It’s 1712, on the banks of the James river in Virginia. A child’s voice explains: “I am here to help you solve some of the problems with slaves”. So the record starts. It’s an ironic echo, a reclaiming, of the text of a notorious speech by slave owner Willie Lynch. What follows, recorded live at the Barbican last year, is Courtney Pine and the Jazz Warriors Afropeans’ response to slavery with a perspective of more than 200 years on from its abolition in the former British Empire. A new formation made up of musicians, many of whom Courtney has worked with, and new stars in the making, chiefly steel pans player/altoist Samuel Dubois and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson.

The direction of the music flows in a cinematic way. The bass clarinet at the beginning has a sense of foreboding about it but this then gives way to gloriously arranged and performed high register harmony horn work. By the fourth track when Dubois solos and a chaos ensues it’s a sort of natural punctuation which even includes a small quote from Ornette Coleman’s ‘Lonely Woman’ followed with composure by Harry Brown’s trombone lines that then finds a space for blue beat into ska. There isn’t room to detail all the ensuing stylistic shifts but this album is a must-have.

Courtney’s approach is always best appreciated live but when you listen to Jazz Warriors Afropeans it’s clear that the music has successfully made the leap from the concert to disc and also makes you stop to think.

Stephen Graham

This review is from Jazzwise Issue #119 to our full section and receive a Free CD Subscribe Here...