“Reqiuem For Jazz” by Angel Bat Dawid

A breathtaking meditation on African-American culture.

Hello! 😊👋

Welcome to a new edition of the Best Music of All Time newsletter!

Today’s music pick is a breathtaking meditation on jazz history and its role in African-American culture.

Genre: Jazz Fusion, Experimental

Label: International Anthem

Release Date: March 24, 2023

Vibe: 🤯

If there was ever a document that proves live performance can elevate an art form, it’s Angel Bat Dawid’s exceptional Requiem For Jazz. The composition was inspired primarily by the 1959 documentary film The Cry For Jazz, which interrogates the state and future of jazz through the lens of cultural appropriation and spiritual emancipation. “The thesis of the film is that jazz is dead,” said Dawid. “But if jazz is dead, why wasn’t there a funeral? I decided to write a requiem for jazz. The body is dead but the spirit always lives.” It’s a fascinating and complicated statement, wrestling with far-reaching topics like Black temporality and systematic oppression. As a result, this album isn’t meant for passive, unengaged listening. You must give it your undivided attention to experience its full power.

Recorded at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in 2019, more than 20 individuals helped Dawid bring this vision to life, including 15 instrumentalists, a four-person choral ensemble, dancers, and other visual artists. The live excerpts, interspersed with interludes Dawid put together in post-production, push jazz fusion to its absolute limit, incorporating blues, hip-hop, and contemporary classical elements. It’s also heavily influenced by the work of Sun Ra, the jazz pioneer who, among other accomplishments, provided the soundtrack for The Cry For Jazz. More than any other aspect, I was struck by how the human voice is used throughout. On “KYRIE ELEISON- Lawd Hav’ Merci,” soulful acapella builds and builds to a magnificent choral crescendo, mourning the “stolen children of Africa.” “AGNUS DEI- Jazz is Dead!” is even more dramatic, amplifying its militant-sounding rhythm with operatic harmonies. To have seen it live must’ve been incredibly spiritual.

Terming a piece of art “important” elicits more than its fair share of eye rolls, but the distinction is true for Requiem For Jazz. Beyond being a musical odyssey of the highest order, it strives to update and extend critical conversations about African-American history, identity, and suffering. Art can be uncomfortable, yes, but the more boundaries it pushes, the more indispensable it becomes.

👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈