The 1st Gospel

Album review

The 1st Gospel is the debut leader album by veteran South African alto saxophonist, flutist, and composer Mthunzi Mvubu. Playing professionally since he was 14, he has worked extensively with some of his country's top jazz musicians, among them Abdullah Ibrahim, Herbie Tsoaeli, Feya Faku, Nduduzo Makhathini, Thandi Ntuli, and Tumi Mogorosi (with whom he has played since 2012, making key contributions to 2014's Project Elo and 2022's excellent Group Theory: Black Music). Mvubu and Mogorosi are both members of Shabaka & the Ancestors. Here, Mvubu leads a quintet that includes tenor saxophonist Tobias Meinhart, drummer Sphelelo Mazibuko, double bassist Dalisu Ndlazi, and pianist/keyboardist Afrika Mkhize. Guest Mpumi Dhlamini plays tenor saxophone on one track and Hammond B-3 on another. Opener "Zig Zag" is a finger-popping post-bopper led by a grooving piano vamp. Mvubu plays the head alone before moving into a lithe solo with fat comping from Mkhize and tasteful rim shots from Mazibuko. Over nine-and-a-half minutes, the altoist leads the band though myriad dynamic and tempo changes. The composition changes shape and texture several times as Mkhize adds crystalline synth alongside his piano, adding an element of fusion. The humorously titled "Mom vs. The Bad Man" is all drama. Its open-toned lyric head from the pianist and the altoist erupts into a modal strut about a minute in. Both saxophonists offer joint and contrasting serpentine lines atop the time-stretching efforts of the rhythm section. The group interplay is advanced, seamless, and smooth, with nearly euphoric intensity. The title track is a vehicle for Mvubu's flute. A lilting spiritual ballad, the conversation between the soloist, bassist (who also delivers a fine solo), pianist, and drummer is affirmative and resonant. The single "Voice" is a breezy modal tune offering melodic improvisation from both saxophonists and piano. The effortless groove unwinds in circular motifs. In the lushly romantic "In the Wake of Your Song," electric piano, percussion, and tenor saxophone entwine, bridging bossa and rumba. The pianist's bluesy solo references source inspirations from Herbie Hancock and João Donato. "A Child Speaks" emerges from a modal swirl of saxophones, piano, and an Afro-Latin rhythmic vamp. There is a Hammond hovering in the background and subtle, nearly ambient electronic production embellishments coloring the proceedings with shimmering warmth and sparkle. Mvubu's unhurried solo is at once romantic, assertive, and soulful. Gauzy synth washes shade it with a buoyant modern feel. Set closer "7 Kings," one of two tunes here by Mkhize, is festive in the grand South African jazz tradition of Abdullah Ibrahim and Tete Mbambisa. His chord progressions and filler vamps add hints of Joe Zawinul's electronic lyricism for measure. The 1st Gospel is an auspicious debut. Mvubu, a master composer and saxophonist, is revealed here as a canny, imaginative, and democratic bandleader with profound command of both harmonic and rhythmic invention.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo