Poet, novelist, musician and lecturer, Anthony Joseph creates a hypnotic blend of rapturous spoken word and groove fusing the rhythmic speech and music of the Caribbean to create the sounds and vibes that rock the islands of his cultural roots. Bursts of catchy rhythms and slow percussive riff progressions, incandescent voodoo funk and rhythmical high-speed frenzies shot through with free-jazz sax, all fall under Anthony Joseph’s guidance, as he spins his lyrical blend of Afro-futurism and surrealism on his latest album, ‘Caribbean Roots’.
‘Caribbean Roots’, released July 2016 via Heavenly Sweetness/Strut Records, attempts to unite the different islands in a single entity where the identity of each isn’t diluted by the mix, instead creating a richer and stronger alloy. Backed by a band made up of a blend of local musicians, the saxophones of Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet/The Comet Is Coming) and Jason Yarde, the trumpet of Yvon Guillard (Magma), the bass of Mike Clinton (Salif Keita) and the trombone of Pierre Chabrèle (Creole Jazz Orchestra) all combine to form a band of Caribbean Allstars to which Andy Narrell, the master of the steelpans, those typical Trinidadian metal drums, brings ringing drumbeats. They join a rhythm section which includes London-based drummer Eddie Hick and long time Joseph collaborator Andrew John on bass.
TASTING NOTES:
Reminds us of… Oscar Brown Jr., Ebo Taylor, Shadow, Irakere, Gil Scott-Heron
