We’re very excited to announce a brand new signing to Wah Wah 45s – the forward thinking, melodic jazz meets electronic wizardry of Time Grove.

Guided by acclaimed pianist Nitai Hershkovits alongside one third of Buttering Trio, and newly signed Stones Throw recording artist, Rejoicer, this ensemble of musicians have produced a sound which is both delicate yet powerful; sonorous yet uplifting. The full line-up also features reed player Eyal Talmudi, drummers Roy Chen, Amir Bresler and Sol Monk, keyboard master Bemet, trumpeter Sefi Zisling, and guitarist Yonatan Albalak who have together created some of the most exciting instrumental music we’ve heard for quite a while.

Collaborative Album Series

The project first came to life as a series of releases on the Time Grove Selections imprint, a sub-label of Tel Aviv’s deeply loved, home of alternative-soul Raw Tapes. What began in 2014 when drummer Sol Monk collaborated with Rejoicer on the Beats Not Words album, went on to birth four more “Time Grove” albums. Each one a meeting of a leading jazz musician and the tirelessly creative Stones Throw producer.

The bonding of freestyle jazz with electronic sound and groove was the basis for a new, unique creation. So when Rejoicer approached Wah Wah 45s in mid 2017 with the idea of an ensemble project, bringing all of the artists from the series together for a collaborative album, we jumped at the opportunity. 

Jazz Meets Innovative Electronic Production

We could bang on about it for hours, but lets let the two main men explain it for themselves:

‘Writing and compiling together the melodies, lines and harmonies for this album had a pure, natural symbiotic progress. We couldn’t ask for a better variety of people to play with. Being influenced by each other, yet coming from a very different musical background, we managed to find a strong mutual idea of a new sound, in only three days in the studio. This music is a pure reflection of all of us at once. It felt effortless to sit around a piano together and unfolding the next tune, spearheaded with drums and horns to set the exact right scenery we were looking for.’

To get you more familiar with these incredible musicians and the genesis of this project, we have compiled an album featuring some of our favourite pieces from the first five, solo albums.

Time Grove Roots will drop on Wah Wah 45s on Friday 20th July, but you can pre-order it now and instantly receive Nitai Hershkovits’s beautful track, Robin, as a taster. As a little exclusive we’ve also made the opening track by BEMET available for you to hear below.

A Time Grove 7-inch single and the album itself will be unleashed in the autumn, but until then get pre-ordering your copy of Time Grove Roots to get yourselves in the mood for some of this year’s most spine tingling underground music. And if that works for you, let us also recommend you diving deeper into the original five albums over here.