KOKOROKO - "Carry Me Home"

So Brownswood just dropped a new track from KOKOROKO (previously featured here) who were inspired by Dele Sosimi to write "Carry Me Home." Sosimi was the subject of a post here on RR back in 2015. With both Sosimi and KOKOROKO on the RR radar, hopefully they're on yours as well and you enjoy this joyful track that features a bubbling bass-line, warm vocals and exuberant horns.

Joe Armon-Jones "Icy Roads (Stacked)"

I've been touting UK jazz for a while now and singing the praise of key player Joe Armon-Jones for some time as well. So it should be no surprise that the A-side to his new 10" ends up on here.

Particularly when he enlists the talents of bassist Mutali Chashi of KOKOROKO, who provides such a wide-tire firm-grip bassline for Armon-Jones to drive these icy roads on.

As the info on the Bandcamp page notes, the release has " killer artwork nodding to Thrust-era Herbie Hancock" so you have a good sense of what this sounds like before you ever press play. This is some funky soulful jazz right here. Very curious to hear the B-side "Aquarius" when the physical drops at the end of June.

Shabaka Hutchings - "Black Skin, Black Masks"

Shabaka Hutchings - of Shabaka and the Ancestors - drops a new cut as part of a very promising compilation of up-and-coming UK jazz acts coming out on Brownswood. We Out Here drops February 9th and you can pre-order it now and preview three of the cuts including Hutchings'.

Zara McFarlane - "All Africa"

I'm going to have to track down the original Max Roach cut that soul singer Zara McFarlane has "re-cast" as I've never heard it and I'm curious to know how it differs from this take and what it shares with McFarlane's version.

Also, big ups to Binker & Moses who are - as usual - supporting McFarlane here, and who just dropped a great new double LP on Gearbox Records.

Zara McFarlane - "Police & Thieves"

While it's not an original, this reworked version of my favourite Clash song is yet another stunner from Zara McFarlane's forthcoming LP, If You Knew Her. If the rest of the album holds up like this, I'll be figuring out where to put it on my Top 20 in twelve months.

Zara McFarlane - "Angie La La (ft. Leron Thomas)"

Angie La La (Means I Love You).

Philip Owusu - "Goodnight"

Goodnight, and good cut.

Owiny Sigoma Band - "Hello Skinny" / "Here On The Line"

Haven't mentioned the Owiny Sigoma Band before, but I've mentioned Gilles Peterson being on point when it comes to digging stuff up. Well, his label Brownswood is no less on point and have released the self-titled record from the Owiny Sigoma Band. Brownswood are about to drop a new single from the group called "Here On The Line" but have also offered up a free download of Oduor Nyagweno's techno take on "Hello Skinny" (below)

Hello Skinny - Oduor Nyagweno meets Owiny Sigoma Uptown by Brownswood

AND they've offered up a great mix that serves as a backgrounder for the OSB.

Cop 'em both now.