Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad : Jazz Is Dead 022
In a 2024 conversation during Jazz Is Dead‘s L.A. Philharmonic residency, label co-founder and hip-hop producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad described a crucial revelation he had at a record store with musical partner Adrian Younge: “I had a moment of bonding with Adrian looking at all of these amazing artists [on the wall]. I remember saying to him, ‘Adrian, pretty much most of the people on this wall, they’re not here anymore, but we are here because of them.'” That’s as simple and succinct an encapsulation of the mission and ethos of Jazz Is Dead, a label that extends beyond the fetishization of crate-digger classics by celebrating the living artists whose musical legacies have left an indelible impact on hip-hop through new collaborative works. Younge and Muhammad have welcomed into the series artists such as jazz mystic Lonnie Liston Smith, Brazilian troubadour Marcos Valle and jazz-funk keyboardist and vibraphonist Roy Ayers. And in their 22nd installment, they induct another living legend into Jazz Is Dead on a full-length collaboration with Ghanaian Afrobeat artist Ebo Taylor.
Taylor is the second Afrobeat legend to be featured in the ongoing series, following a posthumous release from late Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen released in 2023. And at 90, Taylor is also among the oldest living artists to work with Younge and Muhammad, yet nonetheless still active and, as planned for this year, still performing live. Yet to hear Jazz Is Dead 022, outside of the production quality and a few stylistic flourishes, there are few glaring seams between this and the Ghanaian artist’s ’70s-era work, remaining true to his signature groove, lushly updated with Young and Muhammad’s rich production.
Leadoff track “Get Up” is a call to action as much as a set opener, its fiery organ, boundless energy, scratchy wah-wah guitars and unflappable cool swirl together like a Blaxploitataion movie theme, complete with its energizing refrain: “Brothers—get up and do your thing!” “Obra Akyedzi” carves out a more deep-grooving Afrobeat, rife with bright flashes of horns and Taylor’s distorted vocals echoing out as if he’d been given Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark treatment. Meanwhile, “Obo Di Woa” is a testament to Taylor’s backing band’s remarkable chemistry; only a few instruments break out of formation here and there and briefly, with saxophone and flute and trumpet solos taking its steady funk strut ever higher, but everything moves in unison—achieving maximalism through minimalism.
Even earlier on in his career, Taylor’s compositions were never as sprawling as Fela Kuti’s sidelong jam sessions, but the seven songs here are each relatively concise, adding up to a little under a half hour of funk. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Taylor, Younge, Muhammad and company allow a groove run its course but just long enough to leave you wanting more. It’s an invigorating sound for as long as it lasts, two production heavyweights honoring a living legend the best way they know how—by finding new ways to showcase his enduring talents.
Label: Jazz Is Dead
Year: 2025
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Adrian Young, Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Ebo Taylor : Jazz Is Dead 022
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