With all the coverage of space travel to the the moon, Michele Papadia sticks a jazz rocket up yours with a new 10 track album, 'Out Of Gravity' - and it's flying!
You might not immediately link the 60s Mod-Jazz/Hard Bop with the Hammond organ or Tomorrow's Warriors fusion style but for pianist Michele Papadia, with a specialist subject of Hammond organ and analog synths, his collaborations with modern jazz/blues/rock elite of Gianluca Petrella, Bobby Previte, Lars Danielsson, Joe Bonnamassa, Brian Auger, Eric Gales, Robben Ford and Kirk Fletcher and more.
With Papadia on Wurlitzer, Fender Radio, Piano, Hammond Organ and synth the core group is completed by Fabrizio Bosso (trumpet, effects), Francesco Bearzatti (tenor sax), Francesco Ponticelli (electric bass) and Stefano Tamborrino (drums, percussion).
And on the album, the quintet is joined by guest appearances from Kokayi (vocalist and lyrical improviser) on the title track, reminiscent of Kameelah Waheed on a BRUK-jazzdance free-style that's spacey - like Italian cool Heliocentrics? It's 7 minutes long but that Ra like synth solo at the end does indicate a 12" arkestra version could be an option - it is 'Out Of Gravity' after all.
Back on earth, Malian Conga and Ngoni player Kalifa Kone joins in for two tracks, 'A New Beginning' (Afro-spiritual intro to watch out for) and 'Afrolution' (ft. Angela Esmeralda on vocals); 'Afrolution' is very fusion heavy with great vocals.
Angela Esmeralda also features on 2 other tracks 'Balanced Entropy' (that's a proper grower that slots on the scale of jazz/bruk/poerty of Okumu/Joseph's 'The Ark' - see review HERE: especially the manic space synth and the dubby horns) and 'Flowing Soul' (where she is joined by Watermelon Funk's Deshawn 'D'Vibes' Alexander) that's Ayers/Sa-Ra Creative meets Roy Hargrove (Ed. that's how good this is!)
And then you've got Mia Cooper on 3 other tracks; 'Freedom To Live' (that highlights the spoken word conscientiousness), 'Peace Of Mind' and 'Freedom To Pray' so, by now, you can tell that the album has global collective world view of jazz-funk. There's also Bob James OST/TV theme elements; Miss Arrow - Bosso's horn so on target with this one and only topped by the sax solo - 'In My Soul' is Rockford-esque soul-jazz; so what more do you want?
Listening to this album, at times it sounds like Papadia has taken out Roy Ayers to find his own lead roll on various keys (notably, 'Flowing Soul') and as most tracks are in the 7/8 minute time range, it's going to be your top jazz big heads like Peterson, Forge, Parnell, Beadle, Murphy, Peden etc that's get on this one so not a bad idea to get it ourselves: Elbert Phillips' remix of 'Balanced Entropy' anyone?
Buy Link / PRE-ORDER: Out Of Gravity | Michele Papadia | A.MA Records A.MA Edizioni
Artist: Michele Papadia
Title: Out Of Gravity
Release date: 24th April, 2026
Label : A.MA Records
Catalog Number : AMC050
Format: CD / Digital / Bandcamp (& Pre-Order on Bandcamp)
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