The Lure of South African Jazz

A little over two weeks ago saw the latest release from Detroit-based Eastlawn Records. This blues and jazz label was co-founded by percussionist RJ Spangler and Frank Traum, a pharmacist with a lot of jazz friends that he felt deserved more attention. The new album is the second to present the Paxton/Spangler Septet, which Spangler founded in partnership with trombonist John “Tbone” Paxton.

Ironically, the group seems to have expanded to an octet. The remaining six performers are Dan Bennett on tenor and alto saxophones, Kasan Belgrave on alto saxophone and flute, Phillip J. Hale on piano, Damon Warmack on electric bass, Kurt Krahnke on acoustic bass, and Sean Perlmutter on drums. The album also features three special guests: Salim Washington on tenor saxophone, oboe, and flute, Alex Harding on baritone saxophone, and John Douglas on trumpet.

from the Bandcamp Web page

The title of the new album is Ugqozi, a word in the Zulu language that translates as “inspiration.” Where Paxton and Spangler are concerned, that inspiration is the influence of South African jazz, an influence that dates back to the Seventies and involves influences such as Sun Ra’s Intergalactic Arkestra. There is also some Nigerian influence on the track “Water No Get Enemy,” composed by Fela Kuti.

My own awareness of this approach to playing jazz also dates back to the Seventies. However, it was not until the second half of the Eighties that I was living in Southern California, where I had my only opportunity to listen to a performance led by Sun Ra. On the other hand, my awareness of African influences dates back to my first job, teaching computer science at the Technion in Israel during the first half of the Seventies. Music worthy of serious listening was relatively sparse where Israeli radio was concerned, but tracks recorded in Africa tended to rise above what was otherwise a level of mediocrity. However, once I returned to the United States and had a much broader scope of listening opportunities, my interest in African sources never progressed much further than John Coltrane’s “Africa.”

As a result, while I feel there is little (if anything) to criticize about the tracks on Ugqozi, the moments that seize and sustain my attention are few and far between. The most memorable of these would have to be Harding’s over-the-top baritone work on the “Water No Get Enemy” track. Nevertheless, I shall probably return to this album for subsequent listening experiences; and the discovery of other highly inventive moments will probably not escape my attention.