I don't consider myself an expert on Jazz. I listen to it a fair bit and it often moves me in ways I find difficult to describe, but it's definitely a mainstay of my life now. An album I've taken to rather over the past couple of days is Visions of Light by Ishmael Ensemble.
I think this falls in some ways and sometimes into the 'Jazz' category. But Miles Davis, one of the central figures of that form always resisted the categorisation. 'I don't like the word jazz...' he said once. He was one of the 20th Centuries greatest musicians and great musical seekers and explorers, so why wouldn't he resist easy categorisations. Why would he wanted to be contained?
I think 'social music' was the term he used to describe what he did. Something beyond race, colour, social class and geographical location. Perhaps 'social music' is also a better description of Visions of Light.
Ishmael Ensemble hail from Bristol and that makes sense too. They remind me of Massive Attack, Godfathers of that city in many ways and one of my favourite all time musical things.
Ishmael Ensemble pick up the baton from Massive and run with it to terrific effect. Visions of Light is full of that kind of 'vision' if you'll forgive me, full of the eclectisism and invention you always find on Massive Attack records. Beats, voices and rhythms all pursuing new states of consciousness and being.
This is an altogether great record and one I'll certainly come back to in the future months. Moving through August and with the darkness of Autumn and Winter coming on soon, I couldn't recommend a better record to accompany you through those weeks and months.
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