Review: Irreversible Entanglements’ ‘Future Present Past’

Future Present Past (Impulse!, 2026)  is Irreversible Entanglements’ second release for the legendary label after a five-year gap between albums. The band, sometimes labeled “agit-free jazz,” is a unique entity that defies simple descriptors. It has the Afro-futuristic bent of Sun Ra – especially when June Tyson was in the Arkestra, the rich poetry of The Last Poets or Gil Scott-Heron, the rallying and battle cries of The Staples Singers, and the free-wheeling approach of a semi-free jazz quintet. The latter dispels the notion of totally free jazz because the group employs hooks, motifs, and rhythmic figures that tie pieces together even if improvisation lies prominent in the ensemble’s heart. 

The Philadelphia-Washington D.C.- New York City collective was formed in 2015 when vocalist Camae Ayewa AKA Moor Mother, saxophonist Keir Neuringer, and bassist Luke Stewart participated in a protest movement called Musicians Against Police Brutality that spoke out against the NYPD’s approach to policing. That history,  in one sense, tells you all you need to know about the band’s perspective on  the ongoing battle between oppressors and the oppressed. Their focus on social justice has guided thr group through its first decade. Trumpeter Aquiles Navarro and drummer Tcheser Holmes joined shortly after. For the session that birthed Future Present Past, the ensemble is further augmented with vocalists MOTHERBOARD and Helado Negro. Originally recorded in the famed Van Gelder Studios, the album then spent seven additional months in post-production where vocals and synthesizers were masterfully layered in.

With Future Present Past, Irreversible Entanglements’ focus is macro in scope rather than micro. Instead of centering on any specific issue, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, oligarchy, or dictatorship, for example, the album focuses on broader themes of Black trauma, survival, power, and a future outlook that breathes optimism. It  takes a forward-looking approach thst is all about Black liberation, encompassing both the associated pain and joy.

The song title of the opener,  “Juntos Vencemos,” translates into “together we overcome” in Spanish. It  features vocalist Helado Negro singing over tribal-like rhythms, forming the first bookend as the album also closes with the same vocalist on “We Overcome.” On the former, Moor Mother and Navarro use such percussion instruments as a Watusi Cattle Horn and Indonesian Water Buffalo Horn to emulate horn sounds.  “Don’t Lose Your Head” is a rallying cry, with Ayewa and MOTHERBOARD issuing lines such as “Don’t lose your head messing with the gods.” Holmes sets a dynamic groove over which the horns weave in and out. The vocals don’t come across as raging but remain passionate. There’s no possible misinterpretation of the message: 

“It’s time to stand for liberation/We know that they got they plan/When will they stop the execution/When will they stop the persecution/We know that they got they plan/We know that they got they plan/The people will rise and stand/The people will be marching on/We carry the freedom song/We carry the freedom song”

The core of “Vibrate Higher” was recorded live at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works, also featuring both vocalists. It opens with Neuringer’s drone-like synths, muted horns, thumping bass, and a barrage of percussion that blurs the lines between the vocals and horns. The two words, “vibrate higher,” are repeated throught, perhaps harkening to an aesthetic evident in the work of Sun Ra.  Yet, later in the piece, the mood shifts with the clarion call of Navarro’s trumpet into a trance-like rhythmic vamp. The pulsating “Panamanian Fight Song” with Navarro on both trumpet and piano, continues the spacey aspects, while lyrically returrnibg to the theme of ‘together we will overcome.” As is the case throughout the record, Holmes’ drumming is outstanding here.

The band stated that with Future Present Past they asshmd their “role in this music as messengers, continuing in the tradition’s long march along the arc of the universe. Freedom fighters are telling us not to lose our heads amidst imposed chaos. It is our duty to vibrate higher, beyond the noise, above the hype, away from the novelty, over the walls, across the borders: to keep going.” On both “Hold On” and “Keep Going,” the two “mothers” invoke ancestoral spirits to make this vision a reality. 

“The Spirit Moves” stands out instrumentally as largely a percussion piece where Stewart plays the mbira and Navarro plays a conch shell in addition to the other percussion instruments craftfully wielded by Holmes. The lone horn is Neuringer’s soprano sax, with Moor Mother calmly reciting lyrics that include:  “Standing in prayer for those in need/For those in need/Every time we feel the spirit/Out of our mouths/Fire/Moving in our hearts/A rhythm/A rhythm of us marching towards victory/No more troubles/Move all the troubles away.”  The album title of Future Present Past suggests a chronological hierarchy. The time yet to come is the most important of allz  In a different context, especially with the emphasis of “fight on,” and “we shall overcome,” we can relate both to these chaotic times, and to Sun Ra’s futuristic glimpses, as well as the resistance strains of a major voice of the Civil Rights Movement, The Staples Singers. It’s all distilled in one listen with an unmistakably salient message.

‘Future Present Past’ is out now on Impulse! Records. It can be purchased directly from the label.

Photo credit: Annemone Taake