"Acid Jazz" is a pretty broad term and used to describe sometimes fairly disparate types of music, but it encompasses a lot of music that I really love. When I was in college in the early 1990s, much of my music world for a couple of years involved "Acid Jazz."

Groups like

Brand New Heavies

Soul II Soul

Incognito

Jamiroquai

Groove Collective

Repercussions (does anyone remember them. I think only one album, but a great album)

There was the cross-over stuff that Guru did on his compilation Jazzmatazz albums, which would fit into the genre. Or, the great "Stolen Moments - Red Hot and Cool" compilation.

And, many artists, even though not consistently defined as "Acid Jazz" have several tracks that fit into the genre, and would be at home on any Acid Jazz mix

Sade

Swing Out Sister

Massive Attack (not a lot, but a few songs)

Les Nubians

And of course, there are the artists, like Roy Ayers, who may of these performers cite as influence, who would fit into the genre (at least some of their music).

This is just a very rudimentary list to get the discussion rolling.

Any one else a fan? Favorite performers, albums, songs?

I hadn't heard of "acid jazz" until The Brand New Heavies. I should try to be more open-minded and check out the other groups, but the BNH appealed to me more. Seeing their video "Never Stop" for the first time got my attention. My favorite album of theirs -- "Shelter" -- is so positive and uplifting, it's like free therapy.

I'm a big fan of Incognito. Can't get enough of Bluey and his crew (especially when he uses Maysa Leak). Their instrumentals are fantastic (great band/horn section). I dig BNH too. Brother Sister is still a great album. Didn't mind Shelter with Siedah Garrett, but I prefer N'deah Davenport's voice. I used to place Jamiroquai in the AJ genre, but they've changed their sound over the years. Still like 'em, nonetheless. Not sure if I'd put Soul II Soul in that genre, but I've always enjoyed them too. D'Influence is another good Acid Jazz band. I don't think anyone in the Acid Jazz genre has had more consistently great albums than Incognito.

I've always thought of acts like Sade Brand New Heavies, Soul II Soul and Jamiroquai as R&B bands or soul bands. Groups like Incognito have more electronica/dance influences and are able to meld traditional R&B/Jazz sounds into their music, so I think of them more as acid jazz/electronica acts.

I associate acts like Jazzanova, Koop, Clara Hill, blue six, RH Factor and others as part of the "acid jazz" movement. Much of their sound is influenced by 70's jazz/soul and fusion sounds.

But I agree that acid jazz is a term that is broad, like jazz itself.

namepeace said:

I've always thought of acts like Sade Brand New Heavies, Soul II Soul and Jamiroquai as R&B bands or soul bands. Groups like Incognito have more electronica/dance influences and are able to meld traditional R&B/Jazz sounds into their music, so I think of them more as acid jazz/electronica acts.

I associate acts like Jazzanova, Koop, Clara Hill, blue six, RH Factor and others as part of the "acid jazz" movement. Much of their sound is influenced by 70's jazz/soul and fusion sounds.

But I agree that acid jazz is a term that is broad, like jazz itself.

I love almost all the bands mentioned in this thread, Soul II Soul, were/are brilliant. Happy days.

I agree with others that the term Acid jazz was used to describe bands/artists who were not necessarily in that specific genre.

Still, D'Influence, Incognito, Brand New Heavies, all great stuff, and still sounds good to this day.

And remember the record label "Acid Jazz." Many of the bands mentioned were signed to them i think.

And was it not Giles Peterson (of Radio1) who made up the term?

[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/acid20jazz.jpg[/img:$uid]

http://www.acidjazz.co.uk/

Seems The Brand New Heavies and D'Influence were signed to the label at some point.

Not checked the rest.

Yeah, I included performers that are often included under the "Acid Jazz" umbrella, even if the genre label doesn't completely fit. It probably doesn't help that the Brand New Heavies (who are noted as definitive Acid Jazz by some sources, but not by others) were at one time on a label actually called "Acid Jazz." But, I did do a little digging and all of the bands I mentioned have, in some context, been referred to as "Acid Jazz."

In college, we used to call it the "London Sound", even though that, obviously, was an even more vague and useless label. But, we were just talking about all of the groups from, based in, or popular in England who we deemed as fairly similar based on the tracks we were hearing.

As I said, I only included groups like Sade, not because they are actually considered Acid Jazz overall, but because I think a few of their tracks fit nicely within the category.

Again, all of those groups I named are just a starting point. It's a tough-to-pin-down genre, but I still think worthy of discussion. A lot of great music which actually is, or is at least labeled Acid Jazz.

coltrane3 said:

Yeah, I included performers that are often included under the "Acid Jazz" umbrella, even if the genre label doesn't completely fit. It probably doesn't help that the Brand New Heavies (who are noted as definitive Acid Jazz by some sources, but not by others) were at one time on a label actually called "Acid Jazz." But, I did do a little digging and all of the bands I mentioned have, in some context, been referred to as "Acid Jazz."

In college, we used to call it the "London Sound", even though that, obviously, was an even more vague and useless label. But, we were just talking about all of the groups from, based in, or popular in England who we deemed as fairly similar based on the tracks we were hearing.

As I said, I only included groups like Sade, not because they are actually considered Acid Jazz overall, but because I think a few of their tracks fit nicely within the category.

Again, all of those groups I named are just a starting point. It's a tough-to-pin-down genre, but I still think worthy of discussion. A lot of great music which actually is, or is at least labeled Acid Jazz.

Absolutely agree.

namepeace said:

coltrane3 said:

Yeah, I included performers that are often included under the "Acid Jazz" umbrella, even if the genre label doesn't completely fit. It probably doesn't help that the Brand New Heavies (who are noted as definitive Acid Jazz by some sources, but not by others) were at one time on a label actually called "Acid Jazz." But, I did do a little digging and all of the bands I mentioned have, in some context, been referred to as "Acid Jazz."

In college, we used to call it the "London Sound", even though that, obviously, was an even more vague and useless label. But, we were just talking about all of the groups from, based in, or popular in England who we deemed as fairly similar based on the tracks we were hearing.

As I said, I only included groups like Sade, not because they are actually considered Acid Jazz overall, but because I think a few of their tracks fit nicely within the category.

Again, all of those groups I named are just a starting point. It's a tough-to-pin-down genre, but I still think worthy of discussion. A lot of great music which actually is, or is at least labeled Acid Jazz.

Absolutely agree.

As do i, you got me hunting through the older stuff in my collection now.

Big fan of Acid Jazz, I've been digging through my collection of late trying to figure out what to post on my YouTube Channel.

I used to listen to a lot of acid jazz during the mid-90s, in order to escape from the avalanche of mainstream indie-rock () but not anymore; only Jamiroquai has stood the test of time for me (and I even prefer his late 90s-early 00s disco/funk records anyway)

This was a label I never really cared for as it didnt really truly define the artists that got tagged with the label.

That said I loved many of the artists who were put in that catagory

Brand New Heavies

Jamiroquai

Incognito

Groove Collective

D'influence (this group were so much more than that label)

Omar (another artist who I wouldnt catagorise as acid jazz personally I think he is too good for the label)

Soul II Soul (from the get go I never saw Soul II Soul as an acid jazz group)

Young Disciples (too funky to be labeled acid jazz imo)