Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 1, and Part 2 is also out here. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order. This is all about quality and innovation …
Read moreDave Okumu & The 7 Generations: I Came From Love
New album: A rich, complex and brilliant release about black history, identity, and channelling the idea of ancestry by British singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist joined by a stellar cast of fellow artists, including Wesley Joseph, Tom Skinner, ESKA and Grace Jones
Read moreLondon Brew: London Brew
New album: A wonderfully rich, collaborative release of new music by a 12-piece group of leading UK jazz musicians including Shabaka Hutchings, recorded in 2020 in Paul Epworth’s Church Studios, inspired by and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’s landmark LP Bitches Brew
Read moreJoan As Police Woman, Tony Allen and Dave Okumu: The Solution Is Restless
New album: Joan Wasser and her long-time collaborator’s brilliant, beautiful, dark, and perfectly paced blend of funk-afro-jazz with vocals, bass, piano, strings, horns, and stored sessions from the great departed afrobeat drum pioneer
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