Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few - The World Is On Fire

Label: Division 81 Records, 2024

Personnel - Isaiah Collier: saxophones, vocals, percussion; Julian Davis Reid: piano; Jeremiah Hunt: bass; Michael Ode: drums // Guests include Kentheny Redman: flute (#3,10), Corey Wilkes: trumpet; Ed Wilkerson Jr.: alto clarinet, and more.

Saxophonist and composer Isaiah Collier’s latest outing, The World is On Fire, is a passionate plea for change, using the power of his infectious music to address pressing global issues like racism, genocide, abuse of power, and injustice. Relying on the dazzling rhythm section of his flagship band, The Chosen Few, Collier continues his meteoric rise on the left side of the jazz spectrum with an album that urges everyone to stand up for what’s right.

The opening cut, “The Time is Now”, is an effusive modal piece energetically introduced by pianist Julian Davis Reid before bursting into a frenzied swing. Collier’s commanding tenor saxophone, evocative of jazz modalists like Billy Harper and McCoy Tyner, takes center stage with eloquence. Following Reid’s solo, it’s the drummer Michael Ode who hits with the force of a tornado. In “The Hate You Give is the Love You Lose”, the trio channels Pharoah Sanders’ spiritual energy, blending folk-like saxophone melodies with a brisk 3/4 rhythm that moves with raw intensity.

The title track, “The World is On Fire”, inspired by the Amazon wildfires, takes the form of a pure modal blues introduced by vigorous, blocky piano chords and crashing cymbals. An energetic riff spirals atop a manic, danceable rhythmic flux before some fierce exchanges between Collier and Reid. “Crash”, a reflection on economic collapse, pulses with frenetic energy, especially in a wild section where gusty saxophone squalls come upon a whirlwind of drums.

The quartet moves nimbly and confidently on “Ahmud Arbery”, a mournful mid-tempo 3/4 groover set on fire by visceral and urgent saxophone playing. Guest flutist Kentheny Redman joins for “Amerikkka the Ugly”, whose swinging posture and strong bluesy feel serve to express disillusion over the shameful attempt against American democracy on January 6th. Here, bassist Jeremiah Hunt delivers an emotional arco improvisation, infusing extra solemnity, while Collier takes flight on the soprano sax.

The quartet is expanded with revived positivity for the album’s closer, “We Don’t Even Know Where We’re Headed”, which, moved by a buoyant riff and lyrics by Kennedy Banks, incorporates layers of trumpet, bass clarinet, harp, cello, flutes, and multiple vocal harmonies. Collier’s clarity of vision and bold compositional approach shine throughout, making The World is On Fire a must-listen for fans of post-bop with vanguard jazz inclination.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Time is Now ► 05 - The Hate You Give is the Love You Lose ► 06 - Crash ► 09 - The World is on Fire

Frank London and The Elders - Spirit Stronger Than Blood

Label: ESP-Disk, 2024

Personnel - Frank London: trumpet; Marilyn Lerner: piano; Hilliard Greene: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums + Greg Wall: tenor saxophone (#1,2,3,4).

In addition to being the co-founder of The Klezmatics and the leader of Glass House Orchestra and Klezmer Brass Allstars, trumpeter and composer Frank London has worked with a wide range of artists in different musical contexts such as John Zorn, Lester Bowie, Pink Floyd, Iggy Pop, LL Cool J, and David Byrne. Recently diagnosed with myelofibrosis, an extremely rare blood cancer, London decided to release Spirit Stronger Than Blood as a celebration of life.

Encompassing six originals, the program kicks off with “Let There Be Peace”, an eternal prayer whose modal jazz appeal evokes the elated spirit and pure fire of Pharaoh Sanders. London pairs beautifully with saxophonist Greg Wall in the frontline, well supported by the rhythm section of pianist Marilyn Lerner, bassist Hilliard Greene, and Matthew Shipp Trio’s drummer Newman Taylor Baker.

The swinging modalism of “Resilience”, which London dedicates to the late trumpeter Lester Bowie, serves the burning saxophone outpours of Wall, who, very much in the foreground here, works on top of Lerner’s unceasing harmonies. The title track, “Spirit Stronger Than Blood”, is heartbreakingly introduced by piano and trumpet in a meditative rubato passage that soon gives way to a 3/4 rhythmic flux delicately underpinned by bass and drums. Imbued with an encouraging, positive energy, this number ends with emotive trumpet wails conveying both beauty and sorrow with dramatic flair.

“Poem for a Blue Voice” is soulful ballad sweetness with its rich theme expressed in unison, while the groovy “Abundant Love”, dedicated to London’s family - his artist wife Tine Kindermnann and their two children - carries a gorgeous Eastern-tinge throughout that certainly feels very liberating for the soloists. The album concludes with “Resistance/Healing”, another modal tour-de-force delivered at 3/4 tempo that brings Alice Coltrane’s spiritual excursions to mind. It’s dedicated to trumpeter Ron Miles.

This is a solid effort by London, who shows no signs of weakness in his music but rather an optimism and a magnetic energy that are laudable. Wishing him a quick recovery and a triumphant return to the jazz world in which he’s passionately immersed.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Let There Be Peace ► 02 - Resilience ► 03 - Spirit Stronger Than Blood

Nduduzo Makhathini - Unomkhubulwane

Label: Blue Note Records, 2024

Personnel - Nduduzo Makhathini: piano, voice; Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere: bass; Francisco Mela: drums.

Two years ago, South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini made a sensation with his masterpiece record In the Spirit of Ntu, which found him at a crossroads between South African folk music, modal jazz, and post-bop. Now, he returns in a trio format with uNomkhubulwane (meaning God’s only daughter and manifestation of God), extending his oeuvre of unique, ambitious African jazz with another homage to his native traditions and ancestors. 

With the assistance of American bassist of South African descent Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere and Cuban-born, New York-based drummer Francisco Mela, Makhathini delivers a three-movement suite with intimacy and magic. The first movement, Libations, intends to be a collective Black mourning motivated by ongoing oppression, peaking with “KwaKhangelamankengana”, a dynamic 5/8 groover limned with sharp phrasing and impetuous harmonic drive. This selection, showcasing his crispest piano work on the album, comes after “Omnyama”, a poetic 3/4 Afro-centric invocation featuring spoken word in Nguni (a primordial Indigenous language), and “Uxolo”, a smooth jazz affair with a touch of Ahmad Jamal.

The Water Spirits suite begins with “Izinkonjana”, channeling Abdullah Ibrahim through lighthearted South African folk and gospel sounds, but reaches a climax with “Amanxusa Asemkhathini”, where rhythmic juxtapositions and an enveloping modal jazz infused with tension keep listeners engaged. “Nyoni Le?” exudes mystery with the combination of Makhathini’s deep-sounding piano, Mela’s toms articulation, and le Pere’s arco bass murmuring.

The third suite, Inner Attainment, seeks freedom, hope, and grace, offering the best moments on the album. “Izibingelelo” starts as a beautiful meditation before going modal and ultimately landing on a poised mid-tempo post-bop exercise; “Umlayez’oPhuthumayo” feels loose and avant-garde in essence, embellished with fine melodicism by the end; and “Ithemba”, a light-emitting solo piano effort is stripped down to the placid traits of the pianist’s imagination.

Eschewing any form of bombast expression, abrupt shifting tempos, or mood complexities, Makhathini immerses the listener in expected reveries with a hypnotic touch, conveying freedom, balance, and humanity - elements so much needed in our days.

Favorite Tracks:
05 - Water Spirits: Amanxusa Asemkhathini ► 08 - Inner Attainment: Izibingelelo ► 09 - Inner Attainment: Umlayez’oPhuthumayo ► 11 - Inner Attainment: Ithemba

Oded Tzur - My Prophet

Label: ECM Records, 2024

Personnel - Oded Tzur: tenor saxophone; Nitai Hershkovits: piano; Petros Klampanis: acoustic bass; Cyrano Almeida: drums.

New York-based saxophonist and composer Oded Tzur showcases impressive evolution in My Prophet, his fifth album as a leader and third for ECM Records, featuring high-quality compositions that take the form of incantations. The quartet lineup signals one change, with the young Brazilian drummer Cyrano Almeida replacing the seasoned Johnathan Blake, while Nitai Herskovits and Petros Klampanis remain on piano and bass, respectively. 

Inspired by an all-powerful deity that reveals one's true self, the album consists of a myth-like suite of five movements, beginning with the short whisper of “Epilogue”. This leads into the hair-raising lyricism of “Child You”, where folk and post-bop currents blend seamlessly. This piece, harmoniously impressionistic in tone, showcases a conscious spiritual quality that is carried to Tzur’s gravitas-filled solo, becoming further exploratory during Hershkovits’ improvisation.

The group’s distinctive soulful sound continues in the delicate “Through a Land Unsown”, establishing a profound connection between melody and harmony. Klampanis’ bass work here is focused and dulcet, contrasting with Hershkovits’ pianism, which consistently pushes beyond what’s expected. Tzur’s saxophone radiates light in a gentle freedom dance filled with intelligent subtlety and positive vibes. While “Renata” is a clinically-sculpted waltz, “My Prophet” has the power to rarefy the air with Indian classical introspection, softly brushed to a hush until it takes the shape of a murmuring prayer.

With artistry and charismatic personality, Tzur draws in anyone seeking for a new sense of spirituality in jazz, which reaches uplifting and fervent tones in the closer, “Last Bike Ride in Paris”. Here, synergistic interplay and odd rhythmic placement make everything so exciting. As Tzur states: “there’s freedom within the form”, and that’s palpable. 

My Prophet is a magical record, a transfixing masterpiece of restraint enchantment and passionate eruptions that places Tzur at the crest of contemporary spiritual jazz. 

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Child You ► 03 - Through a Land Unsown ► 05 - My Prophet ► 06 - Last Bike Ride in Paris

Shabaka Hutchings - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace

Label: Impulse!, 2024

Personnel - Shabaka Hutchings: flute (#3-6,8,9,11), shakuhachi (#2,7), clarinet (#1,9,10), tenor sax (#9); Jason Moran: piano (#1,10); Nasheet Waits: drums (#1,10); Carlos Niño: percussion (#1,5,7,10); Brandee Younger: harp (#2,6,8); Charles Overton: harp (#2-4,6,8,10); Nduduzo Makhathini: piano (#5); Esperanza Splading: bass (#6,7); Rajna Swaminathan: mrudangam (#9); Dave Okumo: guitar (#7); Marcus Gilmore: drums (#9); Floating Points: Rhodes Chroma, vibraphone (#7); Andre 3000: Teotihuacan drone flute (#7); Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: strings (#2,8); Moses Sumney: vocals (#3); Saul Williams: vocals (#4); Lianne La Havas: vocals (#10); Elucid: vocals (#6); Laraaji: vocals (#7); Anum Iyapo: vocals (#11).

For his latest recording, London-based multi-reedist and composer Shabaka Hutchings invited a few guests to record at Rudy Van Gelder’s renowned studio. The resultant emotive dalliance of instrumentation we hear throughout Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace differs from anything Shabaka has done so far, serving as a reintroduction to the artist. For this kind of work, he opted to predominantly play flutes, including shakuhachi, quena, bamboo, and svirel.

Most tracks comprising this reflective album are given spacious treatments, and the opener, “End of Innocence”, is loosened up by Hutchings’ lucid clarinet playing, pianist Jason Moran’s cinematically noir chordal work, and understated percussion investment by Carlos Niño and Nasheet Waits. This same lineup, playing with gentle jazz colors, shape “Kiss me Before I Forget”, further illuminated by the voice of British singer-songwriter Lianne La Havas. 

The combination of flute and the heavenly harp sounds of Brandee Younger and Charles Overton adds an extra layer of feeling in pieces like “As the Planet and the Stars Collapse”, a tearful embrace delicately crafted with strings, “Insecurities”, featuring vocals by Moses Sumney, and the closer “Song of Motherland”, which provides a silky tapestry for the poetic impulses of Hutchings’ Barbados-born father, Anum Iyapo. 

The entrancing South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini contributes to the sheer contemplation of “The Wounded Need to be Replenished”, while “Body to Inhabit” and “I’ll Do whatever You Want”, both featuring bassist Esperanza Spalding, are more fleshed-out selections. The former also features New York City rapper Elucid, while the latter expands instrumentation with the presence of electronic music producer Floating Points, who plays Rhodes Chroma here, flutist Andre 3000, drummer Marcus Gilmore, guitarist Dave Okumu, and vocalist Laraaji. 

One of the strongest pieces on the album is “Breathing”, a duo effort between Hutchings - in command of a plethora of flute, clarinet, and saxophone overdubs - and mridangam player Rajna Swaminathan. The eclectic jazzy vibes are elevated by a searing saxophone solo that should leave no one indifferent. 

Liberated from any pressures or expectations of how his music should sound, Hutchings puts a charming spin and just enough sheen to blend strains of jazz, folk, world music, and other contemporary and ancient elements he chose to express himself. 

Favorite Tracks:
01 - End of Innocence ► 02 - As the Planet and the Stars Collapse ► 09 - Breathing

Kahil El'Zabar Quartet - A Time For Healing

Label: Spiritmuse Records, 2024

Personnel - Kahil El’Zabar: drums, earth drum, cajon, kalimba, voice; Isaiah Collier: tenor and soprano saxophone, percussion; Corey Wilkes: trumpet, spirit bowls, percussion; Justin Dillard: keyboards, percussion.

To confront the anxieties and challenges of our current times, drummer and spiritual jazz luminary Kahil El’Zabar delivers a double album consisting of nine tracks steeped in soothing harmonies and spring-loaded rhythms. El’Zabar’s credits span from avant-garde/free explorations with David Murray, Hamiet Bluiett, Billy Bang, and Pharoah Sanders to leadership roles in groups like the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Ritual Trio.

In this latest offering, the two horn players - trumpeter Corey Wilkes and saxophonist Isaiah Collier - are impressive presences throughout, while the versatile keyboardist Justin Dillard adds ample groove to the ensemble. The album kicks off with “A Time for Healing”, establishing its modus operandi with immutable circularity. Rattling percussion, spirit bowls, and kalimba support tranquilizing unisons and subsequent horn solos delivered with a mix of peaceful resolution and notable fervency. Tracks like “Drum Talk” evoke an African tribal chant, offering words of hope and guidance, while “Eddie Harris” pays homage to the late saxophonist with a groovy funk sound adorned with cool horn riffs. The funk vibe continues on “Time Is”, where El’Zabar’s eloquent cajon playing takes center stage.

While there's a hint of retro influence in this work, there's also a balanced focus on the present moment. Coltrane’s “Resolution” showcases Collier’s determined and exploratory saxophone work with outside inflection, Wilkes’ agitated phrasing carved with motivic elasticity, and Dillard’s keyboard boldness. “We’ll Get Through This” injects a strong R&B flavor into the healing sounds, while Gershwin’s “Summertime” receives a chilled-out, mantra-like treatment. Lastly,“The Coming of Spring”, a swinging jazz odyssey with a palpable structure, harkens back to Pharoah Sanders’ “You’ve Got to Have Freedom”, featuring solos from all members and a dynamic dialogue between trumpet and saxophone.

Picking up where he left off with Spirit Groove (Spiritmuse, 2020), El’Zabar weaves these well-intentioned healing sounds into iterative cycles. The spirited soloing and positive energy ease any possible monotony, accentuating the ensemble’s strengths.

Favorite Tracks:
05 - The Coming of Spring ► 06 - Resolution ► 08 - Time Is

Charles Lloyd - The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow

Label: Blue Note Records, 2024

Personnel - Charles Lloyd: saxophones, flutes; Jason Moran: piano; Larry Grenadier: double bass; Brian Blade: drums.

In The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, the unmistakable, soulful sound of saxophonist Charles Lloyd resonates through the exquisite tapestries crafted by his quartet mates: pianist Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier, and the newly joined, seasoned drummer Brian Blade. This double-disc release epitomizes a remarkable convergence of advanced musical minds.

“Defiant, Tender Warrior” opens the album in a relaxed, breathable 4/4 tempo, marveling at its vamping spiritual melody while Blade’s radiant percussive moves show to be a wonderful fit. Moran brings shuffling, harmonically vivid pianism into “Monk’s Dance”, Lloyd’s homage to the late Thelonious Monk, navigating a modern stride before launching an assertive solo over a swinging progression. Moments before, Lloyd had showcased his potential for fresh discoveries, employing his signature style phraseology pelted with sublime arpeggio coloration.

In the duo performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, a Black hymn dating back to 1900 by J.W. Johnson, Lloyd and Moran achieve ecstatic catharsis through their lyrical interplay and responsive dynamics. “Booker’s Garden”, dedicated to saxophonist Booker Little, features dulcet flute filigree, molding into a gentle spiritual dance. On “The Ghost of Lady Day”, the iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday is honored in a sweetly lazy affair played with a nocturnal rubato before veering into expressionist avant-garde territory. Strangely, it oozes emotional intensity and intriguing mystery.

Another rubato peregrination, “Sky Valley, Spirit of the Forest”, seems indifferent to form but meticulous in tone, traversing from vagueness to illumination. The title cut stands as a program highlight, with Lloyd’s tenor sax swooping and soaring - both in and out of focus - over Blade’s sharp reflexes. The entrance by Moran is out of this world, and the communication proceeds with as much distinction as logic. There’s also a gospelized piano passage and a fading vamping groove that leads to the ending.

“Cape Cairo”, an older tune retrieved from Lloyd’s cherished album All My Relations (ECM, 1995), emerges as another favorite, with the rhythm section conjuring hair-raising dreamlike tones as Lloyd's saxophone weaves an enchanting melody from start to finish. Charles Lloyd, a living jazz legend, showcases a sophisticated hybrid of post-bop, spiritual energy, and eclectic avant-garde jazz, producing another extraordinary album destined to be included on numerous ‘best of’ lists.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (CD1) - Defiant, Tender Warrior ► 03 (CD1) - Monk’s Dance ► 08 (CD1) - The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow ► 06 (CD2) - Cape Cairo

James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet - For Mahalia, With Love

Label: Tao Forms Records, 2023

Personnel - James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Kirk Knuffke: cornet; Chris Hoffmann: cello; William Parker: bass; Chad Taylor: drums.

The highly anticipated return of saxophonist James Brandon Lewis’ Red Lily Quintet is an affectionate dedication to Mahalia Jackson, the influential New Orleans-born gospel diva whose music shaped the way the saxophonist approached music as it was introduced to him by his grandmother. Thus, on this double disc, Lewis is not showcasing his tantalizing originals but rather presenting arrangements of popular gospel songs and African-American spirituals included in Mahalia’s repertoire. 

The exceptions to the rule are the pieces bookending the album. The opening number, “Sparrow”, is a leisurely medley of “His Eye is on the Sparrow”, a gospel hymn composed by Charles H. Gabriel, and Lewis’ “Even the Sparrow”, which was included on his recent album Eye of I (Anti-, 2023). In turn, the closing cut, “Precious Lord”, was the favorite song of Martin Luther King who often asked Mahalia to sing it at civil rights rallies to inspire crowds. Here, it easily slides into avant-garde jazz, embracing polyphony.

The quintet’s soulful explorations keep on track with “Swing Low”, where the gospelized sax sounds, at first questioning and answering in monologue, occasionally reach kinetic improvisational momentum. The rhythm section of cellist Chris Hoffmann, bassist William Parker and drummer Chad Taylor guarantees loose-limbed textures that are progressively infused with tension. Taking advantage of the sonic environment, Lewis and cornetist Kirk Knuffke maintain a close communication with flowing melodicism and an elastic sense of time. The gale-force saxophone blowing is the perfect foil for the advanced, forward-thinking cornet melodies, and that communion transpires on “Elijah Rock”, in which the band dares to dive into an open rock-tinged rhythm.

The spiritual “Go Down Moses” is made joyously swinging with an exhilarating bass groove underpinning the theme before ending in pronounced elation. Another widely known Black spiritual, “Deep River”, boasts a great groove, polyrhythmic feel, and a fluid dialogue of strings, with Hoffmann and Parker exchanging ideas with intention. They had created a fleshy droning effect on the previous track, “Calvary”, a plaintive dirge. Defying this mood, the riveting “Wade in the Water” creates just enough friction as it advances with polyrhythmic feel at a medium fast tempo.

The sometimes thoughtful, sometimes freewheeling instrumentation echoes the breadth and imagination of devotional jazz, but travels its landscapes with harmonies and melodies adapted to our times. Not transcending the greatness of Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms, 2021), For Mahalia, With Love is crafted with enough passion, unity and fascination to claim jazz spotlight. 

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Swing Low ► 05 - Calvary ► 06 - Deep River

Joe Lovano Trio Tapestry - Our Daily Bread

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone, tarogato, gongs; Marilyn Crispell: piano; Carmen Castaldi: drums, gong, temple bells.

Our Daily Bread is the third chapter in Trio Tapestry’s discography. Led by the extraordinary saxophonist Joe Lovano, who remains the sole composer for this spiritual musical endeavor, the trio is completed by the resourceful pianist Marilyn Crispell and the enigmatic drummer Carmen Castaldi. They give the best expression to eight new selections that advocate the same freedom and abandonment of those presented in former recordings.

“All Twelve” evolves in a 12-tone context with perspicuity in the interplay. I feel it as a dawning peace, whose rubato manner enhances the celestial latitude that defines Lovano’s originals. That said, you can still find piano and saxophone lines in tandem near completion. The following track, “Grace Notes” is an example of spiritual elevation and force in the style of Coltrane. There’s no bass in this project but Crispell provides a hypnotic low-pitched rumination with her left hand, ideal for Lovano’s blistering work out on tarogato. The instrument’s special tone and the improviser’s prayerful intonations make this magnificent modal burner the most expansive on the album. It ends as it started, with Castaldi offering gentle drumming.

“Le Petit Opportun” is a beautiful ballad delivered as a sax-piano duet. It is harmonically palpable and melodically compelling, just like the gracious title track, where intimate lyricism appears in every little touch by the threesome.

If the trio takes the title “The Power of Three”  literally by also providing triplets while exploring within a circumspect mood in tempo rubato, then “Crystal Ball” passes a pastoral air loosened up by free and airy drumming. There’s a solo saxophone tribute to the late bassist Charlie Haden, with whom Lovano played in the last phase of his Liberation Music Orchestra and in Paul Motian’s On Broadway standards project. 

Although not as strong as in their two previous outings, Trio Tapestry’s jazz spirituality is crafted with nice details.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Grace Notes ► 04 - Our Daily Bread ► 07 - Rhythm Spirit

Kahil El'Zabar Quartet - A Time For Healing

Label: Spiritmuse Records, 2022

Personnel - Kahil El’Zabar: drums, cajon, kalimba, voice; Isaiah Collier: saxophones, reeds, percussion; Corey Wilkes: trumpet, spirit bowls, percussion; Justin Dillard: keyboards, percussion. 

Active since the 1980s, the Chicago-born percussionist and composer Kahil El’Zabar spent many years honing his sound alongside seminal vanguardists like David Murray, Lester Bowie, Billy Bang and Hamiet Bluiett. Vouching to pass positive energies to a wounded world, A Time For Healing finds him in the command of a renewed quartet of Chicagoans that includes the up-and-coming reedman Isaiah Collier, trumpeter Corey Wilkes, and keyboardist Justin Dillard. By comparison with What It Is! (Delmark, 2013) - his previous quartet outing - only the latter musician remained in his post.

The nine tracks on this recording bring that spiritual side into which El’Zabar likes to immerse himself, but the vast majority of the pieces are excessively long, following a circularity that, after a while, becomes a bit prosaic regardless of the solos at the top. The driving rhythmic tapestry within the soulful title track is brought by kalimba and percussion, with Collier extracting sinuous Eastern lines from his saxophone before embarking on soothing unisons with Wilkes.

Defined as an invocation of inner strength to escape global consumption, “Drum Talk (Run’n in the Streets)” displays layers of drums in support of El’Zabar’s encouraging words - “if we use our heads we won’t die in the land of the dead. We’re coming out of the dark side”. Strong African roots are spotted on “Urban Shaman”, which builds its way with a series of juxtaposed ostinatos that are later joined by horn chants and supplications.

“Time Is” and “Eddie Harris” have funk cementing their foundations. The latter, which celebrates the soul-jazz icon in the title, replicates his vibrant energy with a throttling groove and a saxophone solo that is not shy from exploring outside the boundaries.

The breezily groovy “The Coming of Spring” relies on a confident walking bass to make the soloists comfortable, while Coltrane’s “Resolution” is a highlight due to the energy produced by the foursome. The album finishes with another cover - a relaxed, low-key reading of Gershwin’s “Summertime”. Without brilliancy, these healing vibes sound as familiar as they are artful.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - A Time For Healing ► 05 - The Coming of Spring ► 06 - Resolution