VA - JazzyFolk (PURIST) (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)
JAZZYFOLK
VA - JazzyFolk (PURIST) (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)
"Every collector has one. That shelf. Not the one holding the obvious classics, but the records you instinctively pull out when someone says, “Play me something I've never heard before.”
For me, those records have always lived somewhere between folk, jazz and rock. Not simply folk‑rock. Not simply jazz‑rock. Something more elusive.
Over time I realised these albums shared an atmosphere rather than a genre. Acoustic guitars breathed like small jazz ensembles. Saxophones drifted through songs without turning them into jazz records. Harmonies borrowed from jazz while melodies stayed rooted in folk. The performances were intimate, understated and endlessly replayable, music built on atmosphere rather than labels.
It’s a sound defined by balance: too acoustic to be jazz‑rock, too harmonically rich to be folk‑rock, and too exploratory to be singer‑songwriter pop. A twilight zone where all three traditions meet without overpowering one another.
Record shops never knew where to file this music. It was scattered across singer‑songwriter bins, progressive folk shelves, soft rock sections or jazz fusion corners. Artists as different as Pentangle, Mark‑Almond, John Martyn, Michael Chapman, Judee Sill and Roger Rodier rarely appeared together, despite speaking a similar musical language.
This compilation brings those conversations into one place.
It wasn’t built around famous songs or greatest hits. Alongside celebrated names, many of the artists here remain cult figures whose finest work slipped past the mainstream and later found new life among collectors and adventurous listeners.
One rule guided every decision: purity.
The music had to sit naturally at the intersection of jazz, folk and rock. If a track leaned too heavily toward conventional folk, it didn’t survive. If it drifted into straightforward jazz‑rock or singer‑songwriter pop, it quietly left the running. Every inclusion needed all three traditions present in some meaningful way.
The result is a journey rather than a history lesson.
Across four CDs the sound awakens in intimate acoustic settings, blooms into rich harmonic sophistication, wanders into increasingly adventurous territory, and finally settles into an almost cinematic dusk. By the closing moments, it feels less like listening to four discs and more like watching daylight disappear across a quiet landscape.
You’ll encounter celebrated names, forgotten masterpieces and records that deserve far wider recognition. Some are cherished collector’s items, others remain surprisingly affordable. All reward repeated listening, revealing new harmonic turns, lyrical subtleties and instrumental details long after the first play.
Creating compilations for me, has always been about more than assembling favourite tracks. It’s about building imaginary archive editions, the kind of lovingly curated box sets many of us wish existed. Sets with coherent narratives, thoughtful sequencing, beautiful artwork and the confidence to place obscure gems beside acknowledged classics without apology.
JazzyFolk (PURIST) may never appear in a record shop, but I hope it captures the spirit of those legendary archival releases. More importantly, I hope it encourages listeners to seek out an unfamiliar album, discover an overlooked artist and spend an evening in one of the most beautiful, sophisticated and quietly rewarding corners of modern music.
Sometimes the finest journeys begin not with the records everyone knows, but with the ones patiently waiting to be heard. (Butterboy)
check the title link for track listing and download