Tag Archives: Whirlwind Recordings

Michael Olatuja – Lagos Pepper Soup

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Title: Lagos Pepper Soup 
Artist: Michael Olatuja 
Label: Whirlwind Recordings 
Formats: LP, Digital 
Release date: June 12, 2020 

 

Bassist and composer Michael Olatuja has a unique musical background. Born in London, raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and currently based in New York, he has certainly traversed many continents and engaged with various musical genres across the African diaspora. Olatuja’s third album Lagos Pepper Soup, released eleven years after his Speak (2009) and nine years after The Promise (2011), maintains his unique musical style that blends West African Afrobeats and jazz with the addition of a cinematic touch. According to Olatuja, Lagos Pepper Soup was envisioned as an album that would “fuse this mix of Afrobeat and jazz as if it was a Hollywood film soundtrack.” 

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Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens – In Common 2

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Title: In Common 2 
Artist: Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens 
Label: Whirlwind Recordings 
Formats: CD, LP (limited ed.), Digital 
Release Date: May 15, 2020 

 

In Common 2 is the much-anticipated second release from tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens. After the noteworthy success of their first collaboration In Common, Smith and Stevens assembled another star-studded cast featuring pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Nate Smith to perform their original compositions. Smith and Stevens are both at the nexus of the international jazz scene as performers, bandleaders, and composers, having performed and recorded with a wide range of artists including Ambrose Akinmusire, Christian Scott, Esperanza Spalding, and Roy Haynes. Their collaboration produces a high energy, dynamic album that sounds like a band that has been playing together for years.  

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