ANGEL BAT DAWID Vinyl & CDs

Review: International Anthem is one of the most adventurous contemporary jazz labels out there. It doesn't pander to new audnices now water down its unwavering jazz intent and deals only in high quality and timeless projects. Next is this, Requiem For Jazz, a 12-movement suite composed, arranged and inspired by dialogue from Edward O. Bland's 1959 film The Cry of Jazz. this wide ranging long player has been overseen by composer, clarinetist, singer and educator Angel Bat Dawid and is something of a treatise on the African-American story. Archive reels from black neighbourhoods in Chicago are cut up with live footage from Sun Ra and his Arkestra among others to make for a mind blowing work.

Review: Since turning up in the Windy city a few years ago, spiritual jazz singer, clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid has become a stalwart of Chicago's vibrant avant-garde scene. Here he delivers a debut album that should, if there's any justice at least, propel her towards international superstardom. Both her melancholic clarinet lines and distinctive singing feature prominently throughout, alongside sparse percussion, occasional Afro-futurist synthesizer motifs, harp and guitars - all of which Dawid plays herself. It's a virtuoso display that more than confirms her status as one of the spiritual jazz scene's most authentic voices.