_za

_za OP wrote

Reply to Asher Gamedze - Dialectic Soul, bandcamp's album of the day by _za

Dialectic Soul was recorded live in the studio over two days, with Gamedze joined by bassist Thembinkosi Mavimbela, tenor saxophonist Buddy Wells, and trumpet player Robin Fassie-Kock. Their lithe interplay is introduced on the three-part “State of Emergence Suite,” as the drummer’s tumbling fills set the stage for spotlighted moments from each instrumentalist. The quartet continue to showcase their versatility on the searching solos of “Eternality” and celebratory sound of “Hope In Azania,” named for what Gamedze describes in his liner notes as “an imagined liberated South Africa.” The drummer’s voice appears on “Interregnum,” where he recites his original short story about a young child discovering the historical task to carry on the traditions of their ancestors. Dialectic Soul’s most moving passage is “Siyabulela,” a reworked gospel song that finds the group slowing its pace to a gentle sway as singer Nono Nkoane adds her gorgeous vocals to the meditative celebration of life. It may be sad, and a moment to pause on, but Gamedze is quick to point out in the closing words from his album notes that the group can’t rest for long: “The soul is dialectic. Motion is imperative. We keep moving.”

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