Sons of Kemet – Lest We Forget What We Came Here To Do

• Stewart Smith
• 15 September 2015

(Naim)

British jazz group release follow-up to feted debut Burn

Sons of Kemet’s 2013 debut Burn minted a fresh UK jazz sound, blending Barbadian and Jamaican traditions with elements of grime, gospel and fiery free jazz. Lest We Forget … continues their exploration of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, with drummers Tom Skinner and Seb Rochford cooking up trance-like grooves under Shabaka Hutchings’ reeds and Theon Cross’s sinuous tuba. While bursting with memorable tunes and irresistible rhythms, the album has serious cultural and political intent, with tracks referencing murdered Palestinian youth Samir Awad and Barbadian novelist George Lamming. ‘Long Night of Octavia Butler’ and ‘Afrofuturism’ form a black science-fiction duology, with the latter featuring an EQ-filtered passage that sounds like a field recording from Atlantis. As accessible as it is innovative, Lest We Forget … is a triumph.

Out from Fri 25 Sep.