Album Review: Diaspora, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

KEY TRACK: "No Love"

6/10

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s album Diaspora is another exploration in what he calls “stretch music”, which is aesthetics and ideas pulled freely from jazz, hip-hop, soul and alternative rock.

To this end, hip-hop beats are prominent, and piano loops provide the harmonic backdrop in most cases. Occasional guest contributions on flute and vocals are welcome and effective, but it is the trumpet of Scott that leaves the deepest mark.

His horn-work is soulful, weeping and calling like a lonesome lover. Songs like “Our Lady of New Orleans” and the title track are standouts in this regard. The album is not without its faults, however.

Diaspora succeeds when it cleaves closest to a more traditional jazz framework. The experiments in hip-hop structure that comprise much of the album do no favours because they rob the compositions of energy and forward motion – paradoxically, their tight cells and repetitive thudding render the songs more formless.

This is particularly problematic in songs like “IDK” and “Desire And The Burning Girl”, which seem better suited to a noir film score than a progressive modern jazz album.

This is unfortunate because where the aesthetics of neo-soul and hip-hop combine with the structural logic and improvisation of jazz – as on the cruising “No Love” – the result is inspiring and evocative.

Scott’s rich talent is best showcased through songs that employ development, contrast, and dynamic range. If the next offering in his ambitious ‘Centennial Trilogy’ celebrating the birth and growth of jazz succeeds in this, it may well be a classic for the ages. This time, he has produced an interesting and lyrical record that is hampered by experimental dead-ends.

Release date: June 23