Since its 2017 inception, Jazz Is Dead has remained true to its mission of honoring the legacies of their musical heroes through cross generational collaborations. With Jazz Is Dead Series 2, co-founders Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, have delivered an unimpeachable collection of fresh and captivating recordings inspired by jazz’s past, present, and future. The series features new albums from legends Lonnie Liston Smith,Jean Carne, Tony Allen, Henry Franklin,Phil Ranelin,Wendell Harrison, Garrett Saracho, and the modern contemporary Los Angeles based collective Katalyst.For Remixes JID020, the label has tapped a few of their favorite contemporary artists and producers to offer their own take on the music of Series 2. The album features a variety of dynamic personalities with remixes from London based artists Shabaka Hutchins and Theon Cross, New York tastemaker Melanie Charles, LA based producer Bei Ru, Brazil’s Dj Nyack, Detroit based producer Tall Black Guy, Bay Area producer Mophono and the LA based house duo LO & Diisko.The album begins with Mophono’s reinvention of the late Tony Allen’s “Don’t Believe the Dancers” immediately placing listeners in a trance with percussive sounds that further animate Allen’s traditional Afrobeat patterns; paying homage to the era of music Allen created alongside Fela Kuti’s Africa 70. The track comes to a close with Mophono’s sampling of Allen’s voice, a call to drummers all around the world to continue to build and expand on the art of drumming.On the remix of Jean Carne’s “Black Rainbows” featuring vocals by Loren Oden, Melanie Charles plays on the fantasy-like feelings of the original recording, delivering a refreshing ode to Blackness. The lyrics fall into an evocative mantra as Charles sings along with Carne and Oden painting visions of Black beauty.Henry Franklin is a longstanding contributor to the genre as one of jazz’s most influential heartbeats. The song “African Sun” incorporates distinctly West African rhythms alongside jazz modalities, a meeting of two cultures ripped apart but in continuous conversation with each other. Through this reimagining, Shabaka Hutchins continues this cross-cultural conversation, achieving a strong musical meditation that mimics the rise and fall of the sun.Overall, JID020 earns its place in the Jazz Is Dead catalog as it further celebrates the spirit of collaboration amongst artists young and old. What unites these the DJs, producers, and musicians with the Jazz Is Dead ethos is their unbent dedication to remaining true to their own vibe and sound all the while preserving the energy and feeling of the original recordings.
