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"Abyss", the fourth release from saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart, takes listeners deep into the heart of the scintillating marriage between jazz, Gnawa (mystical music of Morocco), and gwo ka (the traditional music of Guadeloupe). The album is Schwarz-Bart's debut for ObliqSound, and features bonus remixes by DJ Spinna and Renovation Unlimited, exclusively for release in North America.
Only an artist with Schwarz-Bart's unique legacy could share this passionate quest for the sensual and poetic meeting of two cultures evolving from the same core, the same African roots, separated by the very history of their evolution. More than just a musical exploration of cultural themes that have intrigued Schwarz-Bart since childhood, "Abyss" is Schwarz-Bart's personal memorial to his father, who died in 2006. "This album is a Kaddish (Jewish memorial prayer for the dead) for my father," said Schwarz-Bart. "But far from being morbid, it is a celebration of the powerful and luminous being that he was, despite having to survive the holocaust of his people."
Schwarz-Bart has released three earlier albums as a leader, including the straight ahead "Immersion," "The Brother Jacques Project," a mixture of soul and jazz, with layers of Caribbean rhythms, and "Soné Ka La," a blend of the multi-cultural influences that set the scene for his new musical works. But it is "Abyss" that marks Schwarz-Bart's emergence as a confirmed soloist, composer and trail-blazer. He delves deeply into the sound of gwo ka and into Gnawa music, from the Moroccan descendants of African slaves who developed their own music and culture like their African American and Afro Caribbean counterparts, resulting in a mystical and divine sound of varied scales and constant interplay between call and response. The compositions here are even more inspired, and they allow the whole group to become unified by this new interactivity, to throw off constraints and devote themselves to the development of free space.
On this outing, Schwarz-Bart has several great musicians as his special guests: John Scofield plays an exquisitely serene guitar solo on the album's title track, in counterpoint to the vocals of Elisabeth Kontomanou, and Stephanie McKay's superb vocals shine on "Big Blue." On "An Ba Mango La," dedicated to Schwarz-Bart's father and based on a traditional Gnawa melody of an invitation to the spirits, his incantatory tenor sax is highlighted by legendary gwo ka hero Guy Conquet's haunting vocals and punctuated by Sonny Troupè and Olivier Juste's responses.
Full album details
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| 11.
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Dlo Pann (Renovation Unlimited Remix) 5:23 |
| 12.
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Mendé Chiraj (DJ Spinna Remix) 7:05 |
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