When writing about any Jazz, particularly when it's an album that I'm seriously loving like this one, there's always a nagging tendency to over-sell or explain it. It's a habit born of the overwhelming impression I get that Jazz remains a dirty word for far too many music fans; hence the predilection to describe exactly what it is that's floating my boat. This is of course pretty insane because, more often than not, with Jazz it really is all about the music. It's the vibe and the groove and whether or not you're really feeling it. The only way to establish these facts is by listening, giving this music the time and attention it deserves and letting the magic cast a spell. On 'Kindred Spirits', super-talented pianist Zoe Rahman takes you on a multi-cultural journey that swings it's jazz pants like a bad-un; it's a record that rides the waves of musical dynamics and melody just for the sheer thrill and adventure. It's both loose and wild yet simultaneously skilled, dexterous and considered. Given time, it's pleasures are revealed to be both enduring, endearing and endlessly fascinating; a suite of music that bounces between classical, bhangra and even a traditional Irish jig at one point. Essentially though, at it's core is a purists Jazz sensibility that positions this as one of the essential Jazz albums of our time.
So therein lies the problem, because when an album is this good I really want to see it reach out as far as possible, but too often people seem scared of the genre. Zoe has been here before too, with her 2005 album 'Melting Pot' earning a Mercury Music Prize nomination. I remember throwing cricket balls at the TV screen the year Kit Downes Trio got the token Jazz nomination for the prize. Some gimp off of Radio 1 was on there talking about how he'd really had to put the effort in to listening to Kit's album and that in doing so and "nearly getting something" he had something to tell his grandchildren! I expect he's since been able to return to his more palatable staple diet of spud-in-a-bucket landfill Indie. But that's the tragedy as I see it, the brick wall any decent new Jazz record comes up against in the media. As good as the work (in actual fact, against the odds, his radio shows are exceptional) that Jamie Cullum does in music broadcasting it's not enough; and he's Jamie Cullum!
As a long term music fan I've always had affection for albums that take a bit of listening to, the ones that require a few plays before their true pearls of beauty start to reveal themselves. These are the records that can often be the most rewarding in the long run. Prog-Rock has plenty of titles that fall into this category, Classical music too but arguably the best hard-work albums can come out of the Jazz arena. The irony with this exceptional Zoe Rahman album is that it doesn't really require any effort to get into at all. She's got such a tuned-in musical ear that she pulls off the rare trick of being instantly accessible and fascinatingly intricate all at the same time. She's surrounded by some pretty heavy duty players too, all of whom bring an overall explosiveness to the table. Oli Hayhurst on double bass is a total groove monster at the bottom end whilst Zoe's brother Idris has this kind of liquid energy on clarinet. There's even a nice cameo from Courtney Pine on alto flute but nothing deters from the centre stage pounding of Zoe's keys. This is piano playing like few can master; she rocks the keys, caresses them and glides across them majestically in the same way Hendrix did on electric guitar. I know most Jazz players are blessed with great technical ability but it takes more than technique to bring music alive, there are other harder-to-define ingredients that 'Kindred Spirits' has in spades. Maybe it's time for all you Jazz-a-phobes to have a revision.
You can let Zoe Rahman's 'Kindred Spirits' take you on it's journey by listening here:
Zoe Rahman – Kindred Spirits
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