Acid Jazz

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Acid jazz grew out of the late 80s DJ scene in London in which record spinners would treat dancing patrons to difficult to find 45s released by 60s soul jazz artists. Eventually contemporary lounge/jazz performers such as James Taylor began to capitalize on this interest in 60s 'rare groove' and began to perform live music that had equal appeal for the trendy club crowd. Another aspect of early Acid Jazz involved the mixing of 60s RnB-jazz with the sounds and rhythms of acid house. Once Acid Jazz left England, confusion as to what it actually was created a diversity of influences including dub reggae, hip-hop, drumnbass and 60s psychedelic rock. More recently Acid Jazz is often seen as either 60s rare groove, or a merging of jazz with trip-hop or other club friendly electronica sounds and rhythms.

Typically the artists listed in JMA's acid jazz genre are live bands while acid jazz artists who are more DJ based are listed in our DJ/Electronica jazz genre.

acid jazz top albums

Showing only albums and live's | Based on members ratings & JMA custom algorithm

JAMIROQUAI The Return of the Space Cowboy Album Cover

The Return of the Space Cowboy
JAMIROQUAI
4.58 | 8 ratings

überjam
JOHN SCOFIELD
4.88 | 2 ratings

Galactica Rush
JHELISA
5.00 | 1 ratings

BROOKLYN FUNK ESSENTIALS In the Buzzbag Album Cover

In the Buzzbag
BROOKLYN FUNK ESSENTIALS
5.00 | 1 ratings

THE POETS OF RHYTHM Discern / Define Album Cover

Discern / Define
THE POETS OF RHYTHM
4.43 | 3 ratings

The Brand New Heavies
THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES
4.50 | 2 ratings

JAMIROQUAI Emergency on Planet Earth Album Cover

Emergency on Planet Earth
JAMIROQUAI
4.02 | 7 ratings

Tourist
ST. GERMAIN
4.02 | 7 ratings

JAMIROQUAI Travelling Without Moving Album Cover

Travelling Without Moving
JAMIROQUAI
4.00 | 6 ratings

HERBIE HANCOCK Dis Is da Drum Album Cover

Dis Is da Drum
HERBIE HANCOCK
3.98 | 4 ratings

Heavy Rhyme Experience, Volume 1
THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES
4.00 | 2 ratings

Cinema
AIEVEA
4.00 | 2 ratings

This list is in progress since the site is new. We invite all logged in members to use the "quick rating" widget (stars bellow album covers) or post full reviews to increase the weight of your rating in the global average value (see FAQ for more details). Enjoy JMA!

New acid jazz free MP3/Stream

ST. GERMAIN Sure Thing
Tourist · 2000
JOHN SCOFIELD Like the Moon
Up All Night · 2003
JAMIROQUAI Drifting Along
Travelling Without Moving · 1996
JAMIROQUAI Just Another Story
The Return of the Space Cowboy · 1994
JAMIROQUAI Butterfly
Synkronized · 1999
JAMIROQUAI All Good In The Hood
Rock Dust Light Star · 2010
JAMIROQUAI Hooked Up
Emergency on Planet Earth · 1993
JAMIROQUAI Feels Just Like It Should
Dynamite · 2005
JAMIROQUAI You Give Me Something
A Funk Odyssey · 2001
MOP MOP Locomotive
Kiss Of Kali · 2009

acid jazz online videos

Mop Mop - Living Beat
MOP MOP
snobb

Briskey - Humphrey's Donut vs Sin City
BRISKEY
snobb

The New Mastersounds - Summercamp
THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS
js

See all acid jazz videos

acid jazz New Releases

Uberjam Deux
Album
JOHN SCOFIELD

Inland Emperor
Album
THE GREYBOY ALLSTARS

Isle Of Magic
Album
MOP MOP

Cricklewood Broadway
Album
BEADY BELLE

acid jazz Music Reviews

THE GREYBOY ALLSTARS A Town Called Earth

Album · 1997 · Acid Jazz

In the late 80s a culture arose around DJs who would spin hard to find old funk jazz and instrumental RnB records. Eventually musicians caught on to this demand for old school dance grooves and the acid jazz movement was born. Much like an actual DJ set, these bands didn’t fuss much over melody or arrangement and headed straight for the funky groove that kept the party going. The acid jazz scene arrived a bit late in the US, but when it hit the west coast in the early to mid 90s, it hit big. The Greyboy All-Stars were probably one of the most popular bands from that 90s west coast scene and “A Town Called Earth” was their release in 97 when the scene was starting to fade.

This CD pretty much provides the vibe that people were looking for at the time with plenty of funky jazz that draws heavily on artists such as The JB’s, Eddie Harris and Herbie Hancock. Like most other bands in the acid jazz scene, the All-Stars don’t bother much with melody and their arrangements are bare bones simplicity, but the grooves and solos on here are very good for some young cats. The lack of sophistication in these younger bands might have to do with the fact that these were funk-jazz musicians who were mostly influenced by previous funk-jazz bands, instead of coming up through a more technically demanding post-bop scene as the 60s and 70s inventors of funk jazz had. For instance, by the time Herbie Hancock was experimenting with funk, he had a wealth of musical knowledge behind him in other genres.

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, the All-Stars grooves hold up well against the classic bands they emulate and the solos that fill these tracks are good too, particularly woodwinds whiz Karl Denson. Most of the funk numbers on here are solid, but the band is less successful when they head to more artsy abstract material. The CD’s title cut is an overly lengthy shot at a retro avant-garde psychedelic jam complete with amateur sitar playing and backwards noises, but these more outside type attempts are just not this band’s forte. Listening to this entire CD can get fatiguing, but there are plenty of good tracks on here that would compliment any funk/jazz/dance mix tape.

1 year ago
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ST. GERMAIN Tourist

Album · 2000 · Acid Jazz

By the time 2000 had rolled around, this sort of mix of house, jazz, dub and hip-hop had been done for a while, with the novelty wore off the emphasis now was on how well do you do it. On “Tourist”, Ludovic Navarre seamlessly mixes the elements in smooth ways that make early attempts to bridge house and jazz sound amateur. Opening cut “Rose Rouge” is a fine example as the beat slowly morphs from swing to ambient house and back again, slowly shifting like an aural hallucination. Subtlety is the key to this CD, the house and dub beats are unobtrusive and the jazz solos fit well with the music and never sound pointlessly flashy or gratuitous.

Some standout tracks on this album include “Land of …” where a Cypress Hill beat is topped with an irresistible horn riff that recalls the JB’s “Same Beat” and “La Goutte D” where an authentic dub groove lays the foundation for Indian flavored flute solos. Throughout this album Edourd Labor’s excellent woodwind playing keeps the songs interesting and energetic. This is a great CD, tasteful club and dub beats that are never too plastic, mixed with jazz solos that fit well with the music they are riding on.

1 year ago
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COLIN BENDERS Kytecrash (with Eric Vloeimans)

Album · 2011 · Acid Jazz

snobb

Colin Benders is a really popular Dutch hip-hop star who combines hip-hop with his jazz roots (his uncle is the famous French-American piano jazz musician Jacky Terrasson).In 2009 he founded Hiphop Orchestra - a 24 member collective playing jazz, rock, reggae and hip-hop all in one. He started performing under the name Kyteman with the Hiphop Orchestra and received an almost cult following in clubs around the Netherlands.

On this first album of his new project he plays as a duo with Eric Vloeimans - a respectable Dutch nu jazz trumpeter. The result is a mixed bag - a very musically diverse album that contains a mix of all the previous influences from both musicians. The obvious leader is Benders though - this album's main atmosphere is quite melodic, even pop-oriented hip-hop (with not particularly attractive rap vocals). A lot of it is catchy, even dance-able tunes, electronic rhythms and effects make this album accessible, often even openly commercial oriented. Fortunately there are some jazzy solos (in a few moments almost avant-garde by their nature)so it saves the album from being the clubbing crowd dream.

How attractive is this work for a jazz listener? If you like rap vocals, dance rhythms and catchy acid jazz tunes in your music, possibly you will enjoy this album a lot. Otherwise, a few jazzy improvs from two skilled trumpeters wouldn't be enough to attract your attention, possibly you will even change this CD in the middle of the listening.

1 year ago
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Report #234604

AIEVEA Cinema

Album · 2009 · Acid Jazz

andyman1125

Turning up the chill

Romanian acid jazz/trip hop veterans Aieva have only released their second studio release with 2009's "Cinema," yet they have existed for nearly over a decade. The album, free for download over their bandcamp, shows the band's incredible talent, cool attitude, and general great compositional skills. The album's 13 tracks drip with chill trippy beats and jazzy jabs and atmospheres, making the album one of the more wondrous and relaxing discoveries I've made in the past year or so (thanks to the good Alex, more well known as Harmonium.ro). The music is bred upon a hybrid of the chill genre of trip hop mixed with an air of masterful relaxed jazz fusion wrapped in an acid jazz bundle, making for a truly delicious mix of modern jazz. Marta Hristea's mellow and melodious vocals give the beautifully produced instrumentals a chilling and incredible vibe, which truly accentuates this wonderful display of the band's talent. Overall, "Cinema" is truly a gem in the modern acid jazz repertoire, and the free download should be sought out by anyone looking for a smashing good listen. 4 stars.

1 year ago
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DOWN TO THE BONE From Manhattan to Staten

Album · 1996 · Acid Jazz

Abraxas

Ahh, acid jazz, groovy, nocturnal, slick, sampled, jazz. Down to the Bone is one of my favorite groups from the genre, they combine excellent catchy rhythm samples with live instruments as guitar, keyboards, bass and sax as a whole making a funk fest of the highest caliber.

Their debut, From Manhattan to Staten (1997), has a way more electronic feel rather than real band one, but that's where the majesty lies on. It even tends to be more soft jazzy compared to the more funk-oriented Jamiroquai, also Down to the Bone here is completely instrumental.

What you will find in this music is rather common grooves from either soul jazz or 70s funk-jazz filtered with the modern sampling devices and keyboards, and extended with catchy soloing.

If you're into groovy music, this is a must-have. Probably not the most innovative acid jazz album out there, but a highly enjoyable one nonetheless and a classic in my opinion.