Makaya McCraven - "Mantra"

IT'S UNIVERSAL BEINGS RELEASE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally. Thanks to the fine folks at International Anthem, I've been absorbing the second release from Chicago's Makaya McCraven for a little while now and waiting for the opportunity to feature it on my radio show. Tonight I'll finally get to spin the track below but more importantly, the record is now available to listen to in its entirety on Bandcamp and to purchase. The entire record is a stunner and has a solid spot on my 2018 Longlist, but "Mantra" continues to stand out on multiple listens because that interpolation of harp and bowed bass dancing atop the snapping percussion. It creates a mood and a groove that I just want to luxuriate in.

Kyoto Jazz Sextet - "Rising (Ron Trent Remix)"

As someone with an affinity for Japanese club jazz outfits like Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, Quasimode and others AND who owns more than a few records from the Peacefrog catalog, the combination of the Kyoto Jazz Sextet with Chicago house legend Ron Trent was pretty much guaranteed to resonate from the opening notes. This is insistent and joyful and unstoppable.

Manatee Commune - "Carried Away" ft. Allie Crystal

This one came out last Friday, but I was so wrapped up in the station's annual Pledge drive that it nearly slipped through the cracks. It's been more than a hot minute since I last posted about Manatee Commune (with their Moorea Masa collab "The Garden Song", though sadly in over two years Masa has only accumulated 200 more Soundcloud followers). The new cut, "Carried Away" features another great vocalist - this time it's New York singer-songwriter Allie Crystal, making a cross-country collaboration with the Washington-state based Grant Eadie and Crystal's effervescent voice just amplifies the inherent happiness of this bouncy tune. Try not to smile while you're listening to it, and try not to hit 'repeat' after you've given it a first listen.

Cosmic Analog Ensemble - "Phoenician Rose"

I had saved a draft of this post on August 21st and just totally flaked on posting it back then, but while you would have had to wait nearly three months for the release of Une Vie Cent Détours had I posted it back then, now it's only a few weeks away from being available. There's still time to pre-order the digital or vinyl version of this hot jazz/funk album before it drops October 21st and as of October 4th, there are still 2 of 4 copies of the test pressing available. Can't remember how I landed on the Comsic Analog Ensemble's music back in August, but "Phoenician Rose" grabbed me instantly with its bumpin' strut and the turntable flourishes that brought me back to Mo'Wax releases from my youth. CAE are like a live-breaks group and the cut below is a tight under-3-minute gem.

Joseph Shabason - "Forest Run"

New Jazz Winnipeg Marketing and Communications Director Victoria King just selected the last record from Toronto multi-instrumentalist Joseph Shabason as part of the festival's Speakeasy blog Staff Selections. Great timing as Shabason is set to release a new record, Anne, on November 16th. There's only one track streaming on the Bandcamp page, but "Forest Run" is a lovely soundscape sure to please fans of his prior album Aytche.