Danceable Jazz! Classic and Recommended Albums of Acid Jazz

Tantos Desejos (So Many Desires)Suba

Suba – Tantos Desejos (So Many Desires)

This is the one and only—and finest—solo album by Suba, a music producer from Serbia who relocated to Brazil, released in 1999! With an innovative approach fusing electronica and Brazilian music, it brilliantly translates São Paulo’s urban heat and passion into sound.

The collaborations with a diverse cast of vocalists, including Cibelle, are outstanding, and the bossa nova and samba essences riding over downtempo beats embody the ideal form of danceable jazz.

Selected for “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,” this masterpiece is a must-listen not only for fans of acid jazz and electronica, but also for anyone interested in Brazilian music and club music.

T-JamGeorge Duke

T-Jam George Duke

George Duke, a popular pianist in the jazz-fusion world, was an artist who consistently crossed genre boundaries—not only in jazz, but also into funk and R&B.

His multifaceted talent was admired by acid jazz artists as well; for instance, Incognito even invited Duke to contribute to their own work.

Among Duke’s vast catalog, the 2005 release DUKE stands out: anchored by mature, seasoned performances, it offers a series of funky, peaceful tracks—from vocal numbers to instrumentals—all of exceptionally high quality.

It could be considered an essential album for getting to know his later-period artistry.

Jive TownBrian Tarquin

Brian Tarquin – Jive Town

Brian Turkin is a jazz guitarist from New York, USA, and a versatile artist who wears many hats as an engineer, songwriter, and producer.

Featuring alternating leads between a sweet-toned guitar and a mellow saxophone, this urban, sophisticated track appears on Brian’s third album, Soft Touch, released in 1999.

With the bassist from the popular acid jazz band Galliano serving as producer, it’s a highly recommended pick for fans of fusion and acid jazz.

Space CowboyJamiroquai

Jamiroquai – Space Cowboy (Official Video)

Hailing from London, England, Jamiroquai is a seminal acid jazz-funk band centered around Jay Kay.

Their second album, The Return of the Space Cowboy, released in 1994, carries forward the direction of their debut while featuring more complex and mature song structures.

Although the production was fraught with difficulties—including Jay Kay falling into a creative slump—the album stands as an ambitious work completed by overcoming that struggle and rebirth.

Blending acid jazz, funk, R&B, and soul-pop, the sound is heavily influenced by 1970s funk.

It reached No.

2 in the UK and was certified platinum.

Combining danceable grooves with stylish urban sophistication, it remains an important classic in the history of acid jazz.

So FluteSt Germain

So Flute

St Germain is an artist who made a major contribution to the development of Paris’s club scene by fusing house and jazz.

His 2000 release, Tourist, marked his U.

S.

debut and went on to sell 4 million copies worldwide.

It samples a variety of classic jazz and soul tracks, so you’ll hear many familiar phrases—making it a highly recommended masterpiece for anyone new to acid jazz.

In 2021, a remixed version was released to commemorate the album’s 20th anniversary, so be sure to compare the two!

JesseMother Earth

Jesse

Although their active period was only around five years, the English acid jazz band Mother Earth is still highly regarded for the quality of their releases.

Centered around Matt Deighton—who also played rhythm guitar in Oasis during a period when Noel Gallagher was absent—the group was a four-piece.

In the history of acid jazz, they belong to the second generation, and their second album, The People Tree, released in 1993 on Acid Jazz Records, stands as their signature work, selling 100,000 copies.

Among acid jazz groups, which are often difficult to pigeonhole, Mother Earth’s sound is rooted in rock while skillfully incorporating elements of soul and funk, linking them to the broader acid jazz movement.

If you’re expecting danceable “club-generation” jazz, you might be caught off guard, but from the mellow, folky blue-eyed soul classic Jesse to the blistering guitar-and-organ workout Mister Freedom, their gritty British funk rock is supremely groovy and cool.

For good measure, Paul Weller also appears as a guest.

The Lope SongEddie Russ

Eddie Russ – The Lope Song

A master of organ and electric piano and a true treasure of Detroit jazz, Eddie Russ released his first leader album in 1974, the masterpiece “FRESH OUT,” an essential work for anyone tracing the roots of acid jazz.

It’s also well-known for its very funny cover art featuring a bald-headed figure peeking out from a cracked egg.

Starting with the classic flute-funk track “The Lope Song,” famously sampled by the Young Disciples, the album is packed with mellow, funky numbers and stands as a canonical rare-groove classic.