I first became aware of Kaidi Tatham back in 2003 following the release of his fabulous ‘solo’ album Feed The Cat under the pseudonym, Agent K. A doyen of the broken beat scene, it’s refreshing to hear that Kaidi’s not been swayed by whatever some plum says is progressive this month (nice wobble track, mate!) and has stayed resolutely on the contemporary jazz-funk tip that made his early work stand out and consequently earn listening longevity where other trendsetters fell by the wayside. That’s not to say that Kaidi hasn’t grown as an artist over the intervening years. 5ives is jam packed with some of the best jazz/boogie productions I’ve heard all year and offers both a deep yet fun listening experience. Kaidi’s exploratory approach to the groove is in full effect across all five of the tight yet expansive cuts, with not one second lost to doodling, particularly on the standout cut For All The Love in Time, which is as exciting as any contemporary jazz cut that I’ve heard in 2011. It often feels like Kaidi’s chasing the music, caught up in the thrill of the pursuit of the groove, delivering a cohesive set of cuts at the very forefront of contemporary jazz-funk.
Take a listen to the EP below and then head over to the jazzre:freshed Bandcamp page to download Kaidi’s 5ives. It will only be available to purchase for a limited time via jazzre:freshed, so I suggest you hop on over there now and purchase one of 2011’s best new jazz releases.
[wp_bandcamp_player type="album" id="3022881516" size="grande3" bg_color="#FFFFFF" link_color="#4285BB"]
