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JNEIRO JAREL - AFTER A THOUSAND YEARS (2020)
This article on Bandcamp details and summarizes this album better than I ever could:
Jneiro Jarel Looks To the Future on “After A Thousand Years”
"I'm encouraging all to embrace that future instead of fear it."
daily.bandcamp.com
Stream/buy it on Bandcamp here (more buying options further below):
Additional Thoughts
I first learned about Jneiro Jarel by hanging out on Count Bass D's message forums circa 2005 or 2006. One of the biggest things that drew me into hip hop are sampled beats, particularly if they had a jazzy flair to them. I was listening to a lot of CBD, Dilla, Madlib, and DOOM around this time and Jneiro was a natural extension. I think it was his beat tape "Beat Journey" under his Dr. Who Dat monicker that first really got my attention. Then in 2007 he released Shape of Broad Minds' "Craft of the Lost Art," a fantastically produced album of next-level beats and inspiring rhymes featuring the aforementioned DOOM and Count, among others.
I remember around this time reaching out to my old college roommate Scott Burton. A jazz guitarist, Scott has been a huge influence on my taste of music. I went from exclusively listening to whiny alt-rock in the late 90s to discovering the vastness of jazz beyond the Cowboy Bebop and of course, rap and hip hop through artists like King Gheedorah and Quasimoto.
By 2007 Scott and I lived in separate states but still kept up on the MySpace. "Dude you have to absolutely check this guy Jneiro Jarel out," I remember telling him. "Shape of Broad Minds has to be one of my favorite albums of the decade."
Scott did and was equally impressed. But as noted, I'm just a schlub who likes to listen to music. Scott both plays and creates music himself and it wasn't too long before he did some "networking" and reached out to JJ.
It was around this time Jneiro had begun to explore more world music, particularly that of central and South America. Arthur Verocai was an obvious influence and a Latin-fused album titled Fauna was released in 2010.
A couple of years later JJ saw probably his biggest commercial success with a full-length collaboration between him and DOOM called JJ DOOM on Lex Records. While the beats on this album had kind of darker, electronic tone to them, much of his other work continued to be more experimental and inspired by the tropics. He formed a band called the Viberien Experience and performed weekly in New Orleans for a couple of years before deciding to relocate to Costa Rica and put out several digital-only EPs. He loved Scott's free jazz stylings and the two began to work on a collaboration call JJ BURTON... until Lex Records shot them down saying it was too close in name to JJ DOOM.
Jneiro continued on with various projects until he signed with Far Out Recordings, the British label specializing in Brazilian and Brazilian-inspired music. Things seemed to be going well with JJ working on a new album for Far Out when in late 2018 he suffered a major stroke while in Costa Rica.
His wife Indigo began a GoFundMe to raise money to get him back to the States for treatment. And then... it was radio silence for the next year or so.
But last fall, his new album was released, finally announcing his return. After a Thousand Years is a celebration of the beauty and love of the world, combining his influences from Africa, the United States, Brazil, and of course, Central America.
Where To Buy:
There's the aforementioned Bandcamp page but it's also available directly from Far Out's website. It was listed as out of stock a few weeks ago (which gave me a minor heart attack) but as of August 14 I guess they found another box of records and put them up for sale. The label is currently running a 20% off sale until August 31, just use the code "SUMMER21" at checkout:
Jneiro Jarel - After A Thousand Years [2020]
Release date: 30th October 2020 | Also available on Bandcamp Tracklist:1. If I Could See Heaven Without Dying (feat. Scott Burton) 2. Ce-les-tial 3. Sunwalkers, Pt. 2 & 3 (feat. Bill Summers) 4. Just A Little While Longer 5. African Bahia Sol (feat. Dr Who Dat?) 6. Viberian Waves, Pt. 1 & 2...
www.faroutrecordings.com
Additional places where you can buy the album can be found in this post.
I also have two suggestions for swaptions if you're not feeling this album. Check them out here.
Hello and welcome to the September Needles & Grooves Album of the Month/Guess Thread! I hope you all like good music because that's what I have in store for you this month!
If you've been following the AOTM Year 3 thread, you'll know I had a bit of last-minute drama when two of my top picks suddenly sold out on their labels' websites. After some consideration and research, I've decided to move ahead with my first pick as it's currently available on a bunch of online retail stores (and you still might also have luck finding it at your local brick and mortar). But if I may stir the fomo flames ever so slightly, I wouldn't recommend sleeping on it for TOO long...
After the AOTM is announced, I'll also offer up some of the other albums I had considered choosing but did not for various reasons. If you're not feeling my pick, consider these as swaptions!
I have a series of clues lined up that I will dole out once a day. After I run out of clues, I will reveal what the album is and if someone correctly guessed it.
This will also be a giveaway month! One lucky member will get a copy of this album free! Well, it still costs money, but I'm the one paying for it.
To enter into the giveaway:
-You get one entry for making a guess. You can guess multiple times, but only get one entry total for this.
-You get a second entry if you guess the artist but miss on the album
-You get a third entry if you're the first to guess the AOTM!
You have until Saturday, August 14 to put in your guesses and after that, I'm doing the drawing/announcement as by my estimation that's the date I run out of clues. You guys and gals are clever, I'm sure you'll have it figured out long before then but I'll be mum on it until that point.
Let's have fun, enjoy some tunes, and please don't guess it in two days like y'all did last month.
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