London jazz wizard Shabaka Hutchings: Sons of Kemet / The Comet Is Coming / Shabaka & the Ancestors

that was a joke, but i'd be pretty surprised if these four guys never play together again

yeah tbh I wonder what prompted the announcement. Prior to this, I could've easily seen Comet, Ancestors, or Sons never putting out another album without having to make it formal

From the Basement session sounding great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB4-eH5mGf0

.@SonsOfKemet @NewportJazzFest pic.twitter.com/b0lAB1ZE2A

— jeff (@jazyjef) July 30, 2022

New The Comet Is Coming album, Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, in September. I haven't heard all of it yet but what I have heard is very good. Here's the first single, "Code":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUiI1SJqgRo

Hey, I was just at the Newport Jazz Festival, they slayed! I don't know the material well enough to know if it was from an album or entirely improvised (which it often felt like).

Barely took any photos at #newportjazzfestival today, but here’s a moment from the incredible @SonsOfKemet set 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SKaAI2bjvn

— Nate Chinen (@natechinen) July 31, 2022

Join us for #KEXP50, our 50th anniversary celebration on Saturday, August 6! The event is FREE, open to the public, and featuring live sets from @chkchkchk @SonsOfKemet @thaogetstaydown @tomonakayama @LIV_musiq + MORE special guests! Info: https://t.co/mNCVJts5Ya pic.twitter.com/4baqnNtdez

— kexp (@kexp) July 22, 2022

Boy I am not responding to the new Comet is Coming album as I'd hoped. I think I have to admit that I like it when they're more "rock," and maybe liking rock in my jazz is corny, but so be it.

i'm liking it a lot, though i'm hearing less rock than EDM
why they are scheduled to play NYC at the same time as BRIC Jazzfest is beyond me

edm and 70s Miles Davis fusion

Revisited the Shabaka & the Ancestors albums this week. Those are fucking brilliant, and really slept-on IMO (probably because they can't tour as much as TCIC or Kemet could).

Agreed, Wisdom of Elders is probably my favorite SH-related album.

The new one has sadly confirmed that I don't really like TCIC that much.

The new one has awakened my interest in TCIC

As one door closes, another opens

Tour started last night. They're phenomenal live, so if they're in your neighborhood and you're feeling good about going to shows, definitely do it.

Fri, SEP 30 The Crocodile Seattle, WA
Sat, OCT 1 Revolution Hall Portland, OR
Mon, OCT 3 The Independent San Francisco, CA
Tue, OCT 4 The Independent San Francisco, CA
Wed, OCT 5 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA
Thu, OCT 13 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
Fri, OCT 14 The Axis Club Theatre Toronto, Canada
Sat, OCT 15 Le National Montreal, Canada
Tue, OCT 18 Crystal Ballroom Somerville, MA
Wed, OCT 19 Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA
Thu, OCT 20 Union Stage Washington, DC
Fri, OCT 21 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Sat, OCT 22 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Wed, NOV 2 Tama Poznań, Poland
Thu, NOV 3 Zaklęte Rewiry Wrocław, Poland
Fri, NOV 4 Hype Park Kraków, Poland
Sat, NOV 5 Praga Centrum Warszawa, Poland
Sun, NOV 6 Pitchfork Music Festival Berlin 2022
Tue, NOV 8 Alte Feuerwache - Halle Mannheim, Germany
Wed, NOV 9 E-Werk - Clubbühne Erlangen, Germany
Thu, NOV 10 MEETFACTORY Prague, Czech Republic
Fri, NOV 11 Transcentury Update 2022 Leipzig, Germany
Wed, NOV 16 La Gaîté Lyrique Paris, France
Thu, NOV 17 L'Aéronef Lille, France
Fri, NOV 18 Babylon Istanbul, Turkey
Sat, NOV 19 Pavillon Hannover, Germany
Thu, DEC 1 Ｓｈｉｂｕｙａ　ＷＷＷ 渋谷区, 日本
Fri, DEC 2 Ｓｈｉｂｕｙａ　ＷＷＷ 渋谷区, 日本
Sat, DEC 3 Live House Anima Osaka, Japan
Thu, DEC 8 Oxford Art Factory Sydney, Australia
Fri, DEC 9 Meredith Music Festival 2022 Meredith, Australia
Sat, DEC 10 Corner Hotel Richmond, Australia

Unsurprising if reactionary ol' ILM turns against TCIC just as they go imagocore tbh. That chord flourish near the end of The Hammer is so me, you must be disgusted

Yeah wasn't sure what to make of EDM jazz at first but it's really clicking. "Angel of Darkness" is especially a standout.

Yeah that song is SO sick, reminds me of Ex Eye, the Colin Stetson post-metal thing from a few years ago

Ha didn't know you were a fan - Ex Eye was great.

Really confused, are we all using EDM as a term for dance music in general now? Or does the new Comet Is Coming truly sound like the Chainsmokers?

There is flashy, poppy techno in this jazz, and I am here for it

Spaced out where SoK is earthy, The Comet Is Coming's "Channel the Spirits" starts off sounding kind of like an update on "Lawrence of Newark," but touches down in a thumping dance club towards the end.

― rob, Wednesday, September 26, 2018 5:06 PM (four years ago)

^from my opening post. This isn't a departure or anything, it's a core element of their sound and hardly represents some turn to "imagocore," whatever that could possibly mean smh.

They used to be noisier and more "out"; they've definitely moved further in the direction of synthwave and 80s retro on this album (and to a lesser degree on the LP and EP before it).

True, I don't think they've been static, and I'd have to listen to them all again to discern the trajectory. But the dance music element was a big part of CtS.

I'm more than happy to think of "imagocore" as 80s retro, excellent

oh no

do feel like there's a certain flashy balance of pop, prog, avant-garde noise and melodic grandstanding that constitutes a Sweet Spot, and that this album locks onto it to an extent

yeah fair enough, please just do not call me "reactionary" though ;)

EOY season preparations seem to get earlier every year

New album is terrific

"Angel of Darkness" is a massive track.

Unsurprising if reactionary ol' ILM turns against TCIC just as they go imagocore tbh. That chord flourish near the end of The Hammer is so me, you must be disgusted

― imago, Saturday, October 1, 2022 8:18 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

yes we reactionaries want a return to the classic oscar peterson-style coffee shop be-bop of earlier the comet is coming!

the first song reminded me of a song that would be in the bourne identity soundtrack with sax

lol sorry, that was quite boorish in retrospect. but I really think the new album is an exciting leap into...something

it's not grabbing me at first but he's a great artist and i'll definitely keep giving it a go

The ARE Prject EP that he did with Hieroglyphic Being and Sarathy Korwar is my favorite thing he’s been a part of— could listen to that record on a loop, and in fact, I have done so for hours at a time

table otm

I had to stop the new Comet, forget the idea that it's jazz, put it back on, and it works much better now. I have no idea what synthwave is but I could picture this in a video game all right.

This is what I mean! Come over to my side, we have fat breakdowns

Synthwave is just a term for Carpenter obsessed synth soundtrack stuff.

If it is that then it def can't also be EDM.

Gonna go listen to the damn album now and find it.

*out

I'm on "Frequency" and the groove is quite formidable, it's very much ethno porn sax skronk but I don't mind. The developments and sonic contrast with the synths and beats are... incongruous and funny ? It's the first album in a while that seems to have a sense of humor and make me want to laugh. It's a rather strange mix of subversive and meditative, but I can take it as it is.

Comet would have been great at Megadog

The genre of TCIC is "music that kicks ass" I think.

Had the pleasure of seeing them live this week and they were incredible.

incredible live band

New record is pretty great in my book. John Carpenter + skronky sax sounds good to me.

a concert this coming Tuesday that might be of interest to Londoners, with sets from three Native Rebel artists, Shabaka Hutchings’ record label:

https://earthackney.co.uk/events/native-rebel-recordings-the-brother-moves-on-chelsea-carmichael-con-kwake-15-11-2022/

mentioning it because I saw The Brother Moves On from Johannesburg in Amsterdam last night and they were awesome. I only knew their “You Think You Know Me” from last year because it was nominated in Tom Ewing’s EOY Twitter poll. great track, but not very representative (and they didn’t play it).

they performed as a five-piece band (guitar, bass, drums and two saxophonists/flutists) plus wonderful frontman/vocalist Siyabonga Mthembu.
there’s a lot of jazz in what they do, but (to my ears at least) it’s local SA genres at the heart of it all. their Wikipedia entry mentions “maskandi rock” (and “ninja gospel” fwiw).

listening to their recent album right now, and I’m enjoying it, but it can’t hold a candle to the live performance. go see them live if you can.

I guess I might add that they somehow manage to be intense and fun at the same time

He killed it. Never heard anyone who can turn on a dime like this guy.

Dude what

https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/shabaka-hutchings-presents-john-coltranes-hackney-church-tickets/13648158

This will be Shabaka’s final performance on the saxophone before he takes a hiatus from the instrument.