Kamaal Williams – Wu Hen - 2020 Future Jazz - Ltd Red Vinyl LP - 3000 Copies
In stock
SKU
21023-1
CA$58.95
Kamaal Williams – Wu Hen
Label:
Black Focus Records – BFR007LP
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Red
Limited edition to 3000 copies
Notes
Includes download card.
Country:
UK
Released:
24 Jul 2020
Genre:
Electronic, Jazz
Style:
Jazz-Funk, Contemporary Jazz
Tracklist
A1 Street Dreams
Featuring – Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
A2 One More Time / 1989
A3 Toulouse / Pigalle
B1 Big Rick / Save Me
Featuring – Mach-Hommy*
B2 Mr. Wu
B3 Hold On
Featuring – Lauren Faith
B4 Early Prayer
Primis Player Placeholder
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Black Focus Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Black Focus Records
Lacquer Cut At – Ten Eight Seven Mastering
Pressed By – Optimal Media GmbH – BK05089
Lacquer Cut By – Beau*
Mastered By – Beau Thomas, Beau Thomas
Credits
Drums – Greg Paul
Electric Bass – Rick James
Electric Piano [Rhodes], Synth – Kamaal Williams
Harp – Alina Bzhezhinska
Strings – Miguel Atwood-Ferguson
Vocals – Lauren Faith, Mach-Hommy*
Voice [Adlibs] – K Dubz (2), Stirlos, Wbeeza*
Written-By [Additional Writing And Contributions] – Alina Bzhezhinska, Greg Paul (5), Lauren Faith, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Quinn Mason, Rick James (9)
Written-By, Producer – Henry Wu
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode (Text): 5 060384 618722
Barcode (Sticker): 5 060384 618708
Barcode (Scanned): 5060384618708
Matrix / Runout (Etched A, Variant 1): BK05089-01 A1 BFR0̷0̷7LP A BEAU @ TEN EIGHT SEVEN
Matrix / Runout (Etched B, Variant 1): BK05089-01 B1 BFR0̷0̷7LP B BEAU @ TEN EIGHT SEVEN
Matrix / Runout (Etched A, Variant 2): BK05089-01 A1 BFR0̷0̷7LP A BEAU @ TEN EIGHT SEVEN
"Powered by drummer Yussef Dayes and keyboardist Henry “Kamaal” Williams, 2016’s Black Focus —the duo’s lone release as Yussef Kamaal—neatly mirrored the renaissance of jazz out on the West Coast helmed by Kamasi Washington. Uncluttered yet rhythmically deep, Black Focus also revealed the true range of UK jazz; its ready assimilation of hip-hop, R&B, Afrobeat, dubstep, and broken beat set the stage for the likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Kokoroko, and Ezra Collective to rise up in its wake. But Dayes and Williams soon splintered, never building on that keystone."
“Toulouse” and the subsequent “Pigalle” evolve in similar fashion. Williams puts away the keyboards and reverts to piano to state the lovely theme, when he’s joined by Mason’s breathy sax and pizzicato strings. As Williams’ comping turns choppy and James’ acoustic bass runs quicken, the piece opens up into “Pigalle,” which moves the sound into Maiden Voyage-era Herbie Hancock territory, flowing like a tributary into an open sea. For all of Williams’ penchant for blending together the electronic textures of different eras, the in-the-studio feel of this post-bop jazz throwback stands out, feeling spontaneous rather than carefully deliberated. Even Mason’s otherwise unobtrusive horn pushes to its harsher register, giving the song a harder edge. A similar trick occurs between the pliant balladry of “Big Rick” and the disco groove of “Save Me.” Drummer Greg Paul flips to double-time and Williams gets within shouting distance of the off-kilter dance tracks he makes as Henry Wu. As he toys with the filters on his synths, the song evolves yet again into “Mr. Wu,” leading to the kind of infectious jazz-funk that could slot into a Theo Parrish set.
Atwood-Ferguson’s arrangements to the set are the clear stand-outs, adding yet another era of musical tradition for Williams to draw upon (in this instance, the opulent charts crafted by the likes of David Axelrod and Gil Evans) and new textures for his group to react to. Yet the gorgeous opener “Street Dreams,” which foregrounds Atwood-Ferguson’s work, feels interrupted. The use of harp and orchestrations hearken back to the likes of Alice Coltrane (a touchstone for the Angeleno), but just when the piece seems like it’s about to achieve lift-off to a higher plane, it instead comes to an abrupt halt at two minutes." (pitchfork)
| Condition | New |
|---|---|
| Format | LP |
| Color | Red |
New Products
