Various Artists - Jazz Is Dead 001

Die cut vinyl LP cover

Jazz Is Dead 001 is the label's introductory compilation featuring a spectacular list of jazz participants ranging from Ayers and Bartz to Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson, bossa jazz aces João Donato and Marcos Valle, keyboardist Doug Carn, Brazilian fusion trio Azymuth, and a full group effort.

The concept behind Jazz Is Dead 001 is to pair contemporary producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad with a series of revered jazz musicians, in a bid to create fresh tracks that employ the same original vintage recording equipment the ensemble cast used back in the '60s and '70s.

The task is a natural fit for the duo: the Los Angeles-based Younge has a reputation for coating his music with a gritty retro patina-his personal discography includes Something About April, a soundtrack to a non-existent '60s blaxploitation flick — and as a member of A Tribe Called Quest, Shaheed Muhammad became renowned for the way the group skillfully repurposed deep jazz loops into golden era hip-hop tracks.

Side A

1. Hey Lover

2. Distant Mode

3. Nancy Wilson

4. Conexao

Side B

1. Down Deep

2. Apocaliptico

3. Nao Saia Da Praca

4. Jazz Is Dead

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