It may be the unlucky thirteenth issue, but how great to see Compost’s flagship series return for another outing – its first in five years. Michael Reinboth hasn’t lost his knack for a good set of jazz-inflected grooves though, and this double album is consistently rewarding and inspiring. The styles vary greatly, from the rich colours of MLiR’s ‘Spanish Lo-Life’, through the cool groove of Peter Kruder’s previously unreleased ‘Memento’, to the lovely warm, deep house of Kahim Sahroui’s ‘Father’s Legacy’. This series has always played to its strengths of introducing new music alongside the familiar, and here the latter camp is covered by unreleased gems from Van Hai, Matanza and Manuel Tur, not to mention Axel Boman, who sets the controls for takeoff with ‘Noktum (Grand Finale)’. Also well worth noting are the attractive marimbas of Gabriele Poso’s ‘Roots Of Soul’, via an Atjazz remix, and an epic, sprawling take from Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer on Tony Allen’s ‘African Man’. Every bit as essential as the previous twelve compilations in the series.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
VARIOUS ARTISTS – FUTURE SOUNDS OF JAZZ VOL.13 – COMPOST
