Shabaka and the Ancestors   Wisdom of Elders
3.8
excellent
Release Date: 2016
Tracklist

 Ratings (50) Give your Rating

3.5 greatBedex | 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

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3.6 greatErwann 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.

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4.5 superbhaesslichermensch | May 6th 23
4.0 excellentOobaloo | September 28th 22
4.0 excellentdakotadsmith | August 12th 22
3.5 greatstabbler | November 29th 21
3.5 greatI have an awful memory of a high school ex sitting on my baby blue vinyl of The Dusk In Us lmao | August 27th 21
4.0 excellentBlackFugazi | May 18th 21
4.5 superbgagnonov | April 19th 21
4.0 excellentFreddykidd | March 24th 21
3.5 greatGE0rgiana | November 8th 20
3.5 greatJ.C. van Beekum | August 6th 20
4.0 excellentpornogrindtheater | April 23rd 20
4.0 excellentbr4dl3yb34r | March 30th 20
3.5 greatPunchforPunch | June 27th 19
4.0 excellentmurakamitype | April 4th 19
4.0 excellentKhattak | March 15th 19
4.0 excellentmrfixit | January 7th 19
4.0 excellentRegulatorWatts | December 5th 18
4.0 excellentTheMightyScoop | November 27th 18
4.0 excellentMad. | May 21st 18
4.5 superbPeporro98 | April 8th 18
3.5 greatzundza | October 11th 17
3.5 greatHaelaeif | October 1st 17
3.5 greatthis is like the buttprog version of the gerogerigegege | July 24th 17
3.0 goodRhaegarHarp | July 23rd 17
3.5 greatziroth | February 28th 17
4.0 excellentp4p | February 2nd 17
3.0 goodadr | January 24th 17
1.5 very poorn60storm | January 20th 17
4.0 excellentrobotore | January 20th 17
4.5 superbtwwerkcity | January 19th 17
4.0 excellentYankeeDudel | January 19th 17
3.5 greatRadicalEd | December 18th 16
4.0 excellentSirArthur6 | December 14th 16
3.0 goodtmthycnnlly | December 13th 16
4.0 excellentComeToDaddy | December 11th 16
3.0 goodUlshad | December 9th 16
4.0 excellentreportingbird | December 7th 16
4.0 excellentL4titudes | December 6th 16
4.5 superbzakalwe | November 28th 16
4.0 excellentscissorlocked | November 15th 16
4.0 excellentceart go leor im droim | November 13th 16
3.5 greatJade | November 2nd 16
4.5 superbhayleyhunt | October 28th 16
4.0 excellentFrank - the rater of 3.5 | October 11th 16
4.5 superbbrokencycle | October 11th 16
3.5 greatjtswope | October 3rd 16
4.0 excellentTb1114 | September 25th 16
4.5 superbTwigTW | September 20th 16

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