Adrian Younge / Ali Muhammad Shaheed - Jazz Is Dead 011

In the music industry, time moves ten times faster. There is no pause given to greatness, and legends can vanish amidst the churn of the hit parade. It is no minor miracle, then, that in the face of a deadly pandemic and faltering supply chain, Jazz Is Dead has returned with another offering of top-shelf recordings, paying tribute to past legends and new school torchbearers alike. Whether you've known the names of Jazz Is Dead Series 2's featured guests, or are just meeting them for the first time, prepare to be blown away. For Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, collaborating with music icons and personal heroes is a dream come true. As Younge notes, "A lot of the luminaries have been forgotten, and we want to get people excited again. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than that." However, completing such a monumental task while facing the ongoing unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic meant taking careful steps to ensure each artist's safety and contending with obstacles brought by a global supply chain slowdown, all while keeping the initial vision for the label and production house intact. "Due to the pandemic, we weren't able to have live events", says Muhammad. "We launched the label during the pandemic, unsure how we would be able to promote the music when the world was in chaos and turmoil, and suffering such loss. We weren't even sure if the music mattered. But what we discovered was these albums helped ease some of the adversities and difficulties. There's no greater prize than your music having a positive impact on a person." With Jazz Is Dead Series 2, Younge and Muhammad have once again, together with a roster of world-renowned legends, crate digger patron saints, and an exciting vanguard of young talent.