London-based saxophonist Camilla George dedicates her third album to her lineage in Nigeria’s Ibibio tribe. The first and last tracks reference that tribe’s creation myths and the kora-enhanced “Ekpe” is about the secret society of elder statesmen that her grandfather and great-grandfather were members of.
The music, though, is firmly rooted in the cross-currents and grooves of recent UK jazz. Afro-beat and hi-life are more than a trace, hip-hop and funk are central and harmonic movement adds tension and interest. The core band of London leading lights includes guitarist Shirley Tetteh as well as pianist Sarah Tandy and bassist Daniel Casimir, from George’s 2017 debut release Isang. Equal-status guests beef up the brass and there are additional lead vocals and rappers.
But the focus is on George the composer and the solid Sixties modernism she delivers on alto sax. The saxophonist gained notice as a soloist soon after joining the jazz/reggae band Jazz Jamaica in 2009, and her pithy tone and etched lines sit equally well on this west African-slanted release.
The album opens with “Creation — Abasi and Atai”, a thrilling confection of sparse beats, lyrical alto sax and articulate rap. Guitarist Tetteh locks in to American drummer Daru Jones’s relaxed, precision groove and rapper Lady Sanity celebrates two tribal deities with rhythm and wit. Later, George floats ethereally over hip-hop rhythms to set up MC Sanity’s pointed rhyming on “The Long Juju Slave Route of Arochokwu”. And on “Ukpong”, pianist Tandy ripples with intent and George swaps lines with vocalist Renato Paris’s wordless scat.
But the album stands out for its well-crafted compositions and instrumental strength. British drummer Winston Clifford is a constant driving force and trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey and trombonist Rosie Turton deliver solid solos as well as skin-tight horns. Kora-player Kadialy Kouyate adds an emotional layer to “Journey Across the Sea” and “Abasi Enyong” is a knockout ballad with spare support and lashings of sharp-edged sax.
The album closes with “Creation — Nnyin Ido Ibibio”, a second helping of Lady Sanity rap twinned with gripping Shirley Tetteh guitar.
★★★☆☆
‘Ibio-Ibio’ is released by Ever Records
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