UMOJA
Renowned Italian spiritual jazz master, DJ, producer, guitarist, and bandleader Nicola Conte proudly presents his new album Umoja via London based label Far Out Recordings.
A joyous exultation across ten tracks, Umoja taps into the abundant well of knowledge Conte has amassed over his career as connoisseuring compiler and archivist of deep jazz, latin, afrofuturist, bossa-nova and soul music from around the world. Expressing unity, oneness and harmony in Swahili, Umoja coalesces universal feelings through the multifaceted global music Conte has spent his life studying and researching.
The music of Umoja draws on the deep-dug 70’s independent spiritual and free jazz sounds, private-press soul records, and African and Afro Caribbean rhythms in Conte’s collection. But he equally recognises his debt to many of the decade’s more celebrated musical icons, such as North American cosmic jazz masters Lonnie Liston Smith and Gary Bartz, and Afrobeat originators Fela Kuti and Tony Allen.
Lisen to Umoja’s album
Also on Vinyl!
About Nicola Conte
He established himself as one of the finest and most eclectic musicians,
producers, and composers in the Italian and international jazz scene. As a classically
trained guitarist, bandleader, crate-digger, and DJ, Conte’s journey into music
originating from beyond Europe defines his brand of cosmic jazz. A prolific producer,
Conte’s musical oeuvre echoes a spectrum of influences deriving from bossa nova, film
soundtracks of the 60’s, spiritual jazz, Latin America, and African music.
His releases have found home on Schema Records, Blue Note, Thievery
Corporation’s Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL), EmArcy/Universal Jazz, MPS,
Impulse!, and Far Out Recordings.