London’s SEED Ensemble releases brilliant debut on Jazz Re:Freshed
The latest release from the always forward-thinking London-based Jazz Re:Freshed label is the highly-anticipated debut, Driftglass, from the SEED Ensemble. Led by alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, the ten-piece collective features some of the best musicians coming out of the region.
Kinoshi, who also performs with KOKOROKO and Nerija, is joined on the recording by an incredible cast that includes tuba player Theon Cross (Sons of Kemet), trumpeters Sheila Maurice-Grey (KOKOROKO) and Miguel Gorodi, tenor saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael, Joe Armon-Jones (Ezra Collective) and Sarah Tandy on both piano and Rhodes, as well as guitarist Shirley Tetteh, trombonist Joe Bristow, bassist Rio Kai, and drummer Patrick Boyle.
The brilliant recording blends jazz-based melodies and improvisation with West African and Caribbean influenced grooves. The album also incorporates some powerful spoken word verses from XANA on “Afronaut,” and Mr. Ekow on what’s possibly my favorite track of the recording, “Interplanetary Migration”. The fiercely talented Cherise Adams-Burnett also adds some nice soulful vocals to “The Dream Keeper.”
With the first pressing of the album selling out within the first few days of it’s release, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of buzz around this project, and it is certainly well warranted. It might be early in 2019, however you can already declare this as one of the standout releases of the year.
For the masses, we can only hope that Jazz Re:Freshed issues a second (and probably even a third) pressing of this truly remarkable album.
SEED Ensemble — ‘Driftglass’
(Jazz Re:Freshed)
