Results for "Bilal"

Bilal

If there was one R&B artist for whom the neo-soul categorization seemed limiting, it was Philadelphia native Bilal. None of his recordings resembled the sycophantic worship of soul artists who thrived in the '60 and '70s, and it wasn't just because his voice — classically trained, capable of singing opera in seven languages — was so unique. While some inspirations were detectable, his recordings were wholly modern and became increasingly creative. His individuality led to being dropped from a major label, and he went several years without releasing any solo material. Through evangelism from his peers and word of mouth from his early fans, Bilal gained an insatiable following and was supported by sympathetic independent labels, where he was finally able to thrive creatively

Canvas

By ROBERT GLASPER

Label: Blue Note Records
Released: 2019
Track listing: Rise And Shine; Canvas; Portrait Of An Angel; Enoch's Meditation; Centelude; Jelly's Da Beener; Chant; Riot; North Portland; I Remember.

Keyon Harrold: The Mugician

By THOMAS EARL

Back in October of 2015, Keyon Harrold had his laptop and seven hard drives worth of material stolen from his car in New York. Although intended for his second album, Harrold's reaction was indicative of his attitude to life and music, stating philosophically, “the universe says that wasn't supposed to come out." Thankfully, two ...

2017: The Year in Jazz

By KEN FRANCKLING

A year of achievements, challenges to gender inequality, scandal and losses The year 2017 was quite something for the jazz world. Incidents or discussions of misogyny and sexual misconduct bubbled up even before the #MeToo phenomenon developed. Beyond that, woman musicians made significant contributions to the genre. International Jazz Day brought its biggest stage ...

Natasha Agrama: The Heart Of Infinite Change

By WALTER ATKINS

The Heart Of Infinite Change (Alpha Pup/World Galaxy, 2017), is an update of the 2015 album from songwriter/vocalist Natasha Agrama. In addition to a different record label, the current release features one new track “Lover Man" and deletes four others from the earlier album. Heart consists of songs with music and lyrics by Agrama, Joni Mitchell ...

Robert Glasper, Miles Davis: Everything's Beautiful

By ASHER WOLF

Miles Davis birthed cool in 1949 and nearly took it to the grave with him 52 years later. His first venture into hip-hop and last studio album, Doo-Bop, represented the least cool moment for America's icon of coolness itself. By the '90s, Miles' prowess as a trumpeter had only waned from legendary to excellent, but younger ...

Natasha Agrama: The Heart Of Infinite Change

By WALTER ATKINS

The Heart Of Infinite Change (Roxboro Entertainment Group), the debut album from songwriter/vocalist Natasha Agrama is an intriguing ten-track mix of original compositions and impeccable jazz standards. The album consists of 3 songs with music and lyrics by Agrama, plus one each by Joni Mitchell and Osho with additional lyrics. The balance comes from personalized arrangements ...

Joanna Pascale: To Tell a Story in Song

By VICTOR L. SCHERMER

Among jazz vocalists, there are two main categories: those who belt out a tune with flourish, ornamentation, punctuation, and improvising known as “scat." Ella Fitzgerald is the prime representative of that approach. Then there are those who omit the superfluous, carefully crafting every word and note, bringing out the underlying emotions. Think of Billie Holiday. Joanna ...