Beware + Inner Babylon – 2013
Sons Of Kemet
A stirring performance by the original version of the influential British group
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The Sons Of Kemet have created a stir during the past decade as one of the leaders in the resurgence of jazz in London.
The original version of the group is featured on this performance (the core quartet has been augmented by many other musicians on their more recent recordings) and is comprised of Shabaka Hutchings on tenor-saxophone, the remarkable tuba player Oren Marshall, and bothTom Skinner and Seb Rochford on drums.
While sometimes hinting at both New Orleans parade rhythms (due to the rhythmic tuba playing) and free jazz (Hutchings sometimes takes the music outside), in reality Sons Of Kemet plays in their own style that falls somewhere in between.
This film clip, which features performances of “Beware” and “Inner Babylon,” is a good introduction to the music of Sons Of Kemet.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald