Six jazz innovators reshape the music on varied new releases

Six of the most influential musicians in modern jazz, including a trio supergroup, have released four diverse albums this spring. Each take their own artistic path, show the diversity of their improvisational styles, and may hint at future trends in jazz.

SHABAKA – Of the Earth (Shabaka Records)

Shabaka Hutchings is one of the most dynamic members of the vibrant modern jazz scene in London, England. As a member of Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming and his own groups, Shabaka brings a powerful, Afro-centric sound to the saxophone.

Drawing from his childhood in Barbados, Shabaka favors a blend of Caribbean influences, hip-hop, electronica and African roots music over the traditional blues foundation in mainstream jazz. The result is a modern analog to the spiritual jazz movement of the ’60s led by saxophonists John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders.

In 2023, Shabaka surprised his fans by announcing a hiatus from the saxophone to pursue a variety of flutes for his album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, which he released in 2024.

The new album Of the Earth has plenty of flute playing but also finds Shabaka returning to the saxophone on several songs, showing he hasn’t lost his skill on the instrument.

“Stand Firm” opens with Shabaka’s passionate sax playing over a skittering, synthesized rhythm and atmospheric keyboard washes. Layered flutes lend support, but the wild echoes of Shabaka’s sax direct this otherworldly song into the heavens.

Of the Earth brings together many of the musical ideas of Shabaka’s previous efforts, an inspiration to jazz musicians searching for a combination of the organic and electronic.

THUNDERCAT – Distracted (Brainfeeder Records)

Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, has been playing bass, producing, and composing since his teens. First in the L.A. thrash metal band Suicidal Tendencies, he later worked on award winning albums from producer/rapper Flying Lotus, singer Erykah Badu, rapper Kendrick Lamar and saxophonist Kamasi Washington.

Thundercat welcomes several guests on his new album Distracted, including his close friend, rapper Mac Miller who passed away in 2018.

Australian rock band Tame Impala, rappers ASAP Rocky, singer Willow Smith and fusion duo Domi and JD Beck all contribute to the album, but the songs carry a chill, pulsing, modern R&B sound that’s fully Thundercat.

Virtuosic bass playing adds to but doesn’t distract from the mellow warmth that welcomes listeners on Distracted. On his own vocal feature “A.D.D. Through the Roof,” Thundercat works in a relaxed style with drum rhythms balancing between simple pop and light funk. That mood is the heart of his latest album, and the jazz connections aren’t obvious.

Distracted probably won’t be in the ‘jazz’ section of your local record store, but Thundercat is using those skills to set a high bar for modern artists in pop, soul, hip-hop and beyond.

ADRIAN YOUNGE – Younge (Linear Labs)

A neighbor of Thundercat’s in Los Angeles, Adrian Younge is the mastermind behind the Jazz Is Dead project. That provocatively titled collection of album and live performance collaborations pays homage to frequently-sampled jazz masters like Roy Ayers and Marcos Valle.

Younge’s talent as a composer and arranger has produced scores for films like Black Dynamite that recall the soulful Blaxploitation music of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. Younge has also created scores for imaginary films, including his “Something About April” series.

The new album Younge, simply by its title, suggests this project is a more personal one. His familiar fusion of film score-like string sections with hip-hop rhythms puts more focus on the song than the mood.

One of the standout songs, “Respond to Sound,” opens with those strings and drums, then a piano takes the lead with punchy horns and several strong solo statements that connect directly to the jazz tradition.

As a whole, the album would sound great with the right moving images on the silver screen, but Younge is a new statement from this remarkable composer that hints at more jazz vibes to come.

THE BREAKS – The Breaks (Color Red Music – out May 1)

This self-titled debut album from The Breaks is a supergroup affair co-led by keyboardist Robert Walter, guitarist Eddie Roberts and drummer Stanton Moore.

Each are bandleaders of their own groups going back to the ’90s, and with the award-winning ensembles The Greyboy Allstars (Walter), The New Mastersounds (Roberts) and Galactic (Moore).

The three are longtime friends, and their first album “sounds exactly like what you’d hope it would,” Moore said. Rooted in the tradition of soul-drenched organ trios of the 1960s, The Breaks brings a joyful camaraderie to their funky improvisations.

New Orleans-fired drums support greasy organ lines and sharp, melodic guitar work. An early single, “Hasheesh,” includes a tightly arranged horn section, but it’s the co-leaders who supply the fiery solos.

All four of these albums venture beyond traditional jazz and come closer to pop variations. Their music is attracting younger listeners while often broadening the genre to its breaking point. After more than a century of jazz evolution, today’s top jazz musicians are comfortable disrupting the status quo and creating art that’s new.

Unfortunately, none of these artists have plans to bring their music to the Northwest in the coming months, so far. Until then, we have these four terrific recordings to enjoy.