Mixing freebop and deep grooves, alto saxist and composer Bobby Zankel brings together an octet to assemble a musical history of slavery in the US. With vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd singing complex lines, ranging from the names of slaves who participated in building the President’s House, to quoting Malcom X, the team of Jaleel Shaw/as, Robin Eubanks/tb, Diane Monroe/vi, Sumi Tonooka/p, Lee Smith/b and Pheeroan Aklaff/dr takes us on a musical journey that covers the sounds and soul of a history that hopefully is behind us.
Musically, there are rich textures and intricate pulses on pieces such as “Destiny” and the gospel grooved “Ring Shouting” featuring Eubanks’ earnest soloing. Smith gets some space on the rivulet of “Rituals of Indifference” with the altos crying out on “Sprits Break to Freedom”. The rhythm team is flexible and yet cohesive, in sync on the tricky “To Be A Human Being” and rumbling for “ Naming Names”.
My hat is off to the musical vision of the piece; however, one learns over time that it is easy to put light on the sins of earlier generations while ignoring our own.