If Asher Gamedze wanted to release a record of just the track "Determing Facts", he'd still be earning heaps of praise. The transcendent number is one of many on the new album from the South African drummer and composer. Constitution, released on International Anthem later this week, is credited to Asher Gamedze and The Black Lungs. And the ensemble here adds to the power of this series of compositions. In short, this is a monumental work from Gamedze.
A double album, Constitution is varied in mood and style. The smaller pieces, and spoken word bits are stops along a journey centered around longer offerings. "Determining Facts" soars. Shades of label-mate Angel Bat Dawid's compositions heard in the vocals here by Tina Mene. However it's the cornet of Tumi Pheko and the alto sax of Garth Erasmus which give this enormous heft. The complexity of the sax solos may recall post-A Love Supreme Coltrane for many listeners, and the entire composition works up an energetic storm of feeling, a hint of Mingus in the arrangement.
The album-length title cut rolls in on waves of piano from Nobuhle Ashanti. The elegance of these moments is prelude to the force and strength of the ensemble's approach later. The heart of this composition is in the horns and their call-and-response. Garth Erasmus on alto sax and Jed Petersen on tenor sax do the work here of exploring a pattern of ascending riffs, with the entire ensemble circling them. Piano from Ashanti is crucial in anchoring that. The weight of the piece is due to the heaviness of the drums from band-leader Asher Gamedze and assorted percussive effects from Ru Slayen. "Constitution" is a distallation of the album itself, a struggle over 40 minutes to rise, face a struggle, rise again, and find meaning in the exploration of higher levels of melodic invention. It's a superb piece of music, and one which should rightfully place Gamedze on the radar of anyone interested in the link between jazz of the past and that of the 21st century.
As an album, Constitution is almost overwhelming in its scope. Lengthy, one can likely return to the title cut as its own seminal work, even as the smaller pieces around it augment the breadth of Asher's sonic visision. Heard all the way through, this monumental recording is a journey. There's acknolwedgement in the forms within of the history of jazz, with stylistic detours reminiscent of the best work of composers and musicians we grew up on. Still, Constitution is the album where Asher Gamedze has become one of the greats himself.
Constitution by Asher Gamedze and The Black Lungs is out on International Anthem this week.
[Photo: Lungiswa Gqunta]