Credits:

Sons Of Kemet

Description:

Shabaka Hutchings, a London-based saxophonist/bandleader/composer comparable to Kamasi Washington, has signed with impulse! Sons of Kemet is an outlandish mix of tenor saxophone, tuba, and double drums. This third studio album celebrates the UK's relentless exploration of the Caribbean with a genre-bending approach. All songs were recorded in London and feature a variety of guests from the wider UK music scene, including jungle legend Congo Natty and poet Joshua Idehen. The album is a statement against the oppressive system of the British monarchy, which celebrates a lifestyle that legitimizes the injustices of class and racism that infest the United Kingdom. Hutchings does not accept the hierarchy as represented by the Queen of England. He presents his own queen as an alternative to this idolatry. Our queens," he says, "have led us by their actual actions, and have listened to us, for example. Our queens made a bright future out of a cruel and unjust past." He says." Tracks such as "My Queen Is Ada Eastman," "My Queen Is Harriet Tubman," "My Queen Is Angela Davis," and "My Queen Is Yaa Asantewaa." each consist of songs celebrating a different queen.Sonically, the band covers from New Orleans to the Caribbean, and even London and the Middle East. The instrumentation of tuba, drums, and saxophone explores the world of the Caribbean islands. With the addition of spoken word, rap, and dub elements, this groundbreaking work expands the realm of jazz into the world of contemporary hip-hop!

Tracklisting:

1.1. My Queen Is Ada Eastman
2.2. My Queen Is Mamie Phipps Clark
3.3. My Queen Is Harriet Tubman
4.4. My Queen Is Anna Julia Cooper
5.5. My Queen Is Angela Davis
6.6. My Queen Is Nanny Of The Maroons
7.7. My Queen Is Yaa Asantewaa
8.8. My Queen Is Albertina Sisulu
9.9. My Queen Is Doreen Lawrence