The lounge unites various voices by the drum most associated with black dance ancestries. Sizzling percussive strokes initiate foreign tongues in unison for Louie “Balo” Guzman’s line of dancers. Hot knocking kettles and repeated chants are the ingredients inside the first course of Nitegrooves’ third Afro-diasporic/disiac body tome. Bright energy reigns through each of the 11 tracks regardless of the pace. Anthony Nicholson’s familiar play with earth and air manifests ethereal rhythm grounded by bass and a pan flute solo. Lush drum kit workouts, congas and rubber-band picking on the break delivers the high prana of “Grass Cutter.” Kerri Chandler’s instrumental shows that that African-American compound word/life is such through time and space because of the skin (bass, snare, etc.) rumble. Blaze agrees with that by using the influences of Nigerian Afrobeat star Fela who, made that connection too by studying black American music, to propel “Jump 4 Luv.” Sirius B.’s caravan in the sky moves in and out of blue dissolves where clouds once were. A power choir of soul-tapping sticks and more sticks beat out an emancipation map by the Romatt Project. It’s all middle passage memory music for the club now.
E-mail Tamara Harris at [email protected].
