Internationally celebrated trumpeter, composer and DJ Jay Phelps shares Detroit houseinspired jazz fusion cut ‘Finding Centaurii’
‘Finding Centaurii’ single release: Thursday 30th March
‘The Now’ album release: Friday 23rd May
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“Versatile and personable…Phelps has been compared to American trumpet stars such as Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard for his virtuosity and sense of the jazz tradition…an enabler, as well as a player on London’s burgeoning and youthful late-night jamming scene.” – The Guardian
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A household name in the UK jazz world, Canadian-born, UK-based trumpeter, DJ and composer Jay Phelps presents ‘Finding Centaurii’, the lead single from his forthcoming album ‘The Now’, releasing via Platoon in partnership with Black Lives In Music.
With a career spanning 20 years, Phelps has performed as a sideman with some of the world’s top names, including Amy Winehouse, George Benson and Wiz Kid. His work as founding member of award-winning contemporary jazz group Empirical in the late 2000s garnered international acclaim, an early precursor to the explosion of UK jazz that has since followed. As a bandleader, he’s explored multiple styles, threading together the jazz language and tradition with contemporary influences, always with one eye on the future. His status as an innovator and enabler on the UK jazz scene has seen him host regular shows on Jazz FM and Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, and draw praise from The Guardian, Jazzwise and London Jazz News.
The forthcoming LP ‘The Now’ brings together a cross-generational collective of musicians. It’s a journey from the underground, club-centric UK jazz scene, through to the house-filled streets of Detroit and progressive sonics of LA. Phelps continues on his mission as a connector of dots, bringing together multiple generations of musicians at the forefront of the UK’s jazz scene, including David Mrakpor (Blue Lab Beats), Tom Ford (Chris Dave, Reuben James) and Nicola Guida (Secret Night Gang). The record draws inspiration from hip-hop, G-funk and broken beat, with Phelps and co weaving between styles through conversational improvisation, thoughtfully crafted melodies and a combination of vocal and horn led arrangements.
Lead single ‘Finding Centaurii’ immediately invokes shades of Brainfeeder Records and the productions of Flying Lotus, as well as Roy Hargrove’s horn writing for the ‘RH Factor’. Phelps leads the track with a haunting, phrygian melody set against squelching, Thundercat-esque basslines, setting the tone for expansive solos from himself, Ford, Mrakpor, Guida and flautist Ruta Sipola.
“Imagine a Brainfeeder-inspired soundtrack to a fleet of spaceships destined for a New World, on a journey that will change humanity forever. Finding Centaurii is that soundtrack.”
‘Finding Centaurii’ will be released on Thursday 30th March via Platoon.
Track Personnel:
Jay Phelps: Trumpet, Synth Bass, Composer , Producer
Nicola Guida: Piano, Rhodes, Synths
Tom Ford: Guitar
Menelik Claffey: Electric Bass
David Mrakpor: Vibraphone
Ruta Sipola: Flute
Jack Robson: Drums
Jansen Santana: Percussion
