Here's Five: Tom Scott Shares Records That Inspired Avantdale Bowling Club

Tom Scott's latest project Avantdale Bowling Club are unveiling their hugely anticipated self-titled debut album this Friday [update: it's out now], after enthralling listeners with unquestionably one of the most significant local singles of 2018 'Years Gone By'. A jazz-tinged widescreen rumination on the rapper's formative years growing up in Auckland suburb Avondale, the song showcases the talents of Julien Dyne, Guy Harrison, Tom Dennison, Mara TK, Ben McNicoll and JY Jong-Yun Lee, and was accompanied by a cinematic video set amongst the ruins of the once-opulent St. James Theatre. The epic lineup of local artists contributing their skills to the record also includes Christoph El Truento, Haz Beats, Teeks, Finn Scholes, Cory Champion, Isaac Aesili, John Bell and Jeremy Toy.

Never one to think small, Tom Scott is also presenting a three day exhibition opening this Friday in tandem with the album launch, featuring images that inspired and were inspired by the new collection. The show features photographers Luca Macioce and Tak Soropa, works interpreting each track by painter / illustrator JacobYikes, DJ sets and limited edition A.B.C. merchandise at Central Auckland's CorpStudio. Scott generously shared a selection of records that inspired Avantdale Bowling Club and provided insightful commentary to accompany each highlighted track, along with a special playlist of more tunes that fuelled the creative fire. Read his words and dive in below...

Hi. Just wanna make it clear that I'm not claiming to be some kind of jazz aficionado or anything. I haven't lived enough life to be an expert on anything. These are just some albums I like that might have shaped the one I made. Love. Tom.

1. Gil Scott-Heron - Spirits

People gonna hate me for this. This isn't his most critically acclaimed album but it means something more to me than that. If you want Gil's best album check pieces of a man. It's a masterpiece. Anyway, the first time I heard Gil was in my dad's car. He has this album on cassette and it lived in there for months. I was an arrogant nine year old who thought Snoop Dogg was everything but I still remember listening on the low interested. This is Gil battling his addiction, coming to grips with some of the people he's hurt through it, accepting his place in the new world. To me, this is an underrated moment in his catalogue. One New Years me and this girl spent the whole night in our hotel room with the lights off tripping to this. Everyone was next door fried playing Chief Keif or some shit. They thought we were weirdos.

2. Last Of The Electro Jazz Ensemble

This album's hard. It's a Madlib album and don't quote me on this, I might have made this up but I'm pretty sure all the members of the band are fictional people that he's created. Like Ahmad Miller might just be a hybrid of Ahmad Jamal and Marcus Miller. Monk Hughes etc. I don't know. Maybe that's just yesterday's new quintet. But either way, Madlib is god. Gotta shout out the obvious choice of Shades Of Blue too cause yeah. High as well. Was listening to that a lot making this record. But yeah, this one interests me the most today.

3. Alice Coltrane feat. Pharoahe Sanders - Journey In Satchidananda

Would be wrong not to include this. This is the gateway drug to spiritual jazz. I went chasing the dragon after this album. Would be wrong not to include it I think. She made three albums around this time and they're all worth listening to. (Ptah, the El Daoud, Pharoahe Sanders is on that one too and Universal Consciousness). This is just the one that I heard first so it means more to me. Obvious choice but would be an insult not to mention this. This started it all for me. Pharoahe Sanders' Karma was the brother album to this for me too.

4. Various Artists - Koute Jazz

This isn't an album as such, it's just a compilation of creole jazz, from Guadeloupe and Martinique that I found one day. Just wanted to recommend it while I got this space cause it's just a really nice record to put on while you're cooking or whatever.

5. Alfa Mist - Antiphon

I really struggled to think of what to include as fifth. So many great artists I should mention, (John, Miles, Bird, Sun Ra, Max Roach, Gary Bartz etc etc etc) but I feel like I gotta include something modern. Hearing this album made me feel a little less alone making a jazz record. What's going on in London at the moment makes me excited about this type of music. Shit like Yussef Kamaal, Ezra Collective, Sons of Kemmit. All their albums are brilliant. Hard to pick a favourite but I picked this one. I wrote a track to the intro to this record that nobody will ever hear about my old record label called #4080.

And to be honest I still feel like I didn't do this justice, so here's a playlist of stuff I like.

Avantdale Bowling Club's self-titled debut album is out digitally this Friday 17th August, and on double vinyl in October.