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10 Jazz Artists to Watch in 2024
By Josh Mason / March 13, 2024
I didn’t grow up on Jazz. In my mum’s car it was Motown or Soul and in my Dad’s car it was Dad Rock stuff like R.E.M and Queen.
So my route into the world of Jazz was actually during University when I got heavily into 90s Neo Soul and Boom bap Hip Hop. The elements and influence of Jazz in these genres naturally led me to delve deeper into the genre and explore the classics.
I’ve come to realise that Jazz is a little bit like a new sofa. You have to sit with it for a while before it becomes comfortable. That was my experience with a lot of the classic Jazz albums when I explored them for the first time. Albums from artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock that once felt unfamiliar and a little taxing on the ears, I now sink right into.
And while the classics are classics for a reason, when I reflect on my years of listening as a Jazz fan, it has generally been the more modern Jazz-Fusion that has really excited me. Artists that were bringing a freshness to the Jazz sound by fusing it with Hip Hop, Electronica or Afrobeat really struck a chord with me.
Whether old or new, I guess what I really love about Jazz is its limitless potential. The very sound was born from a desire for freedom and that freedom will always exist in the music.
So on that note, here are 10 artists I’ll be keeping a close eye on in 2024 that I think are doing great things in the name of Jazz.
1. Jasmine Myra
Genres: Jazz, Spiritual Jazz, Ambient
Listen if you like: Alice Coltrane, Matthew Halsall
Leeds-based saxophonist Jasmine Myra released ‘Horizons’ in 2022, one of the standout Jazz albums of the year, and she’s set to return this year with her follow up album. Taking influence from Hip Hop and Electronica, her soothing brand of contemporary spiritual Jazz is moving, meditative and at times uplifting. I was fortunate enough to hear a preview of some of the new material at her last London show and it’s clear to me that her star is only going to continue to shine brighter this year.
2. Matt Wilde
Genres: Jazz, Hip Hop, Beats
Listen if you like: Kiefer, Alfa Mist
Manchester-based keys player and producer Matt Wilde has been prolific with his releases since he landed on the scene with his smooth and crisp Jazz beats. And having just released instrumental music so far, this year he is set to release a new album bursting at the seams with features from vocalists and rappers. I’ve heard whispers about who some of these features may be and let’s just say we’re all in for a treat.
3. Don Glori
Genres: Jazz-Funk, Spiritual Jazz
Listen if you like: Azymuth, Herbie Hancock
Having just made the move from Australia over to London, Don Glori is already a regular on the pulsing live Jazz circuit in London and is set to play at Brick Lane Jazz festival later this year. His groove-heavy cocktail of Jazz, Funk and Brazilian influences made his 2022 debut album Welcome one of my favourite releases of the year, and his follow up album is set to drop this year on his new label home DeepMatter Records. I can’t wait to hear where he takes us this time.
4. Lakecia Benjamin
Genres: Jazz, RnB, Soul, Funk
Listen if you like: Theo Croker, Braxton Cook Spotify link:
After dropping one of my favourite Jazz albums of 2023 and picking up 3 Grammy nominations in the process, Lakecia Benjamin is an artist I’m keeping firmly in my sights this year. Having assembled a super group of collaborators for her last album including the likes of Terri-Lyne Carrington, Angela Davis, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Dianne Reeves, Sonia Sanchez, Wayne Shorter and Patrice Rushen, who’s to know what the New York based saxophonist, arranger and composer could have up her sleeve next.
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5. Fergus McCreadie
Genres: Contemporary Jazz, Scottish Folk
Listen if you like: Mammal Hands, Jose Gonzalez Spotify link:
Jazz pianist and composer Fergus McCreadie first captured my imagination back in 2022 when he channelled the breadth and beauty of the Scottish landscape to create his Mercury nominated album Forest Floor. This year he returns with a brand new album and based off the first single ‘Stony Gate’, we can expect more of his mesmerising fusion of contemporary Jazz and Scottish folk that draws from the natural world. I can’t wait.
6. Moses Yoofee Trio
Genres: Jazz Fusion, Hip Hop
Listen if you like: Yussef Dayes, DOMi & JD BECK Spotify link:
Berlin based Moses Yoofee Trio stomped into my ears just last year with their exhilarating fusion of anthemic Jazz keys and fizzing drum patterns. Their mighty impressive debut EP titled OCEAN caught the attention of global tastemaker Gilles Peterson and earned themselves a booking at this year’s We Out Here festival - the jewel in the crown of the UK Jazz circuit. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed all year for more music from the talented trio.
7. Camilla George
Genres: Jazz, Afrobeat, Hip Hop
Listen if you like: Nubya Garcia, Kokoroko
Saxophonist, composer and bandleader Camilla George is a key fixture on the London Jazz scene and her 2022 album Ibio-Ibio was up there with my favourite Jazz albums of that year. Combining Afro-futurism, Hip Hop and Jazz, her mesmerising sound draws from her Nigerian roots and explores African history and culture. She mentioned in a recent Instagram post that she’s looking forward to writing more music in 2024 and I for one will be at the front of the queue to hear it.
8. Chien Chien Lu
Genres: Jazz, Jazz-Funk
Listen if you like: Roy Ayers, Milt Jackson
Chien Chien Lu grew up feeling stifled by the Taiwanese classical scene and it wasn’t until she relocated to America, first Philadelphia and then New York, that she was able to tap into the sense of soul and freedom that now defines her music. Having released her debut album The Path back in 2020 and then following it up with a live album as well as collaborative album Connected just last year, this is an artist who is clearly gathering momentum and deserves every bit of attention she’s getting.
9. Bokani Dyer
Genres: Jazz, Soul
Listen if you like: Ndudzo Makhathini, Omar Spotify link:
There’s a lot of exciting music coming out of the South African Jazz scene right now and one of those brightest shining lights is Bokani Dyer. Taking inspiration from Hip Hop, RnB, Salsa, Soul and House, it’s little surprise that Dyer’s unique Jazz sound is a free-flowing fusion affair. No stranger to the scene, Dyer has released 6 albums under his own name, however it has only been more recently that he has started to tap into a wider global audience, most notably releasing his wonderful 2023 album Radio Sechaba through UK label Brownswood Recordings.
10. Amanda Whiting
Genres: Jazz
Listen if you like: Dorothy Ashby, Alice Coltrane
Welsh virtuoso harpist and composer Amanda Whiting has been mesmerising me ever since I discovered her 2022 album Lost In Abstraction. With roots in classical music, her unique style of Jazz harp feels both timeless and forward thinking, garnering support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and Cerys Matthews. Her new album The Liminality of Her is set to drop later this year and from listening to the first single I can’t wait to get it in my ears. I’ve got my fingers crossed there will be some live dates in the pipeline too.
