Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology (International Anthem)
Angel Bat Dawid
Released June 2021
70th DownBeat Annual Critics Poll Top 30 Album of the Year
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lTAl3DSzlG2REGw27mBfuqiYVES9HDEQM
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About:
Hush Harbour Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology was composed entirely of solo material by musician Angel Bat Dawid during the lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, similar to what she had previously done in her monthly Chicago NTS broadcasts. The album is dedicated to Escrava Anastacia, a folk saint venerated in Brazil who is not recognized by the Catholic Church. Among other things, she endured having her great beauty hidden behind a punishing face mask, a fact referenced on the album cover.
Bat Dawid plays every instrument as well as the synthesizers and recorded, arranged, and mixed the album himself . The title of the album refers to the “Hush Harbors”; these were secret places in the pre- Civil War Southern United States where slaves would gather to pray. Brad Rose noted that Hush Harbor Mixtape is steeped in African-American history, but through Dawid’s own perspective. This is particularly evident in the recording of “Jumping the Broom.” A chorus of voices screams ecstatically, projecting into an unknown future, while Dawid weaves a lilting narrative overhead with her clarinet. She sings in “Mama Bet”:
“Even if it gets hard sometimes, just keep trying. Don’t give up. Don’t give up hope. When you’re tired, just take a deep breath and say, ‘Let’s keep going. Let’s keep going home.’ It’s just around the corner.”
Track Listing:
1. Corn=Rowzz 04:11
2. Negro Hamlet 01:53
3. Sunday Meeting of Colored People in Chicago 04:10
4. ‘Goree, ‘ or Slave – Stick 02:12
5. Heathen Practices At Funerals 05:56
6. Black Family, Beaufort, South Carolina, 1862 03:10
7. Jumping the Broom 06:33
8. El Quitrin – The Joy of Livin 02:21
9. Mama Bet 03:59
10. A Young Negress, Studying The Game Of Ouri 03:31
11. Husband Of The Queen Of Walo, Wolof 03:17
12. Negroes Leaving Their Home 03:43
Dedicated to Saint Escrava Anastacia
Personnel:
Angel Bat Dawid: vocals, clarinet, synthesizers
Produced, Recorded, Arranged & Mixed by Angel Bat Dawid
Mastered By Najee-Zaid Searcy
Review:
Clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid has become one of the more forceful and creatively vital voices in free-jazz. Her 2019 debut Oracle was a solo collection of journeying compositions recalling the likes of Yusef Lateef and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, while her 2020 live record showcased her touring band.
Dawid’s latest release, Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology, continues the resonances of Oracle. Named for the secret places where slaves worshipped in the antebellum South, it is dedicated to Escrava Anastacia, a Brazilian folk saint typically depicted in a metal mask as punishment for her beauty. It’s a deeply involved and exceedingly referential work.
The sinuous presence of her clarinet is a guiding force throughout the 12 tracks, providing a yearning, wordless tribute to the historical subjects of her song. Opening number “Corn+Rowzz” sees a lyrical woodwind melody played over an ominous synthesizer backdrop, while the presence of Dawid’s voice singing through a vocoder on the following number “Negro Hamlet” fragments her incantatory references to proto-negro spirituals.
The subtle subversion of acoustic instrumentation through the use of vocoder, synthesizers and drum programming provides a fascinating framing for Dawid’s improvised historical narrative.
Ultimately, Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology is a record of immense depth, a passionate work of imagination and attempted sense-making viewed through the present moment of improvisation.
Ammar Kalia (DownBeat)
