Jazz Articles

Sly5thAve & Roberto Verastegui: Agua de Jamaica

by Peter Jones
March 21, 2022

Despite its title, this genre-busting album has nothing to do with reggae or Jamaican dancehall. In fact, it's a fresh-as-paint melange of jazz, electro-pop and hip-hop. Agua de Jamaica is the work of a Texan and a Mexican: Sly5thAve (real name Sylvester Uzoma Onyejiaka II) and Roberto Verástegui originally met as jazz students in Texas, and the album came together in Mexico City during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Sly5thAve may not be a familiar name to many, but ...

Nostalgia77: Everything Under The Sun

by Gina Vodegel
July 27, 2007

For British guitarist/songwriter Ben Lamdin his Nostalgia 77 projects are all about swinging cosmic music. On Everything Under The Sun it's primary rhythm and sounds keeping the listener captive and pleasantly sedated, from the first track on.

“Wildflower" bursts open into an immediate mesmerizing beat, tastefully hurled by drummer Graham Fox who is soon joined by bassist Riaan Vosloo and vocalist Lizzy Parks. The three of them create a tapestry of rich patterns, forcing the listener to infuse a repetitive ...