KCOU JAZZ
October 18, 2025
Songs Included
Bolbec | A L’Instar du Flair | Victime de L’aube (2024)
Emerging from Rouen in France, multi-instrumentalists Axel Concato and Barth Corbelet make up modern jazz outfit Bolbec. Featured on their 2024 debut album, A L’Instar du Flair is a mystical discovery into some of the deepest pockets of soundtrack inspiration. Percussive shakers and trilling flute create a rainforest-like musical texture built on a base of warm synth and cross-stick percussion.
Representing the burgeoning European jazz scene, Bolbec are one to watch in modern jaz.
Yuji Ohno | 愛のシルエット大野雄二 | Lupin III Original Soundtrack (1978)
Yuji Ohno’s Ai no Shiruetto, which means Love Silhouette, scores the 1978 soundtrack of Lupin III, a popular anime series in Japan and Italy during the 60s and 70s. This song brings forward a swirling, funky groove and romantic energy scored with strings and synths. Brass and saxophone also feature in this song, bringing together a well-realized cut of soundtrack jazz.
Piero Piccioni | Aspetto Ancora un Giorno | Quelle Strane Occasioni (1978)
Translated from Italian, “I’ll wait one more day,” this flitting melody plays like a hopeful daydream.
with a vocalist joining partway through the tune to add to the song’s playful nature. Part of the soundtrack for Quelle Strane Occasioni, a 1976 Italian episodic film concering strange occasions, Aspetto Ancora un Giorno fits neatly into Piero Piccioni’s extensive soundtrack music catalog.
Omar Khorshid | La Playa | Belly Dance Vol. 1 (1992)
A Spanish title performed by Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, La Playa brings only the best musical textures to the table.
Raised in Cairo and teaching himself instruments at an early age, Khorshid left Egypt for Lebanon following political turmoil in 1973. In Lebanon he began recording under his own name for various Lebanese record labels. Leaving Lebanon in 1977, Khorshid was honored by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to perform at Jimmy Carter’s White House during a peace treaty ceremony between Egypt and Israel.
Beginning with a ringing, percussive stereo beat and diving into deep electric guitar groove, La Playa lulls listeners into something of an oceanic hypnosis.
Hailu Mergia, Dahlak Band | Yene Nesh Wey | Wede Harze Guzo (1978)
Yene Nesh Wey, written in Amharic, means ‘My Beautiful One.’
With a horn intro that dances around different time signatures, this song settles into a pacey waltz. Hailu Mergia’s signature electric keyboard sound rings joyfully across a piece dedicated to a love. This song comes from Mergia’s 1978 album Wede Harer Guzo, recorded during the time when the Derg dictatorship had censorship on musicians in Ethiopia. Initially only released on cassette, this album had a revival in 2016 when Awesome Tapes From Africa re-released the record.
Hailu Mergia is now based in Washington DC and still tours.
Kokoroko | Ewa Inu | Could We Be More (2022)
In Yoruba, Ewa Inu means ‘Inner Beauty.’ This song brings together an introspective and motivating groove that captures the soulful essence of the band.
Contemporary champions of afro-beat jazz, Kokoroko has sprung to prominence in today’s jazz scene through their strong horn section, excellent varied percussion, and serene piano and guitar play. Ewa Inu comes from Kokoroko’s 2022 album, Could We Be More, but the London-based group released an album earlier this year called Tuff Times Never Last.
Connie Kim | Lý Luận Tình Yêu | Saigon Supersound (1977)
A cut of Vietnamese funk by Connie Kim, Ly Luan Tinh Yeu means ‘The Theory of Love.’
Recorded in 1977 and released on a 2017 compilation of post-war Vietnamese rock and soul, Ly Luan Tinh Yeu was resurfaced by German record label Saigon Supersound. Against a rich palette of spirited vocals and strumming bass, soulful saxophone and noisy trumpet rip across the tune.