Independent French record label Wagram Music have assembled a 4 CD anthology of tasty nu jazz titbits from a selection of established and less well known artists. Rather than give me the full anthology, what I have to review is a selection of tracks taken from across the 4 CDs, and if these tracks are representative of the quality of the whole anthology then this collection is an essential buy for anyone remotely interested in jazzy beats.

The term “Nu Jazz” has been used to describe an incredibly wide variety of music, and this is reflected in the music chosen. From the laid back Latin grooves of the Gotan Project/Chet Baker collaboration, ‘Round About Midnight’, to the broken beat and synth keyboards of Earl Zinger’s ‘Who Killed Saturday Night?’ As always, with a compilation like this, the big names are well represented. The stately elegance of Alice Russell’s ‘To Know This’ sits comfortably alongside the equally talented Jamie Lidell and his soulful contribution ‘What Is It This Time?’ Jazzanova and Clara Hill bring some of their trademark broken beats with ‘No Use’, while Mo’Horizons deliver a Spanish version of the Ray Charles classic ‘Hit the Road Jack’, taken from disc 4 of the anthology which is made up entirely of covers of jazz classics.

The lesser known artists (to me at least) are also excellent. The delightfully named Beat Assailant contribute the slow burning ‘Hard Twelve’, with its delicious bassline and impeccable sax. DJ Cam’s ‘Summer in Paris’ is from the more electronic end of the nu jazz spectrum, and despite its simple lyrics it doesn’t fail to satisfy. Grand Tourism and Terry Callier are similarly impressive with their track ‘Les Courants d’Air’. As well as the artists already mentioned, the full anthology includes artists such as Herbie Hancock, The Cinematic Orchestra, Mr Scruff, Matthew Herbert, Quantic, Skalpel and the Truby Trio.

This is an excellent collection which includes a broad selection of jazz and jazzy beats from a variety of countries, and it would make a worthwhile addition to any record collection.