Ajar – Chutney
Chutney is a group that formed in January 2020, where six friends gathered around a piano to jam out tunes and whilst munching on apple slices dipped in a jar of chutney. Four years and over a hundred gigs later, we are presented with Ajar of Chutney. As their name suggests, Chutney is a rich composite of disparate ingredients, bound by the folk usic of Jewish Eastern Europe, klezmer. As a degustation of folk, funk, reggae, disco, Latin, jazz, swing, Dixieland, pop, classical, musical theatre, circus and film, Chutney puts forward an amazing album that is Ajar. A spicy mix of instrumental and vocal, arrangements, and originals, and old and new sound, the thirteen tracks in the album represent a coming of age for Chutney: it is the band’s bar mitzvah – and listeners will not be let down when their music starts playing!
Lotus Glow – Adi Oasis
Singer, bassist and producer Adi Oasis is a star when it comes to R&B, neo-jazz, disco and funk. Her single “Whisper My Name” has gathered critical praise from high- end press press including Vogue and Rolling Stone. Formely known as Adeline, she released her debut album in March last year. It consists of 13 originals that include personal and political music that also features several guest artists, including the extraordinary Jamila Woods. Consisting of beautiful and personal lyrics, Lotus Glow touches on what it feels like to live a life of pleasure and pride in heritage. Velvety bass and steady percussion support the poetic, political, nostalgic and angry lyrics.