Wolf Richards is Between Big Band Swing, Hip-Hop Philosophy and Fretboard Fluidity in ‘Blue Note Bap’ –

Munich-born, Brazil-based aural eclecticist Wolf Richards moves across genres and fusionist explorations as fluidly as he does across a fretboard. In his latest seminal release, Blue Note Bap, the independent artist sinks the swank of big band swing into tendrils of jazz-infused hip-hop, creating a release that carries genuine reverence for jazz rather than treating the genre’s soul as decorative seasoning.

The free-form rhythmic complexity runs organically through his veins and guitar work in Blue Note Bap, so much so that it is easy to let your mind drift from the bars that Wolf Richards prowls through with unparalleled sermonic style. Yet the bars deserve your full attention, offering reflections of the MO he moves through life with; he is not trying to appear untouchable, he is waxing lyrical epiphanies that take root as Richards advocates staying humble in a world trying to prise you away from meaning and into the exhausting cost of facades of superiority.

Having studied at GIT in Los Angeles and written across pop, rock, RnB, hip-hop, jazz, fusion and bossa nova, Richards brings a rare breadth to the track without turning it into a flex. Blue Note Bap feels spiritually switched on, a jazz-rap release for anyone who prefers musical intelligence with its collar open.

Blue Note Bap is now available to stream on all major platforms. We recommend watching the equally swanky music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast