Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Album Review: Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You?

Irreversible Entanglements
Who Sent You?
*** out of *****

The free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements second album Who Sent You? is a collection of worried numbers which are connected and concerned with modern day ills focusing on racial injustice and police brutality. The New York/Philadelphia/Washington based players put their heart, soul, and minds on display during the long tracks.    

The band Camae Ayewa - voice, texts Keir Neuringer - saxophone, percussion Aquiles Navarro - trumpet, percussion Luke Stewart - double bass, percussion Tcheser Holmes - drums, congas, are addressing painful issues over the albums run time. Opening with Stewart's bass leading the march accented by light cymbals before Ayewa delivers fractured American poetry setting the scene for what's to come during "The Code Noir / Amina".

The centerpiece of the release is "Who Sent You - Ritual" which begins with a skittering manic intro that never relents while paranoia seeps in everywhere. A police state is addressed before receding to nervous trumpet pops and a cooling sax leaves the listener "gasping for air". The elongated track could perhaps be paired down to pack more of a visceral punch, but the message has been delivered. 

"No Mas" is a musical highlight with hip shaking flair and prominent horn blowing while "Blues  Ideology" is more free-form scattered with verbal jabs at religion before closer "Bread Out of Stone" ends the album on a percussive minimalist musical tone around poetry on slavery and broken heritage. 

The mix of anxious soul poetry and rage about the modern political situation flows through not only the spoken words but he music itself as the band coalesces around and unfair past and uncertain future. Irreversible Entanglements Who Sent You? is a modern jazz recording with it's ear to the streets embodying America's fractured state. 
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Support the band, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp  or below and peep some video:


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