept album Younge created with Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Additionally, the vinyl version of Los Angeles comes with the bonus track Sirens II (which you can hear in a stripped-down version below) from Bilal's next solo album.

For those playing catch-up, the Los Angeles sampler also includes 1969 Organ from Younge’s 2000 debut Adrian Younge Presents Venice Dawn, Panic (Ali Shaheed Muhammad Remix) from last year's Souls of Mischief / Ali Shaheed Muhammad album, There Is Only Now Remix, The Sure Shot (Parts 1 & 2) which is an instrumental lifted from the Twelve Reasons To Die sessions, To Be Your One from the aforementioned Delfonics set and finally, there's Chicago Wind featuring Toni Scruggs from the Black Dynamite soundtrack. If your local record retailer doesn't stock Linear Labs releases, you can order Los Angeles directly from the label right here.

FYI: Raekwon returns to Toronto to present the music from his new album Fly International Luxurious Art – which could've greatly benefitted from Younge's musical input – at the Phoenix on Friday.

Adrian Younge on being sampled by Jay-Z

Magna Carta Holy Grail was bolstered by samples from Adrian Younge's Something About April

Ghostface Killah goes giallo

Director David Wong draws on 70s Italian horror cinema for The Rise Of Ghostface Killah clip