Dom Salvador, Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad "Dom Salvador JID024" LP

A Journey Back to the Roots of Samba Funk
Jazz Is Dead continues its journey of honoring musical legends with Dom Salvador JID024, an album that revisits and revitalizes the pioneering spirit of one of Brazil’s most influential musicians. Dom Salvador, the trailblazer who fused samba with jazz, funk, and soul in the late ’60s and early ’70s, is the cornerstone of a movement that shaped the sound of Black Brazilian music. Now, in collaboration with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, he returns to that foundation in a wholly new way.

A Living Legend Returns to His Roots: Dom Salvador's influence on Brazilian music is immeasurable. As the architect behind the groundbreaking album Som, Sangue e Raça (1971) and the leader of the pioneering group Abolição, he carved out a space for Black consciousness in Brazil’s music scene, fusing American jazz and funk with Afro-Brazilian rhythms. His work set the stage for the emergence of bands like Black Rio, further bridging the sounds of Black Brazil with those of the Black American experience.

With JID024, Younge and Muhammad crafted a collection of compositions that continue the sonic and cultural conversations Dom Salvador began decades ago. This project serves as both an homage and a dialogue—an extension of his pioneering sound, channeled through the lens of modern analog production.

Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: Adrian Younge describes the album as a conscious effort to reconnect with the spirit of Salvador’s seminal works. “We wanted to go back to those records we loved so much,” Younge explains. “The ones that blended jazz, funk, and samba in a way that reflected the Black consciousness movement in Brazil.”
In many ways, JID024 is an invitation rather than a mere collaboration—an invitation extended to Salvador to join in on a project inspired by his legacy. “We wrote this album in the hopes that he’d want to record it with us,” Younge admits. “And he said yes. That’s part of what makes this so magical. Someone of his age and stature choosing to be a part of this speaks volumes.”

Bridging the Sounds of Black Brazil and Black America: One of the key themes running through JID024 is the historical and musical connection between Black Brazil and Black America. Younge emphasizes how Salvador’s early work helped inform this transcontinental dialogue. “Dom Salvador was one of the first to start mixing samba with jazz and funk in a way that resonated with the post-civil rights movement in the U.S.,” he explains. “From the way musicians dressed to the way they played, there was this undeniable synergy.”