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Jazz Night's Favorite Grooves Of 2021, So Far

Jazz artist Nate Smith performing in the Netherlands. Smith's song "Square Wheel" feat. Kokayi and Michael Mayo was one of <em>Jazz Night</em>'s favorites of the first half of the year.
Peter Van Breukelen
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Redferns
Jazz artist Nate Smith performing in the Netherlands. Smith's song "Square Wheel" feat. Kokayi and Michael Mayo was one of Jazz Night's favorites of the first half of the year.

This year, following such static period of life for everyone, the Jazz Night team's ears were craving music that could make us groove, sway and (cautiously) celebrate. In other words, tunes that made us yearn for the deeply social origins of jazz itself.

The playlist below includes work from Roy Hargrove and Mulgrew Miller, Sons of Kemet accompanied by Moor Mother and Angel Bat Dawid, Miguel Zenón and Luis Perdomo, Hiatus Kaiyote with Arthur Verocai, Thundercat and many others. Think of these 23 tracks as songs to play at those "return-to-outside" parties and park hangs, or en route to re-opened jazz clubs and summer outdoor concerts. Let's enjoy.


Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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