Shabaka And The Ancestors - Wisdom Of Elders (2016 UK Brownswood 2LP Gatefold)

Shabaka Hutchings' collaboration with South African jazz musicians resulted in one of the most compelling albums in his diverse discography. Recorded in Johannesburg at Sumo Sounds Studio in 2016 and released on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings, Wisdom Of Elders unites Hutchings with pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, drummer Tumi Mogorosi, vocalist Siyabonga Mthembu, and other exceptional South African players to create music that honours spiritual jazz traditions while engaging with South African musical heritage. The double LP format allows these extended compositions proper space to develop, capturing the group's blend of avant-garde jazz, African traditions, and spiritual searching across a gatefold presentation pressed by Optimal Media.

The ensemble's approach draws from South African jazz history (Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela), spiritual jazz pioneers (Coltrane, Sanders, Alice Coltrane), and contemporary concerns about identity, ancestry, and liberation. Hutchings' tenor saxophone leads with his characteristic intensity and technical command, while Makhathini's piano and Rhodes work provides harmonic foundation infused with South African musical sensibilities. Vocalist Siyabonga Mthembu's wordless vocals and occasional lyrics add human voice to the instrumental textures, connecting to African vocal traditions and spiritual jazz's use of voice as pure expression. The rhythm section of Ariel Zamonsky on bass, Tumi Mogorosi on drums, and Gontse Makhene on percussion creates polyrhythmic complexity that honours both jazz tradition and African drumming practices.

Mixed at The Crush in London and mastered at Calyx Mastering with lacquers cut at the same facility, this UK pressing by Optimal Media offers excellent sound quality that captures both the music's spiritual intimacy and explosive intensity. The gatefold sleeve provides visual presentation befitting the music's cultural and spiritual ambitions. Wisdom Of Elders established Shabaka And The Ancestors as a crucial project in Hutchings' portfolio, distinct from his UK-based groups Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming through its direct engagement with South African jazz lineages and its Johannesburg recording base.