Country : South Africa Label : On the Corner Genres and styles : Contemporary Jazz / South African Traditional Year : 2020

Dialectic Soul

· by Alain Brunet

Both a self-assured progressive, and eager to perpetuate his ancestral culture, South African drummer Asher Gamedze says he is exploring “the dialectic of the soul and the spirit as it moves through history”. Quite a programme! The musician’s commitment is equalled only by the proposal offered here: Dialectic Soul is nothing less than a major contribution to jazz conceived in contemporary Africa. Of course, the gospel tunes mixed with Zulu and Xhosas inflections are honoured, as they have been since the beginnings of South African jazz, in the era of Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), Dudu Pukwana, Hugh Masekela, Johnny Dyani, Chris McGregor and… no, Asher Gamedze doesn’t do as the founding fathers of modern jazz in South Africa did. Clearly, he has studied the golden age of contemporary jazz (1958-1967) and Western classical music, adding them to the achievements of Southern Africa.

On the jazz side, the dominant influence is the legacy of Ornette Coleman, taken up notably by his colleagues Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, Don Cherry, and Dewey Redman in the group Old And New Dreams, or by the superb Still Dreaming project recently conducted by Joshua Redman. The approach promises to be Ornettian first for its similar instrumentation: Asher Gamedze, drums, Thembinkosi Mavimbela, double bass, Buddy Wells, tenor saxophone, Robin Fassie-Kock, trumpet, to which the singer Nono Nkoane sporadically joins in, taking us back to her native country when she expresses herself.

This music is  Ornettian also for the space invested: despite the density of the concept, Dialetic Soul remains flexible, airy, and dodges any headaches. Tending towards atonal and textural explorations, the melodic lines deployed here mix with South African ones and produce a de facto new amalgam. Because to this day, very little acoustic jazz (or none at all?) emanating from the African continent has gone beyond post-bop, post-modal integrations. Let’s not go any further with comparisons: Gamedze’s playing is closer to that of Brian Blade than to Billy Higgins or Ed Blackwell. As to brass and winds, count on impeccable techniques and distinct sounds, especially from the tenorman Buddy Wells.

More investigation will be needed before concluding that there’s a new scene on the scene in the current jazz revival, beyond the initiatives in London, lower California, Chicago, and New York. But… just what is going on in Cape Town, anyway?!

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Subscribe to our newsletter