
The enormous seriousness of all this definitely affects the music. In that period, several years ago, Jiyane was dealing with the death of a band member (trombonist Jonas Gwangwa), the birth of a daughter and the passing of his mentor Johnny Mekoa, founder of the Music Academy of Gauteng. And what he presents is an honest snapshot of his personal circumstances at the time of recording. He brings that same spirit to his debut as a frontman on Umdali. Trombonist and pianist Malcolm Jiyane has heretofore existed on the South African jazz scene as a sideman, most notably working with the Johannesburg, South African-based group Spaza, which describes itself on Bandcamp as “a band with no permanent personnel, with each lineup assembled for the express purpose of recording once-off improvised or workshopped material.” Jiyane was an integral part of its 2020 LP Uprize! You’ll find this writer at the front of the line. This is a group that is looking toward its first tour of the U.S. There is so much to like on Liminal Space, and in Ill Considered, which effortlessly blends wide-ranging influences - from jazz freedom to punkish angst to spiritual mother Africa. They bring new layers, directions and energy to a production that is already teeming. But the music always has a spiritual edge, like the plaintive call of “Pearls,” the hopefulness of “Prayer” or the loping tempos of “Sandstorm.” On Liminal Space, the trio is joined by guests who represent an array of the U.K.’s finest young improvisers: Tamar Osborn, Sarathy Korwar, Ahnanse, Theon Cross, Kaidi Akinnibi, Ralph Wylde, Robin Hopcraft and Ollie Savill. So, too, does Raham’s beckoning saxophone, which shifts into stratospheric zeitgeist via digital audio processing. Ramazanouglu’s drums and Donin’s bass rage with rapid-fire angst. Take, for example, the aptly titled “Dervish,” where the three dig into a sinister, nasty march and spur each other to push harder and go farther. Somewhere, Don Pullen and Sun Ra are smiling. They play a trance-dance, spiritual style of jazz that’s bold, edgy and flat-out awesome. Core group members Idris Rahman (saxophone), Liran Donin (bass) and Emre Ramazanoglu (drums) drive furious improvisational invention over fantastically danceable beats. Liminal Space, the group’s 10th recording and first to be fully produced, loses none of the power of those raw predecessors and gains all the sheen of the studio.


#The notorious b.i.g. unbelievable sample chops series
and an ongoing series of nine limited-run, DIY live recordings that sell out to fans as soon as they drop. Ill Considered has been making a name for itself over the past four years with packed live shows in the U.K.
