Entrepreneur, legendary producer and leading industry visionary Swizz Beatz teams up with premium vinyl brand 12on12 for the release of album Long Live Jazz.
Following acclaimed collaborations with Travis Scott x Saint Laurent and RUN DMC, Swizz Beatz is not only the latest curator to work with 12on12, but he also comes on board as their new business partner. Acquiring a strategic stake in the high-end luxury vinyl brand, Swizz continues to build on 12on12’s reputation for unique Vinylworks and bespoke limited collector’s editions by compiling his own exclusive 12″ vinyl compilation featuring artwork from his own private collection (The Dean Collection) shot by revered photographer Kwame Brathwaite as the unique work of art for the record.
Swizz Beatz’s 12on12 is a limited edition premium package that is hand-numbered to a run of 1000 copies featuring a meticulously selected track list which shares Swizz’s love and passion for jazz across its four sides.
A modern day renaissance man, Swizz Beatz is keen to showcase Jazz to new generations and audiences while capturing the new vibrancy of the Jazz scene; demonstrated by his selection of a reworking of The Weeknd’s hit “Call Out My Name” by today’s leading jazz musicians the New Masters and featuring one of the most vital voices in 21st century Jazz: Immanuel Wilkins.
Swizz’s selections are all intentional taking the listener on a journey from iconic recordings of jazz standards including Miles Davies “Round Midnight” and Kenny Dorham’s “Alone Together” through to contemporary jazz from present day greats such as “Doubts” by Ibrahim Maalouf, where you can hear the unmistakable influence of Miles Davis alongside Maalouf’s Arabic sounds.
The piece of art selected by Swizz Beatz for the cover image “Untitled (Grandassas in Car)” was shot in 1968 during a Garvey Day Celebration in New York by Kwame Brathwaite. Brathwaite has a long history with jazz, having started his career as a co-founder of the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) before going on to photograph superstars like Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley, as well as jazz greats like Miles Davies and John Coltrane.
Swizz Beatz says, “Jazz has always been magic to our ears. I feel like it should definitely get more attention! This is the first step to pay homage to the great craft & art. Photography is also one of the best expressions of art and should be shown more often. Art & Music are brothers and sisters so I thought it was a great match. Im a big fan of Kwame and I also love that I’m able to share pieces from my collection through music!”
