“This project is about classic songs that are known and loved,” Ndegeocello says. “The songs have diverse tones, representing various genres and intentional grooves. But the album is also about joy, selfhood, individual representation, and universal experience.”

A bassist, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer and conceptualist, Ndegeocello has never shown much interest in musical boundaries. On Synonym, she explores desire, care, heartbreak, friendship, disappointment and love in all their forms. The source material stretches from 1960s folk and ’70s soul, country and pop to ’80s R&B and electro-boogie, early-’90s alternative rock and early-2000s hip-hop.

One of the album’s defining ideas is that its songs are performed as duets by artists who identify as the same gender—or, as Ndegeocello puts it, “hover around the same continuum of feeling.”

“Hopefully, that’s what stands out—that everyone is well matched musically and complement each other,” she says. “That said: I’m not defining anything, because the absence of definition is where I feel most free.”

The first single is an arresting reinvention of “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” the 1987 Aretha Franklin and George Michael duet. This time, Ndegeocello shares the song with Cynthia Erivo.

Synonym arrives October 2, 2026, on Blue Note Records.

1. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) with Cynthia Erivo
2. Don’t You Want Me with Cat Power
3. Don’t Stop The Music with Nick Hakim, Robert Glasper
4. Islands In The Stream with Chaka Khan
5. It Ain’t Me Babe with Madison Cunningham
6. Always on Time with Laura Lee
7. Be Real Black For Me with Emily King, Lizz Wright
8. Don’t Look Any Further with Lianne La Havas
9. The Closer I Get To You with Destin Conrad, Moses Sumney
10. Golden Ring with Brandi Carlile
11. I Got You Babe with ANOHNI
12. Here We Come (Here He Comes) with Evann McIntosh
13. Guilty with Ink
14. Hunger Strike with WILLOW
15. With God On Our Side with Bill Callahan, Chris Thile

The post Meshell Ndegeocello Announces New Album Synonym appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

Cooling and Wagner’s creative partnership stretches back to her 1997 debut album, Playing It Cool. Together, they have recorded nine albums while developing a distinctive sound shaped by contemporary jazz, funk, Latin, Brazilian and pop influences.

That partnership remains at the heart of Let’s Get Away, with all four tracks written by Cooling and Wagner. “Songwriting is as much, if not more, a part of who I am as a musician,” Cooling says.

The project features Cooling on guitar and vocals alongside Wagner on keyboards, with contributions from Bill Ortiz on flugelhorn, Danny Montgomery on drums and Peter Michael Escovedo on percussion.

Let’s Get Away will be available on all digital platforms July 24.

The post Joyce Cooling Announces Four-Song EP Let’s Get Away appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

Creative director Kenneth “Kenny Beats” Blume joins forces with keyboardist Kiefer, bassist CARRTOONS (Ben Carr) and drummer Nate Smith to create something that feels completely at home in today’s musical landscape. These are artists equally comfortable with jazz improvisation, hip-hop, electronic music, modern production techniques and the collaborative culture that defines modern music. They aren’t interested in genre labels. They’re interested in making compelling music.

The quartet brings together four musicians from different musical worlds. Kenny Beats has become one of today’s most sought-after producers, helping shape recordings by Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, Rico Nasty, IDLES, Geese, and even Weezer, while building a massive following through his Twitch streams and YouTube collaborations with artists like Doja Cat, Thundercat, and Skrillex. Keyboardist Kiefer has established his own unmistakable sound by blending jazz, hip-hop and electronic textures, while also producing and collaborating with Terrace Martin and Anderson .Paak, including work on the GRAMMY-winning album Ventura.

On bass, CARRTOONS has become one of the most versatile musicians of his generation, moving effortlessly between jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop. His résumé includes work with legends such as George Clinton, Roy Ayers, Usher, and Jadakiss, while his solo recordings and inventive online performances have introduced his musicianship to an entirely new audience. Behind the drums is Nate Smith, one of the most influential drummers working today, whose extraordinary groove has made him a first-call collaborator for artists including Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Jon Batiste, Brittany Howard, Michael Jackson, Childish Gambino, and Vulfpeck. His own projects have earned widespread acclaim, proving he’s every bit as visionary a bandleader as he is a sideman.

That’s what makes FATHERS such a notable release. Rather than looking backward, it embraces the idea that contemporary jazz continues to evolve, drawing inspiration from wherever creativity leads. The grooves are deep, the musicianship is exceptional, and the production feels fresh without sacrificing the human chemistry that great jazz demands.

I’ve often described contemporary jazz as an umbrella rather than a single style. Under that umbrella you’ll find fusion, hip-hop, electronic music, acid jazz, funk, soul, and plenty of room for experimentation. FATHERS doesn’t just fit under that umbrella—it reminds us that contemporary jazz can embrace new sounds without losing sight of what made us fall in love with the music in the first place.

The post Inside the New FATHERS Contemporary Jazz Collective appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.