Spectreview: Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O – UMDALI

Released: November 12, 2021

Jazz
(South African Jazz)

-FUCHSIA PINK-

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Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O’s debut album is a multifaceted dedication: to a personal history of mentors (late jazz legends Johnny Mekoa and Jonas Gwangwa among them), but also to dedication itself. South African jazz carries the dire weight of apartheid’s history, and the jovial warmth it emanates often comes at the expense of the strife behind its creation. Its major players operated under the psychic damage inflicted by segregation and, in the tragic case of Moses Molelekwa, the physical threat of death. But UMDALI is less a pensive eulogy than a celebration of such perseverant talent, with Jiyane and his players acting as mediums channelling their inspirers. More than a technical showcase (though it is), and more than an exercise in diverse tonal palette (although it is that as well), the record is an example of the triumphant power camaraderie and solidarity hold.

Though its format is immediately recognizable – five songs, each anchored by a central series of phrases backgrounding individual performances – the distinct details of those performances stand out. Each feel relaxed and effortless, the product of a group of equals rather than of a dictatorship. “Senzo seNkosi,” for instance, beautifully opens the record with Nhlanhla Mahlangu’s dynamic saxophone (notice the inspired changes in volume during his solo) rather than Jiyane’s trombone. Later, during Nkosinathi Mathunjwa’s keyboard solo on the slow swing of “Ntate Gwangwa’s Stroll,” you can hear Jiyane openly encouraging him, getting into the music.

That one moment represents UMDALI’s nurturing spirit, grounded in the act of feeding another. Each of these songs is an offering given in respect and gratitude. In the Herbie Hancock-inspired “Umkhumbi kaMa,” its to the group’s powerful maternal figures; in “Ntate Gwangwa’s Stroll” it’s to the titular Gwangwa, while in the vibrant closer “Moshe” it’s to Molelekwa. The band go beyond lip service though: the slow swing of “Ntate Gwangwa’s Stroll” feels perfectly aligned with the style of the late trombonist, and “Moshe” finds Jiyane and crew interpolating Molelekwa’s unique approach to harmonics and rhythms while maintaining their own feel. Meanwhile, “Umkhumbi kaMa’s” specific Herbie reference, “Ostinato (Suite for Angela),” brilliantly connects that song to the women its dedicated to. Whether it’s the rapturous breathiness of Jiyane’s playing on “Life Esidimeni” or the sudden surge of energy in “Umkhumbi,” UMDALI is full of small but inspired decisions that, combined with its gorgeous sound and tight playing, make it one of the best jazz records released this year.

Highly recommended for dancing in the street.