Mojo (UK)

Various

Spiritual Jazz 7: Islam

- Lois Wilson

JAZZMAN. CD/DL/LP Exploring the relationsh­ip between progressiv­e jazz and Islam from 1957 to ’89. The impact of Islam on American jazz culture is little documented, yet from the ’50s onwards it was for Art Blakey et al a vehicle for social and musical liberation; a way to express the freedom struggle of the civil rights era and a gateway for sound expansion by drawing on African and Asian influences. Dawan Muhammad’s Taumbu, clocking in at just one and a half minutes and the shortest of the 12 tracks included on this impressive snapshot, is a mesmeric ceremonial rhythm played on bamboo flute. The longest track, the 12-minute Mevlana by the East New York Ensemble De Music, transplant­s a Turkish religious melody played on vibes and African gong, to the Big Apple. In between, tracks from Yusef Lateef, Creative Arts Ensemble and more are compelling too.

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