Dialectic Soul vinyl

As debut albums go, drummer Asher Gamedze's first album for On The Corner Records is pretty darn impressive. Gamedze thought deeply about slavery, colonialism and the African experience during the period he spent making the set, asking his accompanying musicians (and vocalist Nono Nkoane) to try and incorporate these vital themes within their playing. The result is an album of rare brilliance that effortlessly melds elements of Afro-jazz, spiritual jazz and free-jazz into an expressive and unashamedly cosmic whole. The most ear-catching and significant track is undoubtedly the 19-minute suite that opens the album, though there's much musical joy and pain to be found elsewhere across the double-LP set.