Christian Scott’s legacy as one of the leading talents within jazz music over the last decade has already been established. The two time Edison Award-winning and Grammy-nominated New Orleans artist comes through with a monumental new album titled Ancestral Recall. Having been a fan of his The Centennial Trilogy albums released in 2017, I was eager to immerse myself in an experience on his new album. And my god is it incredible.
The rhythmic drumming throughout the first few tracks on the album give the sound a tribal, frantic and unsettling feeling throughout. “The Shared Stories of Rivals [KEITA]” is an example of this, with tuba and heavy percussion which drive the track forward. Poet Saul Williams, who features on this track, provides haunting vocals and introspective thought to this reflective piece of music. With more angelic and spiritual tonalities on the latter-half of the album, such as on the fantastic “Diviner [Devan]” changes the mood up even further, giving a mesmeric sound that perfectly encapsulates a meditative state of mind. With percussion and wind instruments yet again giving the track a mellow and reflective tone, the snares that come in throughout the track build great suspense throughout. Tracks like “Ritual [Rise of Chief Adjuah]” bring a more optimistic and empowering tone to the record, with gorgeous subtle synths and some awesome saxophone melodies, which are complemented by majestic flutes and hard-hitting, ritualistic percussion to bring light and energy to this record. The self-titled track closes the album up with an almost apocalyptic, fitting end to the monumental listening experience of this album. It features Saul Williams one final time, who sporadically spreads his words of wisdom on us. A fine way to close such an intensely profound body of work.
This album really is that stunning. I can go on about the finer details that make this record such a joy to listen to, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide how you feel about it. You can listen to Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’sAncestral Recall below via Bandcamp, and make sure you support the music! Released via Ropeadope Records.
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