Monday 22nd June, 2020
This project, supported by the PRS Foundation and The Shape Of Jazz To Come, would have been a significant statement under normal circumstances: had it been performed live at the Vortex it would certainly have informed and possibly elevated those lucky enough to attend in person. Against the backdrop of global Black Lives Matter protests and the re- addressing of the Windrush scandal its message resonates louder than ever; and performed under lockdown and over livestream, it encapsulates a particular moment of conjuncture so completely that it makes totally compelling viewing.
Proceedings begin with a dark screen over which the unmistakeable mid-Atlantic tones of patron Dave Holland introduce the show. Then the music kicks in, and the camera introduces us to the players, one by one, each performing in isolation from their respective locations. Drummer Samson Jatto lays down a hypnotic 12/8 groove from a shadowy studio corner; Ayanna Witter-Johnson dances with her cello in front of the Egyptian statue on her mantelpiece, joining Renell Shaw’s bass guitar to interweave some melodic lines and embellishments over the carefully wrought harmony, and Orphy Robinson layers some dazzling figures on marimba from his narrow sound booth with an African mask displayed on the wall behind him. The glimpses into the performer’s personal spaces make the impact of the spoken word extracts that play across
the top of the music even stronger: we are presented with a powerful image of a fractured community uniting itself around an expression of shared history and culture.
Shaw’s music moves over a series of differently paced, evolving sections; there’s a wide ranging blend of influences, from the soca flavoured pulse of We Don’t Sleep No More, spiced with marimba, baritone sax and some fluent bars from Shaw, to the gospel-flavoured intro to Umoja that develops into a slow, portentous, proggy workout that wouldn’t be out of place on a Pink Floyd release. Shaw makes full use of the multitrack recording process, layering up Nandi’s vocals into a psychedelic choir, building up the rhythm beds with extra
percussion and keyboards, and bringing tap dancer Delycia Belgrave in to add slow, precise figures over the
final movement’s sombre harmony. Throughout, the recorded voices from the Windrush generation are overlaid to tell tales of aspiration and endeavour, meeting differential standards and endemic racism, additionally contextualised by Kevin Le Gendre’s narrative interlude. Out Of many Come One features Shaw reciting Haile Selassie’s famous speech, in South London accents over a pumping groove; then the pace drops, to build back up with the voice of Dr. Io Smith MBE recounting his
lived experience over a slow bass and tap duet into a dramatic finale, and we are left with the word ‘Revolution’ across the black screen. Tonight’s show had the immediacy of a live performance with the extra depth and polish of a structured broadcast piece. While the Vor tex audience would have numbered in the hundreds, the video has been watched 7,000 times to date: a lesson in how restrictions can turn into possibilities if they’re embraced with resilience and collaboration.