Kamaal Williams: The Return [BLACK FOCUS]

Why you'll love it

This Black Focus pressing is on 180g vinyl. The album topped the UK Jazz & Blues chart, reached No. 3 on the US jazz albums chart and gave Williams his first UK Albums Chart entry.

This edition

• 180g vinyl

About the album

When Yussef Kamaal split in 2017, a year after their album Black Focus, keyboardist Henry Wu didn't hang about. Working as Kamaal Williams, he started his own label, named it Black Focus Records, and set out to pick up that sound where the duo left off with bassist Pete Martin, drummer Josh 'MckNasty' McKenzie and producer Richard Samuels, who also recorded and mixed the album.

The method is simple. The trio jammed for up to 20 minutes at a time and Williams picked out the highlights, so the record runs on pure groove: live drums, funk-driven bass and twinkling Fender Rhodes. "Salaam" sets the mood, "Broken Theme" nods to West London broken beat, "High Roller" and "Rhythm Commission" lock into long, rolling loops, "Medina" slows to a dreamy late-night pace, "Situations" was caught live in Milan, and "LDN Shuffle" tells you exactly where it comes from before "Aisha" closes things softly.

Bandcamp Daily filed it under jazz fusion; Williams preferred to call it the essence of the London Underground. Having ridden the Tube at rush hour, we'd say his version is considerably more relaxing.

Also at Kops: more Kamaal Williams on vinyl · browse Modern Jazz

Tracklist

Listen

On Black Focus (cat# BFR001LP), the 2018 album.