Nubya Garcia – ‘Odyssey’ album review: late-night jazz romanticism for the modern age
THE SKINNY: Jazz has a history that outlasts and outdoes the vast majority of music genres. Its defiant attitude and dedication to innovation have meant that every new generation of music makers has their own unique take on the style, which prevents the scene from ever becoming too overly repetitive or stuck in its ways. In recent history, figures like the Camden-born saxophonist Nubya Garcia have been flying the flag of jazz, and her latest record, Odyssey, is an excellent example of why she is among the most exciting modern jazz artists in Britain.
Following up Garcia’s Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Source, was never going to be an easy task, but one that the composer has handled with expected grace. Odyssey is a record which speaks to Garcia’s timeless songwriting talents, but also her unparalleled artistry. Many of the compositions contained on the album sound as if they could have been created by somebody who has been deeply ingrained in the industry for decades. Although Garcia has been mastering the saxophone since childhood and has spent many years as a celebrated jazz performer and composer, the listener still cannot help but bask in the anachronistic and captivatingly grandiose compositions of the London musician.
While Garcia is, inarguably, the main creative force behind this record – even taking on production duties alongside longtime collaborator Kwes – Odyssey is supported by a truly incredible cast of musicians. Most notably, the saxophonist invites collaborators in the form of Esperanza Spalding, Richie Seivwright and Georgia Anne Muldrow, alongside the Chineke! Orchestra and, of course, the gifted musicians who made up her core band. The drumming of Sam Jones is particularly commendable on tracks like ‘The Seer’, adding a bombastic modern touch to that classic jazz sound.
Speaking to Garcia’s all-encompassing artistic vision, Odyssey is a truly excellent listening experience, and an album which demands to be listened to in full. The inclusion of two interluding efforts across the tracklisting helps to keep the flow of the album consistent, even while moving between vastly different moods and stylistic atmospheres.
This means Garcia can go from the dance-heavy sound of something like ‘The Seer’ to dark, cinematic soundscapes like ‘Water’s Path’ without having the record feel too disjointed or thrown together. Although the final instalment on this journey, ‘Triumphance’, does let this listening experience down somewhat, Garcia clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the construction of the album itself, as opposed to it being a collection of unrelated compositions.
For fans of: Going to late-night underground jazz clubs, rejecting modernity, and pretending not to hate the taste of whisky.
A concluding comment from Louis Balfour, of The Fast Show’s jazz club: “Niiiice! A blend of sounds in the mixing bowl of my mind.”
Odyssey track-by-track:
Release date: September 20th | Producer: Nubya Garcia and Kwes | Label: Concord Jazz
‘Dawn’: Performed alongside Esperanza Spalding, this grand, orchestral effort demonstrates Garcia’s incredible talents and unwavering ambition. Upon listening to this, you would be forgiven for thinking she has been in the industry for decades. [4/5]
‘Odyssey’: Speaking to Garcia’s dedication to the jazz genre, and moving the scene forwards, the album’s title track is an impressively timeless jazz effort, which features a particularly infectious piano performance by Joe Armon-Jones. [5/5]
‘Solstice’: Although Garcia is, inarguably, the driving creative force behind this record, each instalment emphasises the colossal importance of her core band, too. ‘Solstice’, for example, emphasises the importance of drummer Sam Jones, who gives a captivatingly ballistic performance. [4.5/5]
‘Set It Free’: Featuring Kokoroko’s Richie Selvwright, ‘Set It Free’ is a collaboration made in modern jazz heaven, seeing two titans of the genre collide in the creation of something truly unique and compelling. [4/5]
‘The Seer’: Although much of this album is befitting of a smoke-filled late-night jazz club, this song is awash with infectious danceability. Jones’ drumming, in particular, is evocative of old-school dance music, which acts as an unlikely compliment to Garcia’s saxophone-heavy songwriting. [4.5/5]
‘Odyssey (Outerlude)’: Showcasing Garcia’s deep respect and understanding of the album format, this is one of two ‘outerludes’ which aid the record in flowing from one theme to another without feeling too jerky. [3/5]
‘We Walk In Gold’: As the outerlude foretold, Garcia moves towards a much more mellow, understated sound on this part of the record. Alongside celebrated American soul singer Georgia Anne Muldrow, Garcia returns to the late-night sounds of red wine romanticism. [3.5/5]
‘Water’s Path’: As the title suggests, this is a gentle, orchestral track that seems to be building towards something sinister. It sounds as if it could soundtrack a particularly sad scene in a children’s animated film from the mid-20th century. [3.5/5]
‘Clarity’: Flowing effortlessly from the previous track, this is another grand arrangement which evokes the classic jazz compositions of the early-to-mid 20th century, while adding Garcia’s uniquely modern musical voice into the mix. [4/5]
‘In Other Words, Living’: An optimistic jazz odyssey which lives up to its title; awash with the joys of living and everyday life. It is often easy to attach your own emotions and experiences to instrumental offerings, but Garcia seems particularly skilled in this craft. [3.5/5]
‘Clarity (Outerlude)’: As we reach the end of this extensive album, Garcia once again treats us to an ‘outerlude’, although this one is much more developed in its own right than the previous. Arguably, though, it fails in its quest to properly transition into the album’s final track. [2.5/5]
‘Triumphance’: Despite the preceding ‘outerlude’, ‘Triumphance’ does not seem to fit with the rest of Odyssey at all. Either in theme or performance, the song feels like an entirely separate entity and, although it is far from being a bad song, it does damage the flow of the album listening experience. [2.5/5]
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