21st Century Lambeth Blues

Rooted in dance and eventually becoming its very own artistic movement, the history of tango is an epic one; and its future truly looks limitless. A musical genre with hybrid origins, it remains one of the most incredible creations to come out of Río de la Plata. “It’s the only thing we don’t ask Europe for its opinion on,” wrote Argentina’s Macedonio Fernández, the man that young Jorge Luis Borges admired “to the point of devout and passionate plagiarism.” A number of coincidences in the late 19th century gave rise to this style of music. As musicologist Carlos Vega said: "no one really tried to create tango." And yet, here it is; complete with its own traditions and innovations, as well as its own golden age, ill-fated artists, myths and rituals.

Hard bop, hip hop, free jazz, groove, electro, calypso, experimental or Caribbean: the key players of the new British jazz scene are open to everything. They know their classics like the back of their hands though they certainly don’t hold back from exploring all kinds of genres, making for a wonderfully eclectic sound. Here we look back over ten essential albums.

A founding father of soul, whose career spanned half a century, Ray Charles cannot be reduced to a handful of famous hits. He is above all the master of the high-end musical crossover that makes an art of mixing genres, approaching one to better embrace the other. Ray Charles secularised gospel, enriched the blues, played jazz, sang country and approached rock'n'roll. Let's take a look back at his unique style based on the five listed here.