Nubya Garcia
Odyssey
Concord Jazz
Listen Below
The more you listen to what can be labelled as jazz music, the more you realize that jazz is all encompassing and limitless in its scope. In a 1997 interview, Nina Simone famously and righteously bristled at the prospect of being labelled a jazz singer. She preferred instead to agree with Duke Ellington and describe the music she created and played as “Black Classical Music”—a music with fewer limits.
Nubya Garcia’s new album Odyssey finds her embracing that notion in new ways. She has been very vocal in the run-up to the release about discovering a love for writing for string sections and that is the major difference between her Mercury Prize nominated debut Source (2020) and this stellar new album.
Given the international success of her career, you might be forgiven for thinking that this new album would be stuffed with guest artists from all corners of the globe and that somehow her core would be moved from that which raised her. But as a product of the diaspora, with stints in the Camden Jazz Band and Tomorrow’s Warriors, she is deeply rooted in the community she grew up in.
So still at her side are the keyboard genius of Joe Armon Jones, the resounding rhythms of Sam Jones and the anchoring double bass of Daniel Casimir—all of whom have been part of her circle for a long time. There are a couple of guests that may be more widely known, but it seems far from coincidence that they are both highly accomplished female artists—Georgia Anne Muldrow and her wonky funk feature on “We Walk In Gold” and Esperanza Spalding opens the album to great effect on “Dawn,” where her vocals and Garcia’s saxophone mirror each other perfectly.
Listen to the Album:
To make a crude division, the album is split into two halves. The first half is powered by the seemingly unstoppable force of the band in full flow and even finds time for a funky hip-hop inspired beat for “Set It Free,” where guest vocalist Richie, once again mirrors Garcia’s sax, note for note. The second half, meanwhile, is cradled in the string arrangements that Garcia has rightly spoken so proudly of, performed perfectly by the Chineke! Orchestra.
But the uniting thread that runs throughout is the presence of memorable riffs and phrases that stick long in the memory, providing the hook to lure in the listener. The title track, “Solstice” and “Clarity” are but a few that contain these hooks, luring the listener in, while being ensnared by the wonderful strings or propulsive power of the impeccable band. And it’s a band that makes it impossible to pick out individual moments because just as you’re thinking you should revel in Armon-Jones’ keys, you find yourself lost in the glory of the dynamic rhythm section. Everything is to be embraced here.
There’s a delightful piece of track sequencing with the final song “Triumphance.” Here the reggae-tinged rhythms that have played a key role in her work make a reappearance. That it comes after the prolonged section of string dominated beauty is a message to the world that her musical roots are there, unforgotten and still relevant and necessary alongside the additional strings being added to her bow.
The beauty on offer here is two-fold. Firstly, comes the beauty of a band in perfect sync—a living, breathing partnership years in the making. Then comes the new layer of beauty added by the sweeping and dramatic strings. That both are marshalled and harnessed brilliantly by the inimitable Garcia is testament to her already substantial, but exponentially growing abilities.
Notable Tracks: “Dawn” | “Solstice” | “Triumphance” | “Water’s Path”
LISTEN: