Country : United States Label : Anti- Genres and styles : Avant-Garde / Experimental / Contemporary / Free Jazz / Hip Hop / Noise / R&B Year : 2022

Moor Mother – Jazz Codes

· by Varun Swarup

Operating under the alias of Moor Mother, Camae Ayewa has since the 2010s been producing a prolific body of work as a poet, scholar, musician, artist, and activist. Her latest offering, Jazz Codes, is a kaleidoscopic and comprehensive musical document that speaks to the genius of black artistry in both the 20th and 21st century.

As a companion album to her 2021 release, Black Encyclopedia of the Air, which marked one of her more elaborate works to date, Moor Mother continues in expounding upon her distinct Afrofuturist aesthetic, what she calls ‘Black Quantum Futurism’. It is evident then that Jazz Codes is a means to an end, something of an anthropological undertaking for Moor Mother, who offers us a chance to rethink the past, the present, and the future through the vehicle of black music.

While this is a cerebral and cryptic album, one that rewards repeated listening, it is still accessible enough. Certainly, at first listen, Jazz Codes can play out something like a fever dream. Olof Meander’s production is airy and dense, without much earth on which to tread, and Moor Mother’s gentle but firm slam poetry style guides the listener through a sprawling collection of titles against the backdrop of sampled textures featuring spiritual saxophone runs, lush harp passages, droning trumpet lines, and intimate voice memos.

As genre-defying as Moor Mother’s work is, it is thoroughly grounded in the continuum of black music, and in drawing from the wellsprings of her musical ancestry she has created a veritable tapestry of R&B, hip-hop, folk, blues, and of course, jazz. As if to make reference to communal aspects of this lineage, there are a dizzying amount of collaborators involved in this project, and they have contributed to yet another masterwork of experimental and conscious hip-hop in Moor Mother’s oeuvre.

Latest 360 Content

Domaine Forget 2025 | Schubert’s Winterreise through the fingers and voice of Rachel Fenlon

Domaine Forget 2025 | Schubert’s Winterreise through the fingers and voice of Rachel Fenlon

Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter

Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter

Alice Cooper – The Revenge of Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper – The Revenge of Alice Cooper

Barry Can’t Swim – Loner

Barry Can’t Swim – Loner

Classical Outing 2025 | Pianist Martin Helmchen: Passion and Intensity by the handful

Classical Outing 2025 | Pianist Martin Helmchen: Passion and Intensity by the handful

Classical Spree 2025 | Obiora Ensemble : A concert-feast for the eyes and ears of the whole family!

Classical Spree 2025 | Obiora Ensemble : A concert-feast for the eyes and ears of the whole family!

Tommy Crane/David Binney – The Isle

Tommy Crane/David Binney – The Isle

Orford 2025 | Stick&Bow, a tribute to transgressors

Orford 2025 | Stick&Bow, a tribute to transgressors

Curtis Nowosad – I Am Doing My Best

Curtis Nowosad – I Am Doing My Best

George Crotty Trio – Heart Music

George Crotty Trio – Heart Music

Quatuor Bozzini – Owen Underhill : Songs and Quartets

Quatuor Bozzini – Owen Underhill : Songs and Quartets

Tina Leon – Push & Pull

Tina Leon – Push & Pull

Sean Clarke – A Flower for my Daughter

Sean Clarke – A Flower for my Daughter

English National Opera Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins – Havergal Brian : Agamemnon; Sinfonia tragica; Symphony no 12

English National Opera Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins – Havergal Brian : Agamemnon; Sinfonia tragica; Symphony no 12

The Curious Bards – Sublimation: Songs and dances from 18th-century Scandinavia

The Curious Bards – Sublimation: Songs and dances from 18th-century Scandinavia

Ensemble Masques/Olivier Fortin – Bach, Telemann & Albinoni: Concerti

Ensemble Masques/Olivier Fortin – Bach, Telemann & Albinoni: Concerti

François Leleux/Lisa Batiashvili/Frankfurt Radio Symphony – Future Horizons

François Leleux/Lisa Batiashvili/Frankfurt Radio Symphony – Future Horizons

Nate Mercereau · Josh Johnson · Carlos Niño – Openness Trio

Nate Mercereau · Josh Johnson · Carlos Niño – Openness Trio

Theon Cross – Affirmations: Live At Blue Note New York

Theon Cross – Affirmations: Live At Blue Note New York

Fabia Mantwill Orchestra – In.Sight

Fabia Mantwill Orchestra – In.Sight

Hior Chronik – Apofanie

Hior Chronik – Apofanie

Kent Nagano/Rebekka Hartmann – Hartmann/Ravel/Sadikova

Kent Nagano/Rebekka Hartmann – Hartmann/Ravel/Sadikova

Frédéric Lambert; Chloé Dumoulin – Nouveau lyrisme

Frédéric Lambert; Chloé Dumoulin – Nouveau lyrisme

Subscribe to our newsletter