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To make a change from their normal practice of recording artists in Paris or Philly, ‘Spirit Lash’ was recorded in London. By now, you should know that any track called ‘Buddha’ gets us excited. But it still has to answer a higher calling. Thankfully, it does as it finds the band somewhere between James Blood Ulmer and James Chance on an Afro trip with Mark Murphy. Really, it’s that good! This is going to be in my box until it is as big a hit as ‘The Creator Has A Master Plan’.

Added to the musical excellence, we have Anthony Joseph doing
jazz poet stuff and verse. He’s got something of a Benjamin Zephaniah phrasing. Don’t let the sleeve notes put you off, they inform us that the texts are taken from Joseph’s novel, The African Origins Of UFOs. I can’t say I know this work and I’d be a little worried that some sort of Terry Pratchett was on the cards. It’s actually more “Afro futurism” than discworld. Phew!

If that isn’t enough, ‘Bo Nuggy’ starts with a percussive solo before we hear the tenor screech, the bass thud and a cry of ‘Boooo Nuggy’. This has more of a 70s Tribe Records, Strata-East or Impulse! feel to it. Even so, I’ve no idea what ‘Bo Nuggy’ is. Answers on a postcard and as you write, dig Colin Webster’s tenor groove that is experimentally unsafe.

It’s that time of year where we start think about awards and the like and Heavenly Sweetness and ‘Spirit Lash’ is bombing into the top ten, Be warned, there is nothing spasmodic about this band’s pure African spiritual jazz brilliance.

Reviewed: Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - Spirit Lash EP (Heavenly Sweetness) Cat No. HS 04 Release date: November 2006 (Distributed by Rush Hour)

Tracklisting:
A. Buddha (6:54)
B. Bo Nuggy (10:06)

Band:
Anthony Joseph: poet
Andrew John: upright electric bass
Colin Webster: tenor saxophone and flute
Paul Zimmerman: percussion
Yinka Oyewike: electric guitar (‘Buddah’)

Links:
www.anthonyjoseph.co.uk
www.myspace.com/adjoseph
The African Origins of UFOs
www.myspace.com/heavenlysweetness
www.rushhour.nl
Terry Pratchett