Chip Wickham brings a cosmic flavor to the Jazz Underground for autumn
This month saxophonist, flautist, and composer, Chip Wickham takes over the playlist with 10 new tracks for the Jazz Underground. Originally from Brighton, Chip first came to prominence in the UK breakbeat scene playing with the likes of Nightmares On Wax and Graham Massey. But at heart, Chip has always been a jazz musician. Dividing his time between the UK, Spain, and the Middle-East, he has made a name for himself with a series of beautifully crafted solo albums that draw inspiration from both the classic and the contemporary sides of jazz.
I first came across Chip’s flavor of jazz in the depths of lockdown. His album Blue to Red was a source of positive energy that regrounded me in an uncertain time. The way he has been shaping the genre with his own unique take on jazz — a mixture of classic 60s-era British jazz and hard swing — has been an inspiration. It’s the type of flute-led but percussive jazz that sends you floating off to an exotic land of sonic bliss (or it does me anyway).
Chip’s latest album, entitled ‘The Eternal Now,’ is his most progressive recording to date. It represents a heartfelt ode to submitting oneself to the practice of creating art, and the freedom that’s derived from letting go.
“The Eternal Now is a creative place where time has no purpose,” explains Chip when speaking about the upcoming album. “Writing this album has been a deliberate journey of exploration and drive into the furthest reaches of creativity. An attempt to push myself artistically into new spaces using new colours and new energy.”
For the Jazz Underground this month, Chip has curated 10 tracks that fit into his cosmic interpretation of improvisational music. Artists like Sholto, The Ancient Infinity Orchestra, and Sven Wunder whisk you away to a place of tropical exotica. He’s also chosen new tracks from Okonski, The Sorcerers, and Rachel Kitchlew to ground the mix in more traditional jazz spaces.
Anyway, enough talk. Check out Chip’s selection for the Jazz Underground below. If you like what you hear and you want more, head over to Gondwana Records to pre-order his new album, The Eternal Now, on vinyl (available at the end of this week).
If this is your first time listening to the Jazz Underground, here’s what you need to know: The Jazz Underground is a monthly feature where we enlist the musicians and producers who are pushing the boundaries of what jazz means to them. The idea is to change the perception of the music’s rotten public image — a genre that can sometimes be stuck in the past rather than something that is always evolving. Each month we invite a new resident artist to contribute and curate the playlist to reflect what jazz sounds like today.
Have a listen to the playlist, and if you like what you hear, make sure to follow the Jazz Underground playlist on Spotify.
