Joe Armon-Jones New Album "Turn To CLear View" Out In Sept.

Between his highly acclaimed solo career and his work with the influential Ezra Collective, Joe Armon-Jones is at the epicentre of the London underground scene. Now building on a rush of acclaim – winning Session of the Year at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards and being nominated for UK Act of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards – Armon-Jones is set to release his eagerly anticipated second album ‘Turn To Clear View’ on September 20th via Brownswood Recordings.

‘Turn To Clear View’ finds Armon-Jones pushing the boundaries of his sound into exciting new territory. It’s a set which blurs the lines between bass-heavy dub, contemporary club culture and his background as a pioneering force in the modern jazz scene. That singular vision is heightened with flourishes of R&B, hip-hop and p-funk. It’s music of substance – relevant to the here and now, but sure to be heralded as an influence in the years that follow.

Inspired by fresh influences and experiences that have arisen over the course of the past year, the album is the result of Armon-Jones’s studious creative process. He writes continuously and organically – initial ideas coming quickly and swiftly recorded as voice notes before they’re evolved and tweaked, often over the course of several months.

After writing the charts, Armon-Jones and co-producer Maxwell Owin called upon a close-knit team of collaborators and their virtuoso talents saw them record the entire album in two days. The duo then painstakingly perfected every touch, with Armon-Jones also ever-present throughout the mixing and mastering processes. Throughout, the pair focused on how best to bring their ideas to life. Most of the keys, for example, were recorded on a budget Casio that was borrowed from their friend Wu-Lu.

The album itself is all the better for Armon-Jones’ focus. Its lead single ‘Yellow Dandelion’ is a case in point. Soaring vocals from the neo-soul visionary Georgia Anne Muldrow are its most immediately enticing calling card, but Armon-Jones’s flair for intricacies and dynamics provides its substance. From powerful crescendos to his irresistible keyboard solos, ‘Yellow Dandelion’ pushes the fundamentals of funk firmly into 2019.

That love of the unconventional shines through on ‘The Leo & Aquarius’ as Armon-Jones’s spacious instrumental allowing Jehst’s character-fuelled raps to take centre-stage. Rising talent Obongjayar (a collaborator with Richard Russell) provides a similarly adventurous spirit, infusing the exploratory, progressive jam ‘Self: Love’ with some highlife flavour. Opening track ‘Try Walk With Me’ immediately sets the tone – with Asheber helping to stir a cocktail of hazy Latin American and Afrikan influences with acid jazz.

‘Turn To Clear View’ also features his regular bandmates Oscar Jerome, Moses Boyd (a resident DJ at 1Xtra) and Nubya Garcia (signed to Domino as part of Nérija), whose uncompromising yet accessible sax on ‘You Didn’t Care’ stands out as a highlight.

Armon-Jones first previewed the album with ‘Icy Roads (Stacked)’ which received support at 6 Music, 1Xtra and Radio 1 from DJs including Mary Anne Hobbs, Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Jamz Supernova, Tom Ravenscroft and Huey Morgan.

‘Turn To Clear View’ will be released on digital, vinyl and CD formats, and is available to pre-order from http://www.joearmonjones.com/

‘Turn To Clear View’ tracklisting:

1. ‘Try Walk With Me’ (featuring Asheber)

2. ‘Yellow Dandelion’ (featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow)

3. ‘Gnawa Sweet’

4. ‘Icy Roads (Stacked)’

5. ‘(To Know) Where You’re Coming From’

6. ‘The Leo & Aquarius’ (featuring Jehst)

7. ‘You Didn’t Care’ (featuring Nubya Garcia)

8. ‘Self: Love’ (featuring Obongjayar)

Joe Armon-Jones has previously played Glastonbury, SXSW, Boiler Room and a sold-out headline show at London’s Village Underground, and has toured with the likes of Ata Kak and Pharoahe Monch. He’s now set to play the following UK shows:

August

7th – 11th – Boomtown Fair

15th – We Out Here

September - Headling EU tour

11th - Red Bull Music Festival Round Robin 2019

19th - Cafe Central, Madrid

25th - AB Club, Brussels

26th - BIRD, Rotterdam

27th - Paradiso, Amsterdam

28th - Moods, Zurich

29th - Knust, Hamburg

30th - Gretchen, Berlin

October - Headline UK Tour

6th – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms

7th – Newcastle, The Cluny

8th – Glasgow, The Classic Grand

9th – Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall

10th – Birmingham, Hare & Hound

11th – Manchester, Band on the Wall

12th – Bristol, Fiddlers Club