Moor Mother collaboration Irreversible Entanglements speaks truth to power
Irreversible Entanglements isn’t only a supergroup collaboration of some of today’s best contemporary jazz artists, it also provides important commentary through its powerful and compelling narrative. The liberation-oriented free jazz group formed in 2015 and just released their first, self-titled collection of tracks; Irreversible Entanglements is available on Bandcamp. It will become available in LP and CD formats on Dec. 1 from an International Anthem and Don Giovanni partnership.
Spearheaded bysaxophonist Keir Neuringer, who invited Philadelphia multimedia artist Camae Ayewa — who performs as Moor Mother — to join him, along with bassist Luke Stewart, at a Musicians Against Police Brutality in 2015. The duo went on to add trumpeter Aquiles Navarro and drummer Tcheser Holmes to the lineup; they performed after them at the MAPB event, and Neuringer proposed adding them to the lineup.
Irreversible Entanglements, largely improvised and anchored with Ayewa’s astute poetry, captures the five-piece’s first time playing together, during a single-day recording session back in 2015. Though the newly released debut was recorded two years ago, it poignantly captures the tension of today’s racial climate in a way makes it not only a response to singular events, but a necessary and enduring statement.
Aweya’s spoken-word vocals, described as “searing poetic narrations of Black trauma, survival and power,” are woven throughout the collections four tracks, which range from seven to 15 minutes each — it’s more of a narrative journey for listeners than it is a collection of songs. Per the record labels, “this is music that both honors and defies tradition, speaking to the present while insisting on the future.” Stream Irreversible Entanglements in full below.