A Look Back at 2018's Releases: The Best of the New UK Jazz Scene

A Synergistic "Bountiful Year"!!

Among the "new UK jazz" movement, artists centered in London, particularly South London, have garnered significant attention in recent years. The releases from 2018 introduced here are also predominantly by artists from the South London scene. Crucial to discussing this collection of works is the omnibus release "We Out Here" from Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label in February of this year.

This album, curated by saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, captures the essence of "South London right now." Following its release, albums by Joe Armon-Jones and Maisha were released, and Sons of Kemet, led by Shabaka Hutchings, announced an album on the prestigious Impulse! label.

Furthermore, with notable artists like Moses Boyd and Kamaal Williams releasing new works one after another, 2018 proved to be an exceptionally vibrant year for UK jazz. This can be attributed to the growing recognition of "new UK jazz" in recent years, spearheaded by artists like Richard Spaven and GoGo Penguin, combined with the active contributions of the South London scene.