And since all good things come in threes I'm completing my little Jazz Hattrick here with a group that's certainly tiny and obscure in popularity compared to Kamasi Washington, but musically actually cultivates adjacent and crossing fields of open-minded Jazz.
SHAKAI - Fragments (2024)
To elaborate a bit on this comparison to Washington one should also clarify the main difference: The base of Shakai's sound cannot be found in the works of Freddie Hubbard nor in the Spiritual Jazz of Pharoah Sanders. And even more obviously with this band coming from Bergen, Norway and the predominantly Scandinavian complexion of its members the role of Jazz as a part of Black identity and history certainly plays an infinitely smaller role - even though musically it cannot be denied for one second of this debut album.
Since proven by an almost obscene amount of amazing artists Norway is a very fruitful place when it comes to fearlessly fusioning elements of Jazz, Rock, Classical and other styles, I assume that the way Shakai are implementing a wide array of influences is a rather natural case of local cultural upbringing. The actual sound however doesn't exactly fit the mold which especially the presence of their new drummer Kenneth Kapstadt (Spidergawd, ex-Motorpsycho) might suggest.
If you listen to the guitar patterns and bubbling soft saxophones which carry the first verses of both the opener "Kanskje" and the second track "Not Yours" or their instrumental climaxes, it surely sounds like "Norwegian Fusion", but the vocals of Brazilian-Norwegian singer Gabriela Garrubo give it a very American Soul twist.
Not only here, but also on the following "Oh Well" and several more instances she reminds me a lot of Janelle Monáe in cinematic ballad mode - and before she generally became too bubble gum for my taste.
But also when she holds back the big belts in a more traditional Vocal Jazz fashion - like in "Dandelion Child", "Ville Bare" or the very playful closer "Changes" - her smooth performance always draws you in and makes you listen closely.
If band leader / bassist Eline Rafteseth has something like a formula, than it probably is to start with very easy listenable and emotionally accessible (the elders among us could also call it radio-friendly) rhythm and vocals, but then always attach some unexpected little textures and details and not too usual crescendos, which would have alienated an audience in the 1960's, but sixty years onwards of course make sense.
For six tracks until "Lullaby" this formula could actually have been applied, but the upbeat of "Changes"... changes that. I just wish it would have been followed by a couple of more songs exploring that crazier, more energetic direction and giving the whole album a character of two acts.
Don't get me wrong: I enjoy everything up to that point, but - and that's my only real complaint - after ending at thirty-six minutes "Fragments" feels unfinished. Just as if this wasn't actually the full album, but just ... a fragment.
This excellent display of catchy yet adventurous Contemporary Jazz can be pre-ordered digitally or on vinyl via Is It Jazz? Records and will be released coming Friday, June 7th.
Since proven by an almost obscene amount of amazing artists Norway is a very fruitful place when it comes to fearlessly fusioning elements of Jazz, Rock, Classical and other styles, I assume that the way Shakai are implementing a wide array of influences is a rather natural case of local cultural upbringing. The actual sound however doesn't exactly fit the mold which especially the presence of their new drummer Kenneth Kapstadt (Spidergawd, ex-Motorpsycho) might suggest.
If you listen to the guitar patterns and bubbling soft saxophones which carry the first verses of both the opener "Kanskje" and the second track "Not Yours" or their instrumental climaxes, it surely sounds like "Norwegian Fusion", but the vocals of Brazilian-Norwegian singer Gabriela Garrubo give it a very American Soul twist.
Not only here, but also on the following "Oh Well" and several more instances she reminds me a lot of Janelle Monáe in cinematic ballad mode - and before she generally became too bubble gum for my taste.
But also when she holds back the big belts in a more traditional Vocal Jazz fashion - like in "Dandelion Child", "Ville Bare" or the very playful closer "Changes" - her smooth performance always draws you in and makes you listen closely.
If band leader / bassist Eline Rafteseth has something like a formula, than it probably is to start with very easy listenable and emotionally accessible (the elders among us could also call it radio-friendly) rhythm and vocals, but then always attach some unexpected little textures and details and not too usual crescendos, which would have alienated an audience in the 1960's, but sixty years onwards of course make sense.
For six tracks until "Lullaby" this formula could actually have been applied, but the upbeat of "Changes"... changes that. I just wish it would have been followed by a couple of more songs exploring that crazier, more energetic direction and giving the whole album a character of two acts.
Don't get me wrong: I enjoy everything up to that point, but - and that's my only real complaint - after ending at thirty-six minutes "Fragments" feels unfinished. Just as if this wasn't actually the full album, but just ... a fragment.
This excellent display of catchy yet adventurous Contemporary Jazz can be pre-ordered digitally or on vinyl via Is It Jazz? Records and will be released coming Friday, June 7th.
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