Drummer Tumi Mogorosi, an established presence in South African jazz, adds township subtleties to the polyrhythmic fire of the modernist greats. Recent projects have taken an earthier course, first powering Shabaka Hutchings’ Ancestors band and, more recently, delivering fiery alt-rock with the South African power-trio The Wretched, who released their debut album What Is History in 2020.
This album returns to Mogorosi’s stylistic roots with a vibrant blend of chorale music and feisty quintet jazz. The music is clearly rooted in the 1960s — the sleeve note quote, “Black music is this: find the self then kill it”, is taken from the late poet Amiri Baraka’s notes for the 1965 Impulse! album The New Wave in Jazz. But this is no retreat to the past, rather the use of an earlier aesthetic to deliver contemporary black diaspora concerns.
The set, featuring a nine-voice choir, builds on the jazz chorale tradition of Max Roach’s It’s Time and Andrew Hill’s Lift Every Voice. This adds operatic power to the leader’s angular, modal-modernist themes and gives weighty vocal support to strong trumpet and sax solos.
The programme begins with the brass and voices of “Wadada” sounding triumphant over gospel chords and “The Fall” moving ominously from modality to swing; the piece ends suddenly with a three-note stab. “Panic Manic” moves up a gear and, encouraged by the leader’s fine-tuned pulse, soloists stretch out. Tumi Pheko’s spiky and melodic trumpet style contrasts nicely with alto saxophonist Mthunzi Mvubu’s rich, full tones, and guitarist Reza Khota delivers contemporary harmonies with a resonant tone.
Elsewhere, choir and band intertwine and there are two vocal covers of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”, one featuring Gabi Motuba and fine lead guitar, the other Siya Mthembu accompanied by pianist Andile Yenana’s fluency and warmth. “Where Are the Keys” is the final track, a chilling jazz-meets-poetry depiction of frustration and rage, made more imposing by the intensity of Yenana’s piano support.
★★★★☆
‘Group Theory: Black Music’ is released by Mushroom Hour/New Soil
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