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For those that loved Kinch’s last album A Life In The Day Of B19: Tales Of The Tower Block (released on Dune Records) this could be easily described as a Part 2 as The New Emancipation finds Kinch even more free to do what he wants (on his own label) that’s perfectly encapsulated by the ‘Trying To Be A Star’ rap/beat/soul/jazz/fusion - “Trying to be a star, find out who you are” should be a X-Factor motto.

For all the ‘new’ of ‘Trying To Be A Star’, the ironically entitled ‘A People With No Past’ is be-bop jazz dance of old echoes of Grant Green licks (provided by Femi “Jazz Guitarist” Temowo, tight Art Blakey style drums and bubblin’ bass lines whilst Kinch give it some (definitely a track for Jazz Chronicles soon but I was saving ‘Trying To Be A Star’ for November’s Hectic jazz vocal session - see details below).

‘Paris Heights’ is a scary social commentary as it’s the debt recovery outsourcing “From Tipton to Rent” as the gangster in suits rip off the poor and underprivileged. It’s no joke and cut backs meets recession is the ‘Ghost Town’ of 2010 call centre scripted thugary - “I’ve just phoned to confirm the details on the recent survey” UK rap? This is the rip-off tele-foney business model that’s a parody of modern life and (ex)statutory sales teams.

And with that off our collective chests, as Kinch is joined by Byron Wallen (recently spotted “at his finest” with Mulatu and The Heliocentrics at The Barbican - see HERE) there’s not disappointment on the jazz from the jazz-bop blues cool of ‘Suspended Adolescence’ (fans of Blue Note will love this one), ‘Trade’ and ‘Help’ (with vocals by Eska) is a fantastic soul-jazz mode. And whilst it’s smooth, there’s a Part II with Albert Ayler free style plus rap.

Traditionalist would probably not enjoy to last 30 seconds but it all adds to the concept: there’s some genuinely clever cash-pun-couplets and banking put downs on ‘Love Of Money’ and then the Anti-War ‘Axis Of Evil’ rap is evidence as to how he can switch (easily) between jazz and hip-hop with jazz.

‘On The Treadmill’ is no Nile iPod+ running tune as it’s breaks down swing big band to broken beat bop (yeah, Kinch can play!) and it’s the longest track ‘Never Ending’ that seals the CD.

In days past of vinyl only releases, you could have split the up in jazz / the other stuff but Kinch is a whole as whilst I know (and heard folks say), “just play the sax” he (and I’d argue), your missing the point - two heads are better than one as they say (perhaps that’s why there’s a double image of Kinch on the cover - in running and static blur?)

Perhaps to prove the point, Ty meets Headhunters on ‘Raise Your Spirit’ as a “raise the bar” climax - play with ‘The Cusp’ - yeah, that good!

It might not be Max Roach but Kinch’s mix of hip-hop, beats, satirical radio drama and swing is The New Emancipation and confirms Kinch as one of the creative forces in British Jazz - as they say, think Duke Ellington meets Malib!

Watch out for his London Jazz Festival gig - see details below.

Reviewed: Soweto Kinch - The New Emancipation (Soweto Kinch Recordings) Cat. No. SKP002CD Release date: 20th September 2010
Tracklisting:
1. An Ancient Worksong (1:44)
2. Trying To Be A Star (4:29)
3. A People With No Past (6:46)
4. Paris Heights (7:59)
5. Suspended Adolescence (7:38)
6. Help (7:14)
7. Love Of Money (4:32)
8. Trade (8:19)
9. Axis Of Evil (3:42)
10. On The Treadmill (4:43)
11. Escape (2:36)
12. Never Ending (10:30)
13. Raise Your Spirit (4:30)

Links:
www.soweto-kinch.com
www.myspace.com/sowetokinch
http://www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk/events/2010-11-18/soweto-kinch-new-emancipation London Jazz Festival 12-21 Novermber 2010
This week’s festival highlights
• Sat 13 Nov 2010, 8:00pm Polar Bear
• Mon 15 Nov 2010, 7:30pm Courtney Pine + Christian Scott
• Tue 16 Nov 2010, 7:30pm Cleo Laine
• Thu 18 Nov 2010, 7:30pm Soweto Kinch: The New Emancipation Femi Temowo also opens the evening with a short trio set, featuring his fluent and fast-fingered guitar playing.
MOBO award-winner and Mercury Prize nominee Soweto Kinch premieres his latest album The New Emancipation, which draws inspiration from 19th century work songs and early blues, exploring the modern resonances of an essential history. From debt/wage slavery, to creative oppression in the music industry and ideas of race in the Obama age, it revisits this rich musical inheritance with a stellar jazz ensemble and hip-hop production. Eska Mtungwazi, Byron Wallen, Shabaka Hutchings and Femi Temowo add solo fire to the mix
• Fri 19 Nov 2010, 7:30pm Harlem Gospel Choir + Golden Gate Quartet
• Sun 21 Nov 2010, 7:30pm AfroCubism
www.myspace.com/eskaonline
byronwallen.co.uk
www.myspace.com/byronwallen
www.hearthis.co.uk
Jazz Chronicles with Simon S, Martin Gordon and Gerry Hectic every first Saturday of the month - next up: Saturday, 6th November at 3:00pm @ Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth
www.myspace.com/60millionpostcards