Executive & Artistic Director

Thor Steingraber

________

________

The Soraya & ArtDontSleep

Present

Jazz Is Dead

Adrian Younge

Something About April

Thu Apr 17 | 8pm

Run Time: about 2 hours and 15 minutes including a 20-minute intermission

________

Program | Program Note

An Interview With Adrian Younge

Musicians & Performers

CSUN Student Instrumentalists

Jazz Is Dead Staff

Adrian Younge

Jazz Is Dead

________

About The Soraya

Our Supporters | The Soraya Team

Adrian Younge

Adrian Younge is a rare force in the music world, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and Emmy Award-winning composer whose artistry transcends boundaries and defies the digital tide. A modern-day polymath, Younge’s profound connection to sound finds its home at Linear Labs, a full analog studio nestled in Los Angeles. This sanctuary is not just a recording space but a living testament to his commitment to preserving the humanity of analog in a digital age.

Younge’s music has left an indelible mark on the hip-hop landscape. His seminal album, Something About April, became a treasure trove for artists like Jay-Z, whose sampling of Younge’s work helped solidify his role as a transformative voice in contemporary music. Yet, Younge’s impact isn’t confined to the studio; it thrives on the stage through Jazz Is Dead, a revolutionary multimedia platform he co-founded with Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Together, they’ve reimagined the essence of collaboration, producing albums with legends such as Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Tony Allen, and Brazilian icons João Donato, Hyldon, Marcos Valle, and Azymuth. Younge’s latest release, Linear Labs: São Paulo, illuminates the profound influence of Brazilian music on his work, paving the way for his awaited conclusion to the Something About April trilogy (Something About April III), composed entirely in Portuguese.

From his debut as the editor and composer for the cult hit Black Dynamite, a blaxploitation masterpiece lauded by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the year’s best soundtracks,” Younge has continually expanded his creative reach. His Emmy Award-winning scoring work alongside Muhammad, encompassing hit shows such as Marvel’s “Luke Cage” (Netflix), “Sugar” (AppleTV+), “Reasonable Doubt” (Hulu), “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” (Starz), and “Cross” (Prime Video), reveals a master composer who seamlessly bridges the worlds of soul, funk, and cinematic jazz.

Younge’s journey is also defined by his bespoke approach to every facet of creation. At Linear Labs, he not only composes, orchestrates, and conducts but also delves into visual storytelling, capturing the essence of his projects through analog photography and film. Armed with a full range of analog photography cameras that go from Polaroids to large format, Younge develops and prints his work in his own Linear Labs darkroom, rendering vivid color and striking black-and-white imagery to his musical world. His artistry also extends to hand cutting his own records on a customized RCA Type 73-B vinyl lathe from the ’40s, ensuring every detail aligns with his analog vision — a rare discipline in today’s music landscape.

Younge is not merely a musician but a preservationist of analog humanity. In an era defined by convenience and speed, he stands as a visionary unafraid to swim against the current, crafting a legacy that echoes the soul of a bygone era while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in contemporary music. At the helm of Linear Labs and Jazz Is Dead, Younge continues to chart an unparalleled artistic course, redefining what it means to create with a human touch, depth, and authenticity.

________

Jazz Is Dead

Founded in 2017 by Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), Andrew Lojero, and Adam Block, Jazz Is Dead began as a bold statement — plastered on walls, whispered in headphones, echoed through venues. Not a farewell, but a rallying cry. A tribute to the past and a charge toward the future. A reminder that the spirit of jazz — the innovation, the rebellion, the soul — has never stopped evolving.

We are crate diggers and culture keepers. We travel the world in search of rare records and the artists who created them. We sit with the legends who shaped entire eras and bring them into the present — not to re-create the past, but to build something new with it. We do this through live concerts, analog recordings, visual media, and the growing community that surrounds it all.

Our collaborations with visionaries, such as Roy Ayers, Marcos Valle, Gary Bartz, Azymuth, and Jean Carne, laid the foundation. And the journey continues. Recent releases from Ebo Taylor, Hyldon, and Dom Salvador show that greatness doesn’t fade. It deepens, expands, reinvents itself.

At the heart of it all is a belief: Perfect Is Boring.

Jazz Is Dead is a rebellion against the sterile and the overproduced. We believe greatness lies in the tension between chaos and control, between what is planned and what simply happens. What moves us most is found in the unpolished moments — in the grain of tape, the crackle of vinyl, the chemistry that can’t be programmed. We embrace analog because it captures something real. Human. Messy. Alive. This ethos extends beyond music. Everything we create — from records to garments to films — is meant to be lived in. To wear the marks of time. To evolve with you. We’re not just curating culture; we’re contributing to it. One imperfect, extraordinary piece at a time.

Jazz Is Dead is not a brand. It’s a movement. A way of seeing, hearing, and being. A call to those who find beauty in the raw and the real. It’s for the listeners, the makers, the feelers, and the dreamers.

This is Jazz Is Dead. A look back. A leap forward. A celebration of imperfection. Join us.