Review Summary: You are doing yourself a disservice by not listening to this album
I have listened to maybe a handful of jazz albums over the years, rarely finding much more than a mediocre display of musical athleticism and attempts to create suspense without a payoff. The feel like some of the best jazz music I’ve heard comes from Disney movies where the instrumentals are peppy and bouncy, bringing a sense of excitement and celebration. My pool of jazz music to pull from is very meager therefore anything I’ve said so far should be disregarded as merely my experience of having not reached or discovered the type of jazz compositions that appeal to me. I have not delved into the classics and the originators, nor have I studied the fundamentals of what jazz really is or is meant to accomplish so I have a lot of growth to experience with this genre. I’m pleased to say however, that I have finally experienced a work of jazz that floored me and sent me spiraling into, dare I say, a state of deep appreciation and reflection.
“Group Theory: Black Music” is an album where I am not the target audience. I absolutely feel like an outsider peering into a space in time of deep social sorrow and resentment. Each song painted as an emotional vignette with strokes and splatters of animosity, sadness, chaos and faith. I know very little of South African drummer and compositionist Tumi Mogorosi other than the brief articles that I have perused in preparation for this review. I had no expectations and ideas of what was in store when I pressed play on the first track “Wadada.” I was initially hesitant, and the first track felt like your standard, run-of-the-mill, chaotic jazz track with oddly timed drum patterns and light horn flairs. I ended up being interrupted halfway through listening to that first track and found myself in a situation where my mental state had changed so I restarted the track and quickly was surprised by the composition itself. It flows wonderfully and felt completely like any other jazz song I had heard prior. The swells of a church-like choir coupled with the complex rhythmic placement of the drums creates an explosive, maximalist expression. It’s amazing what a couple hours can do for a listening experience.
After my first listen through the entire record, I ended up doing some research just so I could understand the fundamentals of jazz a bit better and get some indication of the inspiration for the music on the record. Commonly amongst articles I’ve read, the quote “New black music is this: find the self, then kill it” by US poet Amiri Baraka is at the center of the inspiration for the writing on the album. The push for bombast and power within the music seems to mirror this idea that through all the noise in this world, we can somehow kill the self and grow together through community and strengthen the bonds between all humans. I guess this could be said in any aspect of human society the struggles we encounter whether it be racial inequality, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, ableism, etc., we can find it in ourselves to look past our individual selfishness and work towards a common goal where we can all unite and coexist peacefully. I guess that’s more or less how I interpret it being Caucasian and having to find groundwork from which I can relate but after running through the tracks a second time, it started to become more apparent how powerful this entire experience is meant to be.
Instrumentally, this record is jam packed with excellent individual moments as well as collectively compelling group dynamics. One of the obvious standouts is Mogorosi’s drumming prowess. Jazz drumming is unlike any other form and breaks all barriers and codes that normal drumming would adhere to. It’s frenetic, rhythmically free from confines and flows in such a way where it’s brilliantly awkward yet frequently highlights the beauty of the other instruments performing in front of it. Mogorosi can go from gentle light brushes to pounding, frenzied pieces that feel like the chaos induced during an earthquake. Every track feels like an exploration of his kit and each moment is nuanced and calculated in such a way that’s breathtaking and utterly fascinating to experience.
After searching for a bit to make sure I correctly attributed the guitar playing to the right person, I can confirm that the work Reza Khota is phenomenal and absolutely stunning on every track that he’s featured on. The gentler moments help to highlight the grooves and patterns that Mogorosi is laying down whilst the more hectic passages of soloing and lead work are exceptional and so well composed. It complements all the other bluster that’s occurring around it and never feels out of place nor ignorable. Pianist Andile Yenana also features on a few of the tracks, and I found all of his contributions to be especially endearing as well. Particularly on the songs “3:15 (Where It’s Darkest)” and “Thaba Bosiu” where his choice of melodies and orchestration really just do a gorgeous job of complementing and improving the overall musical landscape being presented through the drums, guitars, horns and choir vocals. I found myself looking forward to the tracks he’s featured on most because I love the timbre and versatility of his execution.
Speaking of choir vocals, the often ominous and sorrowful sounding vocals are provided by nine persons conducted by Themba Maseko. While only three of the songs feature an individual vocalist or spoken word artist, every track is graced with these choirs. They’re sometimes subjected to being background instrumentals while at other times they are at the forefront of the mix and escalate the emotional exasperation of the musical moment. On the topic of vocalists, like I had mentioned there are three tracks that features a singular lead vocalist, each possessing a unique delivery and identity and providing some stellar work to their respective songs. The first song titled “Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Child” features Siya Mthembu who has a deeper tenor delivery and adds a lot of depth to an already emotional track which happens to feature the pianist Andile Yenana as well. There is a second track also entitled “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” which features female vocalist Gabi Motuba whose performance is one of the standout showcases on the record with her repetitive vocal lines which are delivered in such a haunting, ethereal way that also cuts through the mix. Finally, the more poetic and soulfully spoken word passage on the final track “Where are the Keys?” which has the vibes of slam poetry competition delivered by Lesego Rampolokeng. Lines like “Drum-Bang out hunger pang/What the cut throat sang/creation music politic it/both mystic and concrete” offer insight in the ideals of black people who use painful experience and desolate circumstances to create powerful messages and explore opportunity and build upon these experiences to make a better tomorrow. There’s also “Blood on the sugar cane/Slave sweat made Hullets sweet/Dropped in dum-dum/staccato in Cape Flat” which is such a potent and visceral line that really communicates the pain and difficulty of black history and racism. The lyrics endlessly supply thought-provoking pieces and help to end the album with a narration that relates to what has occurred musically over the past hour.
While many of the themes and messages are not relatable to me because of my own race, I feel that art like this opens up a conversation and allows us who are on the outside the peak in at the reality and difficulty that lives on in society. It’s relatable in the fact that we are all human and deserve equality in opportunity and treatment. Each song provides deep meaningful musical sentiment in relation to its inspiration and offers slices of soulful, spiritual jazz music. I found this to be one of the most eye-opening musical experiences I’ve had this year, a year in which I’ve worked on expanding my horizons when it comes to the music I listen to. If you’re already a fan of jazz music, I feel like this is an easy recommend. If you’re new like myself, I hope you can find a potent experience and take away some appreciation for this awesome genre of music.
Top tracks:
“The Fall”
“Panic Manic”
“Walk With Me”
“Thaba Bosiu”
“Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” ft. Gabi Motuba
“Where are the Keys?” ft. Andile Yenana & Lesego Rampolokeng
