New Zealand saxophonist Lucien Johnson releases brilliant cosmic spiritual jazz album ‘Ancient Relics’
New Zealand-based saxophonist, composer and bandleader Lucien Johnson, who notably led Shogun Orchestra and collaborated with Lord Echo and the Black Seeds, returns with his first album in four years, a brilliant self-released full-length, titled Ancient Relics.
This incredible 6-track recording fuses together cosmic and spiritual jazz grooves with Johnson’s soulful saxophone playing, electric and acoustic keys, harp, and dynamic percussion rhythms and textures that span from meditative to sonically adventurous. There are definitely some Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders vibes flowing throughout the record. The ensemble even picks things up on the standout track “Satellites”, which is primed for the jazz dancefloor.
Joining Johnson on the session is harpist Natalia Lagi’itaua Mann, pianist/keyboardist Jonathan Crayford, double bassist Tom Callwood, drummer Cory Champion, and also notably joined by Julien Dyne of The Circling Sun.
Great from start to finish, Ancient Relics is definitely up there with some of the top jazz releases of 2024.
Lucien Johnson — ‘Ancient Relics’
(Deluge Records)
- Ancient Relics
- Embers
- Ada
- Escape Capsule
- Space Junk
- Satellites
