Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble - Where Future Unfolds

    Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble – Where Future Unfolds

    06 Apr

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    Label: International Anthem Recording Company ‎– IARC0025
    Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
    Country: US
    Released: 2019
    Genre: Jazz
    Style: Jazz, Gospel, Hip Hop

    If you are looking for an album that reflects the struggles of Black America in 2020, look no further than this. Where Future Unfolds seamlessly blends hip hop, gospel & free jazz intertwined with samples taken from the Civil Rights movement in America in the 60s.

    We start off with a politically charged spoken word piece delivered through a distorted microphone with percussion crashing around in the background, growing louder until it launches into a full-blown free jazz freak-out complete with a powerful choir. What a way to start an album!

    A hip-hop influence starts to work its way into the compositions as we reach the end of side 1. Damon Lock has an amazing way of storytelling using old samples combined with vocals from a contemporary gospel choir. Both the choir and samples speak from the same view point, imploring us to see that nothing has really changed, 60 years later.

    As we hit side two, we get back into a more jazzier vein with “The Future?” sounding like an Alice Coltrane take, or something from Sun Ra’s – My Brother the Wind. It’s the most experimental piece on the album with some fuzzy organ and keys and helps set up the album’s final two songs.

    The double hit of “Power” and “From a Spark to a Fire” to end the album take us back into a political mindset, and the choir taking centre stage again. The brilliance of these tracks is in the composition, everything has an equal voice, the way the choir sings feels delicate and powerful at the same time.

    Just a final note on the packaging, this thing is fantastic!
    Thick gatefold with an OBI strip, amazingly designed printed sleeves and all topped off with a gold foil printed wraparound cover. If you are looking for more music in this vein, look no further than International Anthem label, they really are the label of the moment in terms of putting out cutting edge American jazz music. At the moment they can do no wrong!

    Track listing

    A1 Statement Of Intent / Black Movement Theme
    A2 Sounds Like Now
    A3 Solar Power
    A4 Rebuild A Nation
    A5 Which I Believe It Will
    B1 Which I Believe I Am
    B2 The Colors That You Bring
    B3 The Future?
    B4 Power
    B5 From A Spark To A Fire

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