I apologize for the lack of new content for the last few months. In March, I pretty much dropped off the modern jazz map. I stopped updating the site, let ContemporaryJazz.com Radio go, and tweeted less frequently. I haven’t abandoned the site but there will be some changes in the future. I have plans for ContemporaryJazz.com. I’m not sure when these will happen but I hope you’ll continue to check in from time to time, follow me on Twitter, or subscribe to the RSS feed.
I’ll give you my idea of the direction of the site. It will be focused on when the music was labeled as contemporary jazz and not smooth jazz. I have so many press releases, magazines, and other materials from the time I started listening to the music. I want to revisit the time when everything was exciting to me.
The JAZZzology blog asks: “is acid jazz just a name given by a radio disc jockey to promote some readily unidentifiable form of pop music or is it a form of jazz music?” I think it’s the latter – more of a type of fusion but, instead of rock, it blends soul, funk, jazz, and a contemporary sound. If we’re talking about terminology – wasn’t “smooth jazz” just a term invented by a corporation?
According to Amazon, this compilation from the Soundiva label, called Chillout & Acid Jazz, will be out on New Year’s Day. Sample it now – a good mix of 25 jazzy uptempo and laid-back tracks.
I always find some good jazz while searching through the electronic category. Check out music from this new release, which features several vocal performances.
ContemporaryJazz.com Radio plays nu jazz, acid jazz, remixed jazz, jazzy house, dancefloor jazz, and other groove jazz styles. It’s online all the time and is free (with ads) or you can purchase a VIP package for commercial free listening and other benefits.
See the embedded spreadsheet below for the most recent adds to the playlist. The spreadsheet contains the artist, track, album title, and links to how to buy the recording (CD and/or high-quality, DRM-free MP3 download) through Amazon.com. Buying through those links benefits ContemporaryJazz.com. Click here for a full screen version.
Urban Elements is a quintet of musicians from Sweden and Chile. I sampled this release simply based on the name of the group and was impressed. This is what contemporary jazz is about!
From Hungary comes today’s Try It Out Tuesdays offering: MM7 Secret Jazz is an electronica/jazz project of trumpeter Miklós Mákó. Miklós records for Beagle Beat Records, a jazz-focused micro-label in Budapest. Check the label out on MySpace to sample their artist roster, which covers a range of contemporary jazz styles.
Click the play button to hear “Bond Express” from the MM7 Secret Jazz project. If you like what you hear, click the Shopping Cart icon to buy it from Amazon.com.
I’ve posted over 500 tweets of contemporary jazz news, release dates, and site information on Twitter in the last few months. It’s how I communicate quick contemporary jazz items of interest. In today’s quick-moving world, this is how I get most of my information – through brief, one-sentence notifications. Later, I can go back and read more about something or compose a blog post. Follow my tomorrowjazz tweets on Twitter!
I keep a list of my most recent tweets here on the site, but here are some items you might have missed.
Smooth jazz takes another blow as The Weather Channel replaces it with classic rock for Weather on the 8′s.
Amazon.com is offering 100 jazz MP3 albums for $5 each in August! Included are the latest releases from Jazzmasters and George Benson, classic recordings from Miles Davis and Donald Byrd, and everything around and in between! Check it out!
