Release date: September 8, 2023

Genre: Free Jazz

From: US

Label: Impulse! Records

Why you should listen: The free jazz quintet are back with an incredibly dense, intricate and tribal new album, one which continues their legacy as one of the most innovative jazz groups making music today. Protect Your Light is just sublime, with incredible compositions (shoutout Keir Neuringer on alto saxophone, Aquiles Navarro on trumpet, Luke Stewart on double bass and
Tcheser Holmes on drums), and succinct poetry from Camae Ayewa, aka Moor Mother. Her presence is so poignant and important throughout the album, as her poetry touches on many themes including love, such as on the opener “Free Love”, fighting for freedom on tracks like “Our Land Back” and “Degrees of Freedom”, and identity and on tracks like “Celestial Pathways”. The tracks themselves meander between dark and hypnotic, as well as ethereal and colourful. The constant, ever-changing shift in tempos and melodies make for an enlightening, powerful listen. The bass and wind instrumentation on “root <=> branch” for instance are incredibly hypnotic, while the incredible vocals and how they intertwine with the utterly captivating synths, horns and drumming makes for such an engaging listen. Irreversible Entanglements’ Protect Your Light is another stunning body of work, as they meander between some incredibly textured and dynamic soundscapes, bringing infectious energy that perfectly captures the urgency and importance of their music. A great new album from one of my favourite jazz groups.

The album: