The Listening Guide
🎶 The listening guide: five albums, released during the past twelve months, chosen around a weekly theme 🎶
This week, we explore five jazz albums with a socio-political tone, informed by activism, uprisings, historic social-political events, and notable historic figures. Amongst these five albums are works inspired by the lives, writings, and experiences of AmÃlcar Cabral, José MartÃ, Maya Angelou, Mimar Sinan, and the brave anti-apartheid activists of mid-to-late-seventies South Africa. In addition to the bandleaders and core ensemble members, featured musicians include Dave Liebman on ‘The Rise Up’, vocalists Camila Meza and Sofia Rei on ‘José Martà en Nueva York’, and Ariel Zamonsky, Gontse Makhene, Malcolm Jiyane, and Nonku Phiri on Spaza’s ‘UPRIZE!’ soundtrack. Support each fantastic project on Bandcamp!
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol & Whatsnext? – The Rise Up: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration
https://dunya.bandcamp.com/.../the-rise-up-stories-of...
Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band – Still I Rise
https://derrickgardner.bandcamp.com/album/still-i-rise-2 http://stillirisealbum.com/
Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band – José Martà en Nueva York
https://manuelvaleranewcubanexpressbigband.bandcamp.com/...
Spaza – UPRIZE! (Music from the Original Motion Picture)
https://spaza.bandcamp.com/.../uprize-music-from-the...
Sara Serpa – Recognition
Album of the Week
Our NQ Jazz Album of the Week features the inimitable voice of Dwight Trible, and a heady blend of healing poetry, spiritual jazz, and a percussive bed created with instruments of African, Mesoamerican and indigenous North American origin. The album is Pathways & Passages, the debut album from LA-based outfit Cosmic Vibrations, led by the acclaimed vocalist and featuring John B Williams on acoustic bass, Derf Reklaw on percussion and flute, Pablo Calogero on woodwinds, Christopher Garcia on indigenous percussion, Breeze Smith on drums, percussion, and loops, plus special guests Scott Fraser on lap steel and Tony Green on upright bass and cello. It’s an amazing record – check it out on Bandcamp!
Classic Album
Released half a century ago, Dorothy Ashby’s ninth album as a leader hears the multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist using the Japanese koto — in addition to her primary instrument, the harp — to expand her sonic palette. With lush orchestration, spiritual themes, and expansive lead playing from Ashby, it’s an outstanding fusion record that stands out amongst her distinguished catalogue of work. Writing for Jazz Arts Charlotte, jazz historian and radio broadcaster Curtis Davenport suggested that the album ‘has become appreciated as an iconoclastic marriage of soul, world music and free jazz.’