Contemporary Jazz

Contemporary jazz on vinyl: ECM, London and the jazz of today

In short: Contemporary jazz is modern jazz from the seventies onwards – open to electronics, hip hop, world music and classical. At the Vinyl Room it ranges from ECM records and albums of the eighties to young London bands such as Ezra Collective, Sons of Kemet, Alfa Mist and Ruby Rushton. You’ll currently find 247 records in this style here, many of them from recent years.

What is contemporary jazz?

The term is broad: it covers the clear, chamber-like sound of ECM as well as jazz that works with beats and samples. Since the 2010s London has become a new centre. Bands such as Sons of Kemet and Ezra Collective combine jazz with Afrobeat, grime and Caribbean rhythms; in 2023 Ezra Collective became the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize. Add groups such as The Cinematic Orchestra, GoGo Penguin and BadBadNotGood, which move between jazz, electronic music and film music.

What to look for

New jazz records often come out in smaller runs. Once an edition is out of print, its first pressing can be sought after within a few years. With older records from the seventies and eighties, label, catalogue number and runout help.

From our stock

First pressings

Contemporary jazz on ECM

Still sealed

New in

→ Jazz on vinyl · ECM · Electronic on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What is contemporary jazz? Modern jazz from the seventies onwards that takes in influences from electronics, hip hop, world music and classical.

Which young jazz bands should you know? For example Ezra Collective, Sons of Kemet, Alfa Mist and Ruby Rushton from London.

Can a new jazz record already be sought after? Yes – once a run is out of print, the first pressing can be in demand within a few years.