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A collection of newsworthy jazz-related headlines.

“This Week in Jazz” brings you a collection of jazz-related headlines, focusing on news, video, and articles in the new generation of jazz / hip-hop / soul. See below for the headlines you don’t want to miss this week.

OBITUARY: ROY HARGROVE, GRAMMY-WINNING JAZZ TRUMPETER, DIES AT 49

(NPR Music)

“A briskly assertive soloist with a tone that could evoke either burnished steel or a soft, golden glow, Hargrove was a galvanizing presence in jazz over the last 30 years. Dapper and slight of build, he exuded a sly, sparkling charisma onstage, whether he was holding court at a late-night jam session or performing in the grandest concert hall. His capacity for combustion and bravura was equaled by his commitment to lyricism, especially when finessing a ballad on flugelhorn.

Hargrove is also known for his vital presence in the turn-of-the-century movement known as neo-soul. He made crucial contributions to Voodoo, the epochal album by D’Angelo, released in 2000. He appeared the same year on Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun and Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, and later formed his own hybrid project, The RH Factor, with the aim of furthering the dialogue between modern jazz, hip-hop and R&B. But Hargrove always maintained his foothold in the mainstream jazz tradition; he saw his forays into other forms of black music as an extension of, rather than any departure from, that tradition.”

Read the full piece from Nate Chinen here.

TINY DESK CONCERT: NICHOLAS PAYTON TRIO

(NPR Music)

“He should have been exhausted, but instead played the Tiny Desk with incredible stamina, holding a single trumpet note that lasted longer than most people can hold their breath. In the days just before this performance, Nicholas Payton played at the Joy of Jazz Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, then Santiago, Chile and, finally, New York City. A member of his team drove them the four hours from NYC so he could nap in the car and be ready to play.

Payton dazzled the audience, simultaneously playing his trumpet and a Fender Rhodes. It’s his signature, resonant sound. With the rest of his trio – the rhythmic precision of drummer Jonathan Barber and bassist Ben Williams – Payton’s genius virtuosity captivated both faithful fans and anyone in the NPR crowd just discovering his music for the first time.”

Read more here.

PLAYLIST: FADER MIX BY PHONY PPL

(FADER)

“A delightful 45 minutes of warm grooves, featuring Bill Withers, Peggy Gou, J Dilla, and more. For the past few years, Phony Ppl have been something like New York’s roving house band, a handful of musicians who helped redefine the city’s live scene with their eclectic soul-, funk-, and hip-hop-inspired pop. With releases like 2015’s Yesterday’s Tomorrow, the group, made up of Elijah Rawk, Matt “Maffyuu” Byas, Elbee Thrie, Aja Grant, and Bari Bass, doubled down on their style. This fall, after signing with 300 Entertainment, they put out mō’zā-ik, a warm, thoughtful follow-up that culminates their years of experimenting and honing their songwriting. Today Phony Ppl share a FADER Mix, a collection of warm grooves that delightfully distills their ethos into 45 minutes. “

Read the Q&A with Phony Ppl here.

REVIEW: GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW, ‘OVERLOAD’

(Pitchfork)

“Picture Georgia Anne Muldrow as a cosmic traveler tinkering with the limits of humanity’s musical norms. You’re dealing with an artist who has deeply studied both the Book of Sun Ra and Baduizm. Her interpretation has spawned one of the most daring catalogs to hit this planet—a vast, urbane suite that draws from historic spirituals, the R&B avant-garde, Afrofuturism, Madlib beats, and the soul of Roberta Flack. The epic scope of Muldrow’s body of work forms the funkiest of odysseys.

Overload is the singer’s 17th album since 2006. With an affinity for warping classic sounds into new forms, Muldrow looked well-placed at the turn of the decade as a group of emerging artists (Miguel, the Weeknd, Frank Ocean) created daring new music that attacked soul’s old boundaries. But the California virtuoso was too different—too out there—to insert herself even into this pack of renegade stars. There are few R&B norms that Muldrow hasn’t looked to contort. Her penance for the approach has been near-zero mainstream reward.”

Read the review here.

PLAYLIST: NEW MUSIC MONDAY, ‘THUNDERCAT, WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE AND MORE’

(JAZZIZ)

Looking for some Monday motivation? We’ve got you covered. From groovy and mellow, to moody and suspenseful, here are five new jazz songs that you can listen to right now to start your week the right way.

Thundercat (feat. BADBADNOTGOOD and Flying Lotus), “King of the Hill”

Brainfeeder hits double digits this year. To mark its 10th anniversary, the Flying Lotus label will release a new compilation, Brainfeeder X, on November 16, which will feature “King of the Hill,” a new collaborative track from label stalwart Thundercat and nu-jazz quartet BADBADNOTGOOD, produced by FlyLo himself. This new, groovy, mellow production presents a perfect fusion of Thundercat’s inimitable falsetto with BADBADNOTGOOD’s signature slumped backbeat.

Christian McBride’s New Jawn, “John Day”

Bass great Christian McBride’s latest project, New Jawn, draws inspiration from the vibes of his Philadelphia hometown and marks the debut release of his new imprint, Brother Mister Productions, in partnership with Mack Avenue Records. This live performance of “John Day,” one of the moodiest and most suspenseful tracks from the album, was recorded at the Jazz Alley in Seattle, Washington.

Listen to the rest of the playlist here.

IS THERE A NEW D’ANGELO SONG IN RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2? (UPDATE: YES!)

(Stereogum)

“In 2014, D’Angelo came back. At the end of the year, the reclusive soul great released the powerful, uncompromising BlackMessiah. The album, credited to D’Angelo And The Vanguard, was only D’Angelo’s third album, and it was his first in nearly 15 years. That album is almost four years old now. And rumor has it that there’s a new D’Angelo song out there in the world.

Last week saw the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, the extremely hyped-up new Western video game from Rockstar Games. And right now, there’s a lot of online chatter around a song that appears deep in the game. Between two missions in the game’s fifth chapter, players hear a song that may or may not be called “May I?” And while there’s been no official confirmation, it’s widely rumored that D’Angelo is the man behind that song.”

Read more at Stereogum.