KIEFER

One of LA’s best kept musical secrets, Kiefer has been described as a musician who doesn’t play keys with his fingers, but with his soul, which just about sums up in as simple terms as possible the artistry of this truly gifted individual who has re-defined that happy place between jazz improvisation and hip-hop beat-making. His distinctive musical style, which he calls ‘Over The Breaks,’ reaches new heights of creativity on Memory Bomb, his solo debut for Blue Note Records.

Raised in San Diego, Kiefer Shackelford’s upbringing consisted of parents who were both aerospace engineers and keen pianists who both influenced him in their own way. His mother taught him at a very young age how to read music and play piano including simple Bach minuets. His father was a big lover of jazz, and Blue Note in particular, whose records included the hard bop of Sonny Clark and the soul jazz of Gene Harris. Kiefer would endlessly listen to Kind Of Blue, and after reading Miles Davis’s biography at 13, he knew he wanted to become a jazz musician. All during high school he studied jazz piano with a local teacher and went on to attend UCLA where Blue Note legend guitarist Kenny Burrell, who was head of the jazz program, became one of his tutors all through his college career.

After college Kiefer got signed to Stones Throw Records where he began to establish his musical identity and gain notice with a series of releases including Happysad, Between Days, and It’s Ok, B U. His musical resume now includes collabs with Dr. Dre, De La Soul, Pete Rock, Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada, Terrace Martin, and many others.

Back in 2021 he’d heard that the legendary Don Was, President of Blue Note Records, was taking an interest his work and when time came to look for new partnerships to help him communicate his art to an appreciative audience and he realized that Blue Note would be a great place to do just that. He regards being signed to Blue Note as an “awesome gift” and a huge honor as well as a sentimental full circle moment after having grown up listening to Blue Note. The new collective project FATHERS—with Kiefer, bassist CARRTOONS, drummer Nate Smith, and producer Kenneth Blume—was the first full-length album on the label to feature the keyboardist.

Kiefer is a great believer in embracing new influences and new styles by way of collaboration with others and that’s where the journey to his first Blue Note leader album starts. His first priority was to get his two best friends—CARRTOONS and Shibo—to co-produce the album with him as they completely understood his sound, his harmony and were both extremely adept at drum programming. This mindset of innovation through collaboration extended to the inclusion of a whole host of vocalists, rappers and stellar musicians to produce interesting combinations leading to something new and exciting that still sounded like a Kiefer thing.

The album title ‘Memory Bomb’ is the poetic way of saying ‘A Dream.’ For Kiefer, there are three types, the sort you experience when you sleep, the wishful longing type, and the ambitious type – and those themes populate the direction of some, if not all, of the songs on this album. There’s a real lyrical feel to Memory Bomb as it tells a story, and thanks to its improvisational moments, one that changes every time you listen to it. It’s wistful, poetic, and groove driven all connected by that central feeling of being in a dreamscape of Kiefer’s making.

He describes the creative process for this LP as being driven by the need to find a creative space between jazz and hip-hop and the starting point involved the inclusion of acclaimed drummer Nate Smith, who lays it down on the smacking “Overture.” Kiefer says Smith “can play hip-hop, sound like he’s playing for Steely Dan, or for Betty Carter, or odd meters for Dave Holland, funk for Vulfpeck – he can do all these things and sound signature in all of them.”

He expresses the same level of admiration for the other contributors across the album: rappers Tony Stone and Erick the Architect who trade verses on “NewLevels NewDevils”; hip-hop trio Planet Giza who light up the groove-laden “BusyForYa”; saxophonist Walter Smith III and guitarist Flanafi who create the evocative textures of the wistful title track “Memory Bomb.” The album also features contributions from the likes of Cisco Swank, Luke Titus, Relyae, Rae Khalil, Moonchild’s Amber Navran, Phil Beaudreau, Gareth Donkin, and Omari Jazz.

Kiefer describes most of the people on the LP as his LA ‘hangouts,’ some old, some new, but he makes special mention of Shibo, a beat maker he met at UCLA who introduced Kiefer to the world of Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Low End Theory, and others which had a profound influence on his creative path. Over the past several years the constellation of talents heard across Memory Bomb have thrived in that space that Kiefer describes as ‘Over The Breaks,’ a term derived from a J Dilla track which for Kiefer means any artist who continues to push those boundaries.

GENA

There is a kinetic energy that binds drummer and producer Karriem Riggins and singer-songwriter, rapper, and producer Liv.e—the spark that happens when instinct meets flow and spirit finds rhythm. Their collaborative debut as GENA (short for “God Energy, Naturally Amazing,” and loosely inspired by Gina from Martin), The Pleasure Is Yours (out 2/27/2026 via Lex Records), feels like a playful, soulful conversation between two kindred improvisers: Liv.e’s smoky, unpolished vocals glide through Riggins’ warm, percussive universe. Rooted in jazz, soul, and hip-hop as living language, the Dallas-born Liv.e brings a raw, experimental approach to R&B, while Detroit native Riggins—known for his work with Common, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Madlib, and a close kinship with the late J Dilla—extends his lifelong dialogue between jazz improvisation and beat science. Together they create a world that’s analog and ethereal, percussive and poetic, bridging eras without ever settling in one; The Pleasure Is Yours is the sound of Liv.e and Riggins bringing each other’s music to life and finding a new language together—one rooted in rhythm, vulnerability, and exuberance.

CARRTOONS

Renowned New York multi-instrumentalist Ben Carr, better known as CARRTOONS, has become one of today’s most sought-after producers through his eye-catching social media videos, flawless live performances, and the quickfire success of his albums, “Saturday Morning” and “Homegrown”.

The unique bass lines and highly identifiable sound of CARRTOONS have quickly led to 4 NPR Tiny Desk appearances and co-signs from DJ Jazzy Jeff and Pete Rock. Carr has collaborated with pivotal names across genres, from Usher to Freddie Gibbs, Roy Ayers, Nate Smith, Kiefer, George Clinton, Jadakiss, and beyond, all while never sacrificing the retro-inspired sound that has driven his career to where it stands today.

CARRTOONS’ latest project, “Space Cadet”, stands as a collaborative triumph, featuring Pale Jay, Rae Khalil, Wiki, Erick the Architect, Phonte, and many more. This latest effort has earned high praise from musicians, critics, and fans alike, and will be followed by international tour dates in 2026.