| | | Ratings (50) |
Give your Rating |
| 3.5 great | Bedex | December 21st 21 |
Not much to say on this one - it was exactly the kind of dreamy, fusioney, bouncy jazz I was wanting today, and it is perfectly well crafted for that, but also rarely feels stunning, and it overextends a bit as the album feels quite long overall. The sparse vocals are really quite cool. The first three tracks all start very well, especially the excellent album intro, and the lovely bass on 3 min 3ish. 7 gets slightly more abrasive which is cool. Because it feels oustanding a lot less than Bennie Maupin and co, and because again it feels quite long, my rating dropped from a say generic good 3.9 to a 3.7
Bump |
| 3.6 great | Erwann S. STAFF | March 25th 20 |
Shabaka's first actual African album. Linking the band's philosophy with the album, this is, first and foremost, an African jazz record that pays homage to Coltrane's vision of spirituality. Recorded in one day in Capetown, it's a vibrant piece of work that - and I think I say that too much in my jazz soundoffs - feels alive and reminds of the greatest mystic rituals. As all things alive and mystic, collective improvisation is the key: rising together, letting the others shine, taking the lead when necessary. The band even add a zeuhl and Magma influence, allowing them to add an even more bizarre atmosphere to some parts, especially the vocal ones. However, I'd articulate the same criticisms as I did on their next record: it's a difficult LP - and it could have been cut a good 20 minutes - that has to be enjoyed as a whole, laying complex interlocks of melodies of rhythms. A bridge between what was done before and what can be done in the future, yet not a visionary piece that pushes the boundaries that much, this is an album that almost gets everything right. Shabaka is jazz's hottest dude, and he proves this status with each album, this one being the more obtuse and, thus, rewarding for hardcore listeners. Just gotta trim the fat.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Oobaloo | September 28th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Khattak | March 15th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | mrfixit | January 7th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mad. | May 21st 18 |
| 3.5 great | zundza | October 11th 17 |
| 3.5 great | ziroth | February 28th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | p4p | February 2nd 17 |
| 3.0 good | adr | January 24th 17 |
| 3.0 good | Ulshad | December 9th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | zakalwe | November 28th 16 |
| 3.5 great | Jade | November 2nd 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | Tb1114 | September 25th 16 |
| 4.5 superb | TwigTW | September 20th 16 |
| |
Give Your Opinion on Wisdom of Elders
|
