The blog tends to be a forward looking affair, time and increasingly music waits for no one, plus I have a curious nature to satiate, my youth probably wasn't as great at I remember so why wallow in its soundtrack? Onwards and upwards. Well mostly.
To help me make sense of the music deluge I am a curator on Submithub, where artists can send me music and be assured (admittedly for a price) that I consider it properly, something that increasingly can't be said for my email submissions. So it was a pleasant surprise this week when "Uptown", a bona-fide nu-jazz banger from my London clubbing heyday courtesy of Jessica Lauren, that still sounds fresh if not downright futuristic, appeared in my submission queue.
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Lauren has been a stalwart in the London jazz scene for decades now, even when it was having its less cool moments as hip hop and rave swept the capital. Along the way she's also played with some serious international names, trust me she's been there, done it and doesn't have anything to prove Over that time she's adopted a less is more approach to her album releases, dropping something of note every few years, rather than constantly leaping around waving her arms in the air.
Remarkably Time was recorded in 1997 and saw the light as a CD release in 1999. It's so easy for music from that period to be forgotten, tucked away in second hand stores or languishing on streaming service servers, so Kudos for BBE Records for opting to give the LP a second wind.
"Uptown" is the "have some of that" opening track, and although the rest of the LP doesn't attempt to capture its dance floor destroying intent, you really need to hit play, sit back and soak it up sometime.
Fusion is the order of the day with Lauren handling the keys, whether throwback ivory tinkling or future probing synth lines. I'm not sure who she was playing with at the time, I've had a nose about but can't seem to find any credits, but the outfit is tight and adept at effortlessly fusing a broad range of styles into a seamless, start to finish listen. From ambient jazz soundscapes to spiritual swingers, modal meditation to library cinematic numbers it's all there, rubbing shoulders like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Come for "Uptown", stay for a great start to finish album that still sounds relevant 25 years on and then check out her new releases as well, she's evergreen.
Playlist Companion
Find "Uptown" adding some retro futurism to the 2024's who's who & what's what vibes of the Slow Jazz Playlist
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