Fathers
Fathers
Fathers is the self-titled debut album by Fathers, a jazz collective led by producer and multi-instrumentalist Kenny Beats, released on July 10, 2026 via Blue Note/Capitol. Issued initially as a single 12-inch LP in coloured and standard vinyl editions, the album is framed in retailer and label copy as part of a new wave of jazz projects that “seamlessly blend” traditional jazz language with contemporary textures, continuing the tradition of younger musicians exploding old notions of what jazz should sound like. As a collaborative ensemble rather than a solo feature record, Fathers places Kenny Beats in a bandleader/producer role, using his background in hip-hop and alternative production to shape a set that still foregrounds live instrumental interplay.
Musically, descriptions of the album emphasize an exploratory, groove-oriented approach: the record blends modern jazz harmony and improvisation with elements of hip-hop, R&B, and electronic production, while still keeping the organic feel of a live band at its core. Promotional blurbs highlight that the project is both steeped in the jazz tradition and unapologetically forward-looking, steering the music “in new directions” through daring rhythmic ideas, layered textures, and a producer’s ear for space and dynamics. Positioned by Blue Note and retailers as a debut statement for a new, Kenny Beats–helmed jazz outfit, Fathers functions as both an opening chapter for the collective and a contribution to the broader movement of genre-crossing, post-genre jazz being made by younger artists in the 2020s.
Fathers
Fathers
Fathers is the self-titled debut album by Fathers, a jazz collective led by producer and multi-instrumentalist Kenny Beats, released on July 10, 2026 via Blue Note/Capitol. Issued initially as a single 12-inch LP in coloured and standard vinyl editions, the album is framed in retailer and label copy as part of a new wave of jazz projects that “seamlessly blend” traditional jazz language with contemporary textures, continuing the tradition of younger musicians exploding old notions of what jazz should sound like. As a collaborative ensemble rather than a solo feature record, Fathers places Kenny Beats in a bandleader/producer role, using his background in hip-hop and alternative production to shape a set that still foregrounds live instrumental interplay.
Musically, descriptions of the album emphasize an exploratory, groove-oriented approach: the record blends modern jazz harmony and improvisation with elements of hip-hop, R&B, and electronic production, while still keeping the organic feel of a live band at its core. Promotional blurbs highlight that the project is both steeped in the jazz tradition and unapologetically forward-looking, steering the music “in new directions” through daring rhythmic ideas, layered textures, and a producer’s ear for space and dynamics. Positioned by Blue Note and retailers as a debut statement for a new, Kenny Beats–helmed jazz outfit, Fathers functions as both an opening chapter for the collective and a contribution to the broader movement of genre-crossing, post-genre jazz being made by younger artists in the 2020s.