Moor Mother's second release for
Anti-,
Jazz Codes, is a companion to her 2021 album
Black Encyclopedia of the Air, which was a bit more accessible than her other works, yet just as fearless and genre-defying.
Jazz Codes had its genesis in a book of poems about several iconic blues and jazz artists and performers.
Camae Ayewa asked frequent collaborator
Olof Melander to send her some jazz loops to accompany her readings of the poems. The Swedish producer provided an abundance of material, and the project became a distinct entity as
Ayewa further developed the compositions. Nearly twice as long as
Black Encyclopedia (counting the CD-only bonus tracks) and featuring a greater variety of guests,
Jazz Codes is one of
Ayewa's most ambitious works yet. Her lyrics reference the entire history of revolutionary Black music, celebrating the legacies of important artists while keeping a focus on the road ahead. Opener "Umzansi" features
Ayewa's
Black Quantum Futurism partner
Rasheedah Phillips, namechecking
John Coltrane and chanting "Quantum, Black in the moment" over a footwork pulse elevated by
Mary Lattimore's gentle harp plucks. The brief, shimmering "April 7th" reflects a moment of joy and beauty, as
Keir Neuringer's saxophone shines over rolling, glitchy drums.
Neuringer also plays on an interlude featuring free jazz legend
Joe McPhee, whose poem is delivered in a playful tone yet protests police violence and neo-fascism, reminding us that there's far more progress to be made.
Melanie Charles and
Orion Sun guest on abstract neo-soul songs with slow, knocking beats and mellow keys, lyrically evoking
Mary Lou Williams and
Ella Fitzgerald. Of the more overtly hip-hop tracks,
Akai Solo and
Justmadnice trade forceful guest verses on "Rap Jasm," and "Real Trill Hours" starts with
Ayewa's trippy, pitch-shifted verse in front of
Yung Morpheus' calm, confident rapping. Visionary flutist
Nicole Mitchell appears on the expansive "Arms Save," which starts out as nebulous ambient jazz before a solid beat drops and everything feels like it just snaps into place. "Barely Woke" is another highlight, with
Wolf Weston's weightless voice drifting above
Ayewa's charged rhymes, set to an atmospheric juke/drum'n'bass hybrid. On the outro,
Thomas Stanley reflects on the word jazz's origins as a term related to sex, and suggests that it hasn't fully lost its older meaning, as jazz is a living music. ~ Paul Simpson
