Holding true to the identity established on Volume 1 of this series, the South African bop
quintet known as Voice has chosen to stick to material that represents their country's jazz legacy on
Volume 2: Songs For Our Grandchildren. You wouldn't necessarily appreciate that fact on
first listen, given this group's overwhelming literacy in the world jazz tradition. But maybe that's the
point: it doesn't really matter what country you come from in the end. Or does it?
Two compositions by the late Kippie Moeketsi and guitarist Allen Kwela round out a set of
originals from the crew, spanning the range from a deliberate, paced ballad ("I Remember
Billy") to
an off-kilter Monkish romp ("Scullery Department") to zippy hard bop ("Syd's
Dilemma"). Each tune
most definitely has its own flavor.
"Ida," dedicated to saxophonist Sydney Mnisi's mother, starts out languid and lyrical,
gradually
moving into a lightly bossa-tinged beat. The horny head is very brief, leaving almost the entire tune
open to exploration. Marcus Wyatt's faltering flugelhorn solo tells a story of melancholy loss,
floating at midtempo from phrase to phrase. Mnisi's second solo, on soprano, endows the tune with
a forward-looking edge, singing birdlike over the changes and heading toward resolution.
The optimistic "Days Mandulo" immediately hits with a punchy edge, driven by
harmonized
horns toward a swinging conclusion. Wyatt works his horn for all it's worth when he gets to the front,
stretching the beat like a rubber band and riding roughshod along rippling bebop lines. But more
than showcasing any particular player, this tune emphasizes a group identity. These musicians
listen and respond, keeping it tight through the changes.
Bassist Herbie Tsoaeli's "Children in the Rain" has the most readily identifiable
South African
flavor of any piece on the record. His descending lines provide as much structure as anchor,
serving as a complement to pianist Andile Yenana's alternating Tyner-ish chords. Yenana, more
than
any other player here, has his ears attuned to the vocal harmonies, township rhythms, and cyclical
flow of his country's music. Those features may be sublimated in this setting, but subtlety is usually
a mark of maturity.
Whatever their roots, the members of Voice can hold their own against any bop quintet today.
They have the confidence, the intuition, and the flexibility to communicate articulately, whatever the
style.
Visit Sheer Sound on the web.
Sound samples are available at
One World.
~ Nils Jacobson
