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Jul 16, 2018This album signifies a moment for UK jazz but more importantly this a moment for Kamaal Williams.
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Jul 16, 2018There is a timelessness to this record that's as connected to the electric jazz pioneers of the '70s as it is to today's best fusion players.
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Jul 16, 2018Overall The Return is a vital addition to both the budding career of Kamaal Williams, and to modern jazz as a whole.
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Jul 16, 2018It’s a sweet snapshot of London 2018--an encapsulation of a newly brewing jazz community, uniting numerous cultural strands that make up the city. When the scene needed him most, Kamaal Williams returned to show the way.
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UncutJul 16, 2018"High Roller" and "Medina" are laidback and elegant, blessed with Wu's dazzling, twinkling keyboard runs. But "Broken Theme" adds a note of challenge. [Jun 2018, p.37]
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Jul 27, 2018While not a perfect album--there are moments wherein it feels like the musicians are too focused on sonic replication to truly put any sort of heart and soul behind the grooves--The Return is nonetheless another fine release in the ever-increasing catalog of fascinating 21st century jazz records.
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Jul 16, 2018One of the best aspects of The Return is how balanced the songs feel, weaving in bits of modern electronic dance and hip-hop flourishes as on the stuttering, breakbeat-infused "Catch the Loop," and the equally kinetic "Broken Theme." While The Return implies, and often delivers on, Williams' clear desire to recapture the plasmic spirit of vintage '70s jazz-funk, the album is less of a return to past traditions and more of a rebirth.
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The WireJul 16, 2018["LDN Shuffle" is] the most obviously exciting track of the set, but the more representative things are slower and more measured. [Jun 2018, p.64]