![]() Drawing upon the rhythms of Africa, as well as African tendencies in hip-hop and Detroit techno, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah continues to add new vitality to the world of jazz fusion with his latest album, “The Emancipation Procrastination“. Still, taking in account all the pros and cons, "Axiom" is probably the best Scott album I have ever heard.ĭuke Ellington’s musical allegory “A Drum is a Woman”, was a clever story that foretold jazz’s future as a musical style that would adapt to every culture on the globe, and even go to outer space, but no matter how far jazz may wander and change, its strength and substance comes from returning to the music of Africa. Exactly as during the concert I saw, songs here are quite long, being accessible and not too complex, the lengthiness can make the album simply sound a bit bulky as a result. There is a groove and a lot of African percussion, and in general this album is not much different from today's popular London based African fusion influenced sound. ![]() Comparing with some of Scott's last studio albums, music here is much more organic, and that's for good. Lawrence Field's retro keys sound great and add a lot of 70s spirit. Flutist Elena Pinderhughes is a night's star filling space with nice solos generally, not too knotty for the band's music. Exactly as during the gig I saw live, Scott speaks a lot, plays trumpet and manages his band well. He sounded quite similar to what is recorded on this newest album "Axiom", just here he sounds a bit better. The tune’s suppressed fury blossomed into sustained resilience and the encore, a New Orleans strut, added further healing balm.Five years ago I saw Christian Scott playing live on his European tour with almost the same band (vocalist Isadora Mendez Scott is not on board, sax player Braxton Cook instead of current Alex Han and percussionist Joe Dyson instead of Weedie Braimah). He dedicated the second set’s opener to Wayne Shorter – same method, different sound – eulogised his wife and, just before the finale, recalled a nasty encounter with his local police. The New Orleans-raised Scott is a charismatic performer who loves to chat. The performance ended with a rocking riff straight out of Cream, but its narrative arc soon shifted gear. Herbie Hancock’s pithily themed “The Eye of the Hurricane” came next, with a walking bass pulse and then an unsentimental ballad dedicated to Scott’s wife Isadora Mendez – she sang whispy soul vocals in the second set. And Stephens was equally astute, worrying at form and building short phrases to a peak of distorted power. ![]() On this solo, the mournful beginning ended pacily with a resilient sequence of high-note trills. His phrases reach deep into the complex harmonies that are his support and gather tension step by step. He whispers on ballads, but at full force he’s rounded and bright. Scott entered with a fanfare cue, the pace eased back and his first bleak notes seemed shrouded in black. Stephens joined in with three simple strums, thickened each chord and let the rhythm ride, anchored firmly by Kris Funn’s punchy double bass. A short, sharp count brought in a riff from the bass and a seethe of Corey Fonville’s drums set the pace. This two-set gig, part of the EFG London Jazz Festival, came at the end of a string of one-nighters and the band was fired-up from the start. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |