Jazz musicians give black lives a voice at Ronnie Scott’s

The Black Lives: From Generation to Generation project, initiated by Brussels-based producer Stefany Calembert, was an immediate musical response to the social tensions that surfaced following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Recording started under pandemic conditions — remotely at first, then in studios when restrictions relaxed — and a double CD of the same name, themed broadly on giving black lives a voice, was released early last year. The 20-track album, recorded across three continents, featured more than 60 musicians in various combinations.

This first-house gig at Ronnie Scott’s captured the recording’s common cause and grand design with a series of musical vignettes that drew on a 14-strong cast including three drummers, two drum kits, brass, vocals and spoken word. As on the album, compositions flowed logically from lyrical jazz to African lilt and hardcore rap.

The evening started with the sampled sound of a protest march, the scratchy bite of DJ Grazzhoppa’s turntables and American guitarist David Gilmore channelling the Delta blues. With the scene set, light-touch funk set up the spoken word of “We Are Here”, delivered imperiously by Sharrif Simmons as a mix of poetics and rap. The layered lines and programmed drums of the recording were expanded by a live rhythm section, Simmons rapping in French and with solos for tenor sax. “Friendship” came next, with a gorgeous grand piano introduction from Federico González Peña, female backing vocals and Peña’s synth bringing the piece to a high.

When the band stretched out, their core aesthetic criss-crossed between edgy M-Base funk and Afro-inflected jazz. Bassist Reggie Washington, a constant stage presence, expertly managed the power of three drummers and slotted in rhythmic complexities with urgency and a deep tone. Saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart consistently engaged with his syncopated fluency, warm sound and biting attack, and was equally at ease on the grooves that supported him. The complex “Sa Nou Yé” moved smoothly from French urban hip-hop to township groove, and segued into “Sanga Bô”, a feature for percussionist Sonny Troupé to rouse the crowd.

As the set progressed, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt joined the band for the minor-key moods and sparse hip-hop beats of “Anthem for a Better Tomorrow”, followed by vocalist/guitarist Adam Falcon with his stirring and soulful “Colored Man Singin’ the Blues!”. Drummers Marque Gilmore and Gene Lake played as one, soloists swapped lines and the evening came to a high.

Pelt returned to add a lovely muted solo on “From the Outside In”, a poetic ballad movingly brought to life by South African vocalist Tutu Puoane. Guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly, a new face on the night, delivered the intriguing Afrocentric hip-hop of “Masters of Mud (Shape Shifting)”. There was no time for the expected all-hands-on-deck finale, making a low-key end to an upbeat night.

★★★★☆ 

ronniescotts.co.uk