"The journey of self-discovery, communing with the eternal sound. A musician steeped in multiple worlds; oceans apart yet closely connected in ancestral memory. Musicians such as Ahmed Abdul-Malik were able to experience the global community of sound warriors, drawing inspiration from ancient cultures to support personal investigation. The connection was made clear, the music of Africa would certainly influence the African in America despite the atrocities of the Middle Passage, chattel slavery, and continued racist violence that sought to sever any connection to the continent. The beauty of Malik’s investigation is this original fusion of new music (Jazz) of the African in America with ancient music of Africa. It is a shining example of collaboration in culture, where the music is allowed to shine for itself. This is the inspiration that is being tapped, being explored in this collaboration where rhythm is the basis for the sound. Just like Malik, they allow the spirit of the collective push the sound as the music develops into exalted chaos. Joy Be Upon Us!" — Luke Stewart
released March 26, 2021
Arranged by [AHMED]
Pat Thomas - Piano
Joel Grip - Bass
Antonin Gerbal - Drums
Seymour Wright - Alto saxophone
Recorded live at Cafe OTO, London, December 5th, 2019.
Recording: Shaun Cook
Mixing: Billy Steiger
Mastering: Mikey Young
Inner-sleeve text: ' Origins Revisited' by Pat Thomas (2004)
Cover photo of Ahmed Abdul-Malik at the Cabana Club, New York City, 1965
©Raymond Ross Archives/CTSIMAGES
Produced: Astral Spirits / Seymour Wright
Thank you: Abby Thomas, Fielding Hope, Cynthia Sesso and Valerie Wilmer, Billy Steiger and Shaun Crook, Jens Lowius and John Hawthorn.
[Ahmed] make music about the music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik. They excavate, re-inhabit and use a-new the now overlooked documents, and fragmentary plans, of his mid-20th century synthetic vision to produce a new jazz imagination for the 21st century.