Humanite`
You must feel something when you listen to jazz, a gladness of the heart,a relaxing of the mind or maybe just a good old fresh vybe. It takes a little more to describe the music that was made in this album. Even for an avid jazz listener this album stands out by the first track you listen to.
Kirk Whalum calls it the beloved community and it just resonates with the beauty and love that humanity has. A beauty Kirk acclaims to have been magnified by his father early in his life as a Clergy member and his life’s circumstances that had him in the school jazz band in his first day of middle school. Wow!
His music must confer with the sign of the times and it just speaks volumes about us at times of extreme and biased society. Be it racial bias, police excesses, wealth parities and gender based violence. He finds a way to sing along to ‘Everybody ought to be free’ and ‘Move on up’. These medleys’ are rich in history of the reconstruction efforts and the civil rights bill in America to the sitcom The Jefferson’s giving a sense of hope amidst outrage and privilege .
Kirks travels gets the best of him as he makes this album and the beauty is found in ‘Korogocho’ a song he did featuring the Great Marcus Miller of a small slum in Nairobi home to kids who love jazz and playing in the Ghetto Classics Orchestra. He went on to make a track with Ghetto Classics and Aaron Rimbui called ‘Kwetu’, Swahili for home. It a contemporary jazz track that will truly highlight the mixture of jazz cultures that are impeccable.
For those who love their smooth jazz as much as they like their red wine collaborations with Liane Caroll and Sarhetian from the Jakarta, Indonesia will have you slow dancing on your red and brown rug. The beautiful soul occasioned on ‘Wildflower’ and pop solos in ‘Peace’ are a way to just relax and live a little in the moment of the interlude. The sax solos always do the mood justice as Kirk’s works bring the sauce to the dish. The fusion of the rnb has a tone that will have sing it as you wash the dishes.
The hip and still ‘young’ sound of the Memphis man has to have a taste of church and the choir in particular with ‘Don’t get wrong’ that has you feeling like it’s a hip version of the praise choir doing a medley of How great thou art .Collaboration being a big part of this album and ‘From the East to the west’ with Heavenese is a great pop song that has all the right techno beat to have you dancing .Marry this Blow 4 U and Don’t get wrong will have you on your feet streaming from one end of the room to the other . These collaborations with Mi Casa are a beautiful taste of honest Afro-pop jazz that is dancy and cool.
Finally, culture has to have its roots and isn’t it beautiful. One of the first American Jazz legends like Kirk doing music a cultural collaboration with Johannesburg based Zahara with the beautiful Now I know. A solidarity song that is sensual and inspiring. Alongside Keiko Matsui is one of those earth moving Asian artist whose piano touch needs no introduction. In the track SJL she delivers an adventure of highs and lows of humanity as Kirk being her sidekick.
The album is set in timeless rhythm and I’m sure on the turn of the century it still has its favourites. It’s clear that Kirk is on a mission to tell stories and unite people with these stories, a vendetta almost designed to unite people with this music of goodwill and heart. A man almost hanging up his sax, but one last ride through humanite` is the ultimate expedition. Take my word for it.
You can buy Humanite` from the link below:
and many other platforms such as Deezer and Spotify.
Compiled by Mwaura Karumbi.
