Source: Citizen Jazz (rough translation from French):

If there is a musician who makes fun of styles, boxes and labels, it’s Cory Smythe. A celebrated virtuoso pianist, he has been heard as much in Darmstadt as in the Banff Center and seen alongside violinist Hillary Hahn and Tyshawn Sorey without having a feeling of bifurcation. Long considered a performer with an unlimited spectrum, with a penchant for contemporary music, he has for several years been a prolific and demanding composer, who owes as much to Anthony Braxton as to Iannis Xenakis and cites Alan Lomax in his records as well as Andrew Hill.

Source: Bandcamp Daily.

In July of 1964, the members of the Cape Town-based band Blue Notes boarded a plane, headed for a gig at the world famous Antibes Jazz Festival in Juan-les-Pins, France. They were all leaving South Africa for the first time; most of them would never return. At the time, critics and audiences considered them the best jazz band in the country, but because the sextet was multi-racial they were hounded by the Apartheid state which made it illegal for its members to gather—much less perform—as a group. With passports secured, the escape to Antibes wasn’t just a career opportunity, it was an asylum from the institutionalized, racist nightmare of their homeland. For the history of improvised music, and for free jazz which came to embody the sound of global Black liberation, it also became much more. The legend that the Blue Notes would forge in Europe over the next quarter century—both as an ensemble and as individual players—constitutes one of the most under-appreciated legacies in jazz.

Source: Louder.

A four-piece from the sleepy cathedral city of Canterbury, decidedly English progressive rock band Caravan were major players in what came to be known as the Canterbury Scene. With three strong songwriters and two contrasting lead vocalists, Caravan had released two albums of highly original, inventive, accomplished and engaging music, yet outside the coterie of Canterbury Scene fans they remained largely unknown, their records acclaimed but not selling in numbers that would enable them to swap the out-of-date shelf at Tesco for the food hall at Harrods.

Source: JazzTimes.

In homage to Anthony Braxton, the collective of five New England Conservatory graduates called Tropos titled their debut release on Biophilia Records Axioms // 75ab. Besides acknowledging the saxophonist/composer’s 75th birthday this past June, and referencing his “Tri-Axiom” music, the title ties into the six interpretations of Braxton compositions on the album. It would be inaccurate to consider the quintet a repertoire band, though, and that’s not just because their lineup of voice, piano, saxophone, bass, and drums reshapes the music. The Braxton pieces follow five works written by members of Tropos, and together they reveal a group deeply focused on compositions and ways to improvise within them.

Source: THE SLOW MUSIC MOVEMENT​.

The first time I seriously contemplated gender parity in music production was March 8th 2019, International Women’s Day. As a gesture of solidarity I thought I would “reflect on, highlight and celebrate some of the women that have enriched The Slow Music Movement with their talent, creativity and presence over the last year”, and compile a playlist consisting of a track from each female artist that I had supported that year. It didn’t take me as long as I thought it would.

The following year I thought I would update the list, again it wasn’t a lengthy enough process. After a quick calculation I approximated that roughly 15% of my daily recommendations were women, similar I guess to 2019.