Black to the Future (Impulse!)
Sons of Kemet
Released May 14, 2021
Jazzwise Top 10 Releases of 2021
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mPGi5pU-p4OPfkzRMvwU3MEiVe4jU11G0
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6AfA0FZhzRTpjDDYHkCd5B?si=vroCdO74QTacHwLF1y3H6w
About:
The album begins and ends with a statement of rage and frustration, expressed following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
As Hutchings explains, “Black to the Future is a sonic poem for the invocation of power, remembrance, and healing. It depicts a movement to redefine and reaffirm what it means to strive for Black power.”
Helmed by Shabaka Hutchings, Sons of Kemet features Theon Cross on tuba, alongside Edward Wakili-Hick and Tom Skinner on percussion.
Black To The Future also features appearances from Angel Bat Dawid, Moor Mother, D Double E, Kojey Radical, and Joshua Idehen.
It follows the band’s last album, Your Queen Is A Reptile, in 2018.
Track Listing:
1. Field Negus (Shabaka Hutchings / Josh Idehen) 03:03
2. Pick Up Your Burning Cross (Angel Bat Dawid / Shabaka Hutchings / Moor Mother) 03:44
3. Think of Home (Shabaka Hutchings) 03:32
4. Hustle (Shabaka Hutchings / Kojey Radical) 05:18
5. For the Culture (D Double E / Shabaka Hutchings) 04:01
6. To Never Forget the Source (Shabaka Hutchings) 02:55
7. In Remembrance of Those Fallen (Shabaka Hutchings) 05:06
8. Let the Circle Be Unbroken (Shabaka Hutchings) 06:29
9. Envision Yourself Levitating (Shabaka Hutchings) 08:22
10. Throughout the Madness, Stay Strong (Shabaka Hutchings) 05:53
11. Black (Shabaka Hutchings / Josh Idehen) 02:42
Personnel:
Shabaka Hutchings: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Theon Cross: tuba
Eddie Hick: drums, percussion
Tom Skinner: drums, percussion
Featuring
Steve Williamson: tenor
saxophone (1)
Joshua Idehen: vocals (1, 11)
Angel Bat Dawid, Moor Mother: vocals (2)
Kojey Radical: vocals (4)
Lianne La Havas: backing vocals (4)
Ife Ogunjobi: trumpet (5)
Nathaniel Cross: trombone (5)
Cassie Kinoshi: alto saxophone (5)
D Double E: vocals (5)
Kebbi Williams: tenor saxophone (9)
Review:
The fourth LP by the Shabaka Hutchings-led ‘super-quartet’ Sons of Kemet comes with a mission statement reinforcing the politics at its core. A glance at the track listing reveals titles sequenced to form verse, signposts for a sonic poem intended to invoke ‘power, remembrance and healing’ and embrace a movement that redefines what it means to strive for Black power.
With their borders-down aesthetic, fierce social conscience and sax, tuba and two-drum-kit combo, the Kemets have always packed a punch. But with opener ‘Field Negus’ and closer ‘Black’, both featuring lyrics written and spoken by poet Joshua Idehen, sparked by Black Lives Matter protests, and with guests ranging from Angel Bat Dawid and Steve Williamson to grime MC D Double E – Black to the Future has the tightly coiled righteous fury of opuses such as Attica Blues and Freedom Suite.
Bold and nuanced, invested with a dynamic circularity that nods to African cosmologies and with Hutchings’ focus on woodwinds (and on composition), it’s a work that grabs you by the scruff. Afro-Caribbean rhythms intersect with London grime. Jazz is spiritual, cultural, current. Highlights are many: ‘Hustle’ feat. MC Kojey Radical is propulsive, discomfiting, catchy. ‘Envision Yourself Levitating’ is nuanced, spacious, free. Taken as a whole – as intended – Black to the Future is a strong candidate for album of the year.
Jane Cornwell (Jazzwise)
