https://natbirchallmusic.bandcamp.com/album/afro-trane
Genre: Spiritual Jazz
Rating: Unrated / Favorable
released on bandcamp May 27, 2022
It’s obviously a gigantic task. I know it’s jazz and playing standards and carrying torches and paying tribute is all part of the tradition. But I’m also going to say if your chops are up to it then fuck you. You use his name and an image evoking Olatunji expect to be held under the fire.
He starts at the top of the mountain with Acknowledgement – A Love Supreme Pt 1. Honestly, every track is respectable but he opens with his worst showing. He doesn’t really take it anywhere and everything besides the reeds (all instruments are Birchall by the way) has an unimpressive Mo’ Better Blues sound to it. Don’t get me wrong. I love that movie. It’s just that it’s too upbeat to capture the spirituality.
He captures the right spirit more on his originals. He plays tenor, soprano, and bass clarinet and this where the power of the man’s talent really shines. Every instrument captures different shades of Coltrane and it’s magical. He’s so good at it. It’s really incredible.
He also plays zurna, piano, Korg Minilogue, harmonium, bass, drums, hand drums, mbira, and percussion and to be honest I wish he didn’t. I actually think it would be better with just the reeds sans the texture. And perhaps just one instrument and one track on each track. He has the talent to stand alone exposed like that and all the dressing is a distraction.
On his previous five star masterpiece, Ancient Africa, every sound he makes is precious and ultimately the album comes off ironically as more Coltranian than this one.
Warmth Highest 