Kicking off the night was drummer Tom Skinner, perhaps best known for his work in Sons of Kemet and as the non-Radiohead member of recent offshoot The Smile. However, on his own, he's a leading force in modern jazz drumming and on Thursday night he celebrated his most recent album, Kaleidoscopic Dreams, with a spinning set that helped launch a night of some stellar, cosmic jazz. At times, Skinner's playing can be forceful and at others, he helps loosen up the rhythms that can otherwise become knotted and complex. At Knockdown Center on Thursday evening, he struck a balance somewhere in between as he was accompanied by brass, woodwinds, and stringed instruments (featuring the mighty Joshua Abrams on bass) and settled into groovy jams that skirted the edge of ambient while still retaining a focus that was sharpened, if not a little dreamy.
The middle portion of the night was without question the heaviest and most hardened set of the three as Moor Mother led Irreversible Entanglements through selections and inspirations from their new album Future Present Past. Blending free jazz with the spirit of noise rock and hip hop, the band's triumphant sound was urgent, direct, and liberating as they led the crowd through some of the densest sounds of the night, trumpet and saxophone punctuating the songs while drastic percussion and ragged bass helped to underscore the forceful nature at play. Moor Mother's visionary words didn't mince emotions as she lashed out at the current state of the world while also providing a sense of hope that we can all come together to lead a change. It was an empowering set that felt righteous and inspiring as the collective energy from the crowd congealed as they pressed on with such determination and conviction. Soaring backing vocals highlighted the spoken word poetry and together, the unity of the members onstage made for a compelling and hypnotic experience that pulled you in from the start.
Headlining the night, Shabaka took to the stage and sat behind a table covered in mixing boards and his various instruments while a drummer sat opposite him, ready to hold down some rather versatile rhythms. It was refreshing to see Shabaka return back to the saxophone and watching him oscillate between that and the flute made for a mesmerizing performance as his celestial tunes floated off into the vast warehouse as he fiddled with looping pedals and other effects that would enhance the sounds permeating from the stage. Shuffling from more ethereal phrasing towards more rhythmically charged tunes as he advanced his set, his progressive approach to jazz felt more realized here than some of his past shows and really brought to life just how much he has expanded his palette over the years. There were striking grooves when he locked in with his drummer to bring out something much more charging and punchy and you could tell the crowd was locked in for these moments as cheers began to erupt around the room as he nailed some solid riffs and locked-in rhythms. However just as much as he had built the show into exploding with these more indulgent tunes, he also slowly phased back to the more relaxed and flowing sounds to wind down the evening, returning for a solo, acoustic encore performance that once again founds the crowd relishing in the palm of his hands.
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