{"id":728,"date":"2020-04-26T20:50:35","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T01:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=728"},"modified":"2021-06-24T17:10:18","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T22:10:18","slug":"review-shabaka-and-the-ancestors-we-are-sent-here-by-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-shabaka-and-the-ancestors-we-are-sent-here-by-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Shabaka and the Ancestors&#8217; &#8216;We Are Sent Here By History&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>From the Thirteenth to the Seventeenth Centuries, the powerful Mali Empire ruled Western Africa. Encompassing modern Mauritania, Niger, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali, the nation was led by members of the Keita dynasty, a series of rulers who tracked their heritage to Bilal Keita, a freed slave who became a close associate of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. This lineage was preserved by the griots, a highly respected hereditary title for musicians who would preserve the oral tradition through song. Their storytelling, however, was far more than just the recordkeeping of nobility as griots were also relied upon to preserve historical narratives, cultural values, and praise songs. In many ways, it was artists who preserved the civilization\u2019s legacy. Over time, their role transitioned primarily to one of entertainment. On&nbsp;<em>We Are Sent Here By History<\/em>&nbsp;(Impulse! 2020), Shabaka and the Ancestors successfully send a clarion call for the modern reemergence of the griot as a messenger.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_QdrPmZwsXiM\"><div id=\"lyte_QdrPmZwsXiM\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/QdrPmZwsXiM\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QdrPmZwsXiM\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/QdrPmZwsXiM\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p> On \u201cThey Who Must Die\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019ve Been Called\u201d, bandleader Shabaka Hutchings and vocalist Siyabonga Mthembu reference the burning of numerous concepts and items. These allusions can be taken as a means of opposing these modern concerns including debt (bills, mortgages, and student loans) and poverty more generally. But the fire spreads far beyond these items to also engulf names, records, archives, and writers&#8217; thoughts. The one commonality among those on the list of scorched pieces is their identity as information reduced to tangible form. By showcasing their destruction,  the band is in many ways advocating the transition to their maintenance and delivery through oral means. This is further underscored by Hutching\u2019s poetry included with the album which includes the line \u201can act of destruction becomes creation.\u201d That is, the cessation of existing methods of communication would make way for a new one.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_rpyoP3x9-hk\"><div id=\"lyte_rpyoP3x9-hk\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/rpyoP3x9-hk\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rpyoP3x9-hk\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/rpyoP3x9-hk\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The rest of the recording focuses primarily on the various roles of the griot in this proposed paradoxically new and ancient system. \u201cThey Who Must Die\u201d features refrains of \u201cAfrican time\u201d and \u201cGenes and Spirits\u201d to further underscore the griot\u2019s role as a historian, genealogist, and religious leader. \u201cGo My Heart, Go to Heaven\u201d\u2019s presentation of a version of a South African church song in the Xhosa language and \u201cTil The Freedom Comes Home\u201d\u2019s Rastafarianism harken to responsibilities as a spiritual leader. Cultural norms are emphasized through the initiation ceremony in which a boy becomes a man. \u201cFinally, the Man Cried\u201d similarly adopts a more modern one by speaking out against toxic masculinity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it is inaccurate to say the album focuses exclusively on West African traditions. There is a broader sense of Pan-Africanism across the release, as each song utilizes languages from South Africa, where the album was recorded and the band\u2019s members &#8211; sans the leader &#8211; originate. This primarily takes the shape of different thematic phrases in the Yoruba, Xhosa, and Zulu languages. For instance, \u201cRun, the Darkness Will Pass\u201d uses the Zulu phrase \u201cKwasuka sukela\u201d roughly translated to \u201cOnce Upon a Time\u201d to reinforce the song\u2019s role in storytelling. Additionally, at various times&nbsp;<em>We Are Sent Here<\/em>&nbsp;references Afro-Caribbean culture and the griot descendant Calypsonian. This facet emerges primarily through the various rhythms used as well as Hutching\u2019s tenor sax solos.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_eg-0rBD38Lc\"><div id=\"lyte_eg-0rBD38Lc\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/eg-0rBD38Lc\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/eg-0rBD38Lc\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/eg-0rBD38Lc\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>From the driving and propulsive \u201c\u2018Til the Freedom Comes Home\u201d to the more subdued and melancholic \u201cBehold, the Deceiver\u201d and \u201cTeach Me How to Be Vulnerable,\u201d the band is eclectic, creative, and unlikely to be confused with any other. Nevertheless, the album\u2019s title appropriately conveys not just its overarching message of the griot but also reflects the members\u2019 artistry in which the shadows of musical ancestors are undeniable. In the case of Hutchings, one perceives hues of the fire and raw emotional appeal of Archie Shepp, the spiritual yearning of Pharoah Sanders, and the rousing energy of Sonny Rollins. <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/nduduzo-makhathinis-modes-of-communication-letters-from-the-underworlds-album-reviewed\/\">For Nduduzo Makhathini, it is a long line of South African pianists as well as the recently departed McCoy Tyner.<\/a> Despite this, each artist presents a unique voice. As much as history may have sent them to this moment in time, one senses future generations will themselves be looking back to this music in forging their own artistic paths.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.shabakahutchings.com\/\"><strong><em>We Are Sent Here By History<\/em>, Shabaka and the Ancestors&#8217; First Release for the legendary Impulse! Records is now available at your nearest music store or ShabakaHutchings.com. <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracklist: (1) They Who Must Die; (2) You\u2019ve Been Called; (3) Go My Heart, Go to Heaven; (4) Behold, the Deceiver; (5) Run, the Darkness Will Pass; (6) The Coming of the Strange Ones; (7) Beast Too Spoke of Suffering; (8) We Will Work (On Redefining Manhood); (9) \u2018Til the Freedom Comes Home; (10) Finally, the Man Cried; (11) Teach Me How to Be Vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personnel: Shabaka Hutchings (tenor sax, clarinet), Mthunzi Mvubu (alto sax), Siyabonga Mthembu (vocals), Ariel Zamonsky (bass), Gontse Makhene (percussion), Tumi Mogorosi (drums), Nduduzo Makhathini (Fender Rhodes), Thandi Ntuli (piano), Mandla Mlangeni (trumpet).&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the Thirteenth to the Seventeenth Centuries, the powerful Mali Empire ruled Western Africa. Encompassing modern Mauritania, Niger, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali, the nation was led by members of the Keita dynasty, a series of rulers who tracked their heritage to Bilal Keita, a freed slave who became a close [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":60,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[441,41,447,445,446,448,444,439,31,438,53,440,34,443,442],"class_list":["post-728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-ariel-zamonsky","tag-gontse-makhene","tag-griot","tag-impulse","tag-impulse-records","tag-mali-empire","tag-mandla-mlangeni","tag-mthunzi-mvubu","tag-nduduzo-makhathini","tag-shabaka-and-the-ancestors","tag-shabaka-hutchings","tag-siyabonga-mthembu","tag-south-africa","tag-thandi-ntuli","tag-tumi-mogorosi"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/shabaka.jpg?fit=1000%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-bK","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":202,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/five-genre-defying-selections-from-newport-jazz-festivals-first-wave-of-2020-performers\/","url_meta":{"origin":728,"position":0},"title":"Five Genre-Defying Selections from the Newport Jazz Festival\u2019s First Wave of 2020  Performers","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"February 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The historic Newport Jazz Festival has released a list of 36, out of approximately 60, groups which will appear across its four stages at Fort Adams this summer. As the first modern music festival, one may mistakenly assume that most of the acts reflect a more traditional view of jazz.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Newport 2020","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/newportjazz-poster-1.jpg?fit=777%2C894&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2755,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/impulse-60-black-to-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":728,"position":1},"title":"Review: &#8216;Impulse! Records: Music, Message &#038; The Moment&#8217; and Sons of Kemet&#8217;s &#8216;Black to the Future&#8217;","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"May 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"In 1960, Creed Taylor founded Impulse! Records, which he dubbed \"The New Wave in Jazz.\" While over time, Impulse! established itself as one of the premier labels in the genre, it was always happiest around categorical edges. Ray Charles\u2019\u00a0Genius + Soul = Jazz\u00a0(Impulse!, 1960) blurred lines between the two styles.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Impulse-60-Sons-of-Kemet.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Impulse-60-Sons-of-Kemet.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Impulse-60-Sons-of-Kemet.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Impulse-60-Sons-of-Kemet.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":613,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/miles-davis-bitches-brew-50th-anniversary-celebration-part-three-influence-on-jazz\/","url_meta":{"origin":728,"position":2},"title":"Miles Davis\u2019 Bitches Brew 50th Anniversary Celebration- Part Three:  &#8220;Jazz&#8221;","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"March 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the penultimate chapter of our four-part series celebrating the legacy of the landmark Bitches Brew on its Fiftieth Anniversary. Our first piece focused on the album\u2019s compositions, the second on production techniques, and our forthcoming final feature will emphasize its influence on\u00a0 \u201cnon-jazz\u201d artists. Each adopts the list\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bitches Brew 50th Anniversary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bitches Brew 50th Anniversary","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/bitches-brew-50th-anniversary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bitches Brew \"Jazz\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_jazz.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_jazz.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_jazz.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_jazz.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1758,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/blue-note-reimagined\/","url_meta":{"origin":728,"position":3},"title":"Review: &#8216;Blue Note Re:imagined&#8217;","author":"Colin Stanhope","date":"October 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Blue Note has a more important discography than almost any label in the history of jazz, encompassing decades of some of the most significant music ever recorded within the idiom. For more than 80 years, the label has produced legendary recordings. It has not rested on its laurels in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":598,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/miles-davis-bitches-brew-50th-anniversary-celebration-part-two-the-influence-of-production\/","url_meta":{"origin":728,"position":4},"title":"Miles Davis\u2019 Bitches Brew 50th Anniversary Celebration- Part Two: Production","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"March 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the second of our four-part series of lists celebrating the legacy of the landmark Bitches Brew\u00a0on its Fiftieth Anniversary. Our first piece focused on the compositions while forthcoming ones will emphasize the album's influence on subsequent \"jazz\" and \"non-jazz\" artists.\u00a0 Each list follows two general guidelines: that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bitches Brew 50th Anniversary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bitches Brew 50th Anniversary","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/bitches-brew-50th-anniversary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bitches Brew Production","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_production.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_production.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_production.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BB_mainart_production.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2867,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions\/2867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}