One of the loveliest sounds heard on record in 2020 was the pluck and shimmer of Brandee Younger’s harp, tracing out the melodies of classic songs like the Stylistics’ “You Make Me Feel Brand New” and Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” on Force Majeure, a collection of home-recorded duets with …
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Jazz continued to explode in 2019, shooting off in countless directions. There wasn’t one dominant trend, sound, or scene in the genre this year, but there were clear areas of focus, informal constellations of like-minded players and conceptualists: artists who harnessed the energy of rock, devised unusual instrumental textures, pushed …
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The crux of the Puerto Rico-based group ÌFÉ, says bandleader Otura Mun, is “about bringing people together, and seeing ourselves as people connected.” In their critically-acclaimed 2017 debut, IIII+IIII — pronounced ‘Edgy-Og-Beh’ — Mun combined the traditional praise songs and messages of his spiritual practice with jovial, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and …
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Theon Cross can still vividly remember when the instrument that’s taken him around the world was more of a liability than an asset. “Playing the tuba didn’t make me cool when I was at school,” the 26-year-old tells Rolling Stone, speaking via Skype from his London home. “On the bus …
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