Chip Wickham set to release new EP Love & Life

Chip Wickham is gearing up to release a new EP later this month. Entited Love & Life, the EP arrives on August 25th through Gondwana Records and follows last year’s LP Cloud 10. The upcoming Love & Life EP takes influence from the soulful sounds of Yusef Lateef and is described as “a perfect four-tracker of reflective, peaceful jazz that elevates and inspires as well as a trademark slice of boppish soul jazz – the jaunty Space Walk.”

Ahead of the EP’s release, the incredibly talented British flautist and saxophonist has shared the jubilant title track. Speaking about it, Chip says it brings to light “a big lesson for us to learn as the world changes around us with such speed. The technology changes but our human needs remain the same: peace, tranquillity and time to think.”

Listen to ‘Love & Life’ below.

Listen to Chip Wickham’s new single ‘Double Cross’

Blue to Red, the highly anticipated new album from immensely talented British flautist and saxophonist Chip Wickham, arrives next week. Following the celestially sublime title track, he has shared another offering from the record, ‘Double Cross’. He had this to say about it:

“This is the darkest track on the album, and it represents the feelings of ordinary people who do the right thing and care about the world but are constantly double-crossed by the system that is stacked against them in favour of an ever-powerful minority. A relentless, driving groove with more broken jazz and driven Rhodes to add an extra angry vibe. The flute reflects this with a driven sound and in your face solo that is pure energy! Check out the fantastic drumming of Jon Scott on this track. He is constantly changing and relentlessly driving the track at the same time.”

Take a listen to ‘Double Cross’ below and grab Blue to Red when it’s out on May 8th through Lovemonk Records.

Chip Wickham announces new album, Blue to Red, and shares title track

At a time where music is like a salvation, Chip Wickham is treating us with a new splendid release. The immensely talented British flautist and saxophonist has announced the release of Blue to Red, arriving on May 8th through Lovemonk Records. Blue to Red is Wickham’s third album but he has been making music for the last few decades. Wickham initially emerged from Manchester’s modal-jazz scene in the late 90s, and has played and collaborated with the likes of Matthew Halsall, Nat Birchall, 808 State, Nightmares On Wax, Badly Drawn Boy, The New Mastersounds and Grand Central Records, to name but a few.

The upcoming Blue to Red is “his most absorbing and cosmically-charged offering to date”, as the press release describes. “Soaring flute melodies, lush harp arpeggios and glistening Rhodes keys interact across six journeying, spiritual jazz compositions, leaning on a rich palette of sounds beyond borders, space and time.”
The album’s title alludes to Earth’s possible Mars-like future. As Wickham puts it, “it’s a culture crisis rather than a climate crisis, one that can only be solved if we go right to the core of how we live as human beings”.

Blue to Red saw Wickham enlist a stellar cast of musicians from the UK’s thriving jazz scene, including Sons of Kemet and Mulatu Astatke drummer, Jon Scott, Simon Houghton aka Sneaky of Fingathing (double bass/cello), Nightmares On Wax affiliate Dan Goldman aka JD 73 (keys) and pioneering jazz harpist Amanda Whiting.

Ahead of the album’s release, we can already hear the celestially sublime title track. Here it is.