Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Alchemy Sound Project: Afrika Love

Alchemy Sound Project: Afrika Love

By Jerome Wilson
August 10, 2021
View read count

The group Alchemy Sound Project is the result of five accomplished composers and bandleaders pooling their resources. The five are saxophonists

Salim Washington

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Salim Washington and

Erica Lindsay

saxophone, tenor
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Erica Lindsay, trumpeter

Samantha Boshnack

trumpet
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Samantha Boshnack, pianist

Sumi Tonooka

piano
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Sumi Tonooka and bassist

" data-original-title="" title="">David Arend. Each one contributes a composition to this, their third release together. The result is a varied set of complex and restless modern jazz, arranged to showcase the playing talents of the group's members.

Arend's "The Fountain" is a jangling group collage which has the horns stuttering over a looming, broken beat. The rhythm section of Arend, Tonooka and drummer

Chad Taylor

drums
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Chad Taylor maintain the composition's choppy tempo well as the horns swoop and blare in unison. Both saxophonists and the pianist contribute busy, agitated solos against Taylor's explosive drumming. On Tonooka's own "Dark Blue Residue" the entire group sets up an exotic Middle Eastern vamp. Over it are features by

Michael Ventoso

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Ventoso on trombone and Washington on flute. Then the piano darts around to a bulging groove and Lindsay takes a searching tenor saxophone solo.

Washington provides the title track, "Afrika Love," a dramatic ballad with African folk overtones. He begins it by weaving the slowly expanding theme on alto flute and

Yusef Lateef

woodwinds
1920 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Yusef Lateef-like oboe. Then Arend's groaning bass leads into brightly tumbling .trumpet from Boshnack. That leads to Lindsay and Washington taking individual tenor saxophone solos, keening and bellowing like

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane over the rhythm section's lush flow, Boshnack's "The Cadillac Of Mountains" has a martial bolero feel with her trumpet ringing out over a low chorus of clarinets. Ventoso, Washington on bass clarinet, and Lindsay on tenor all also contribute strong, brooding solos over the pattering, off- center rhythm. Lindsay's composition "Kesii" opens with a swirling chorale of clarinets and brass that turns into a well-constructed web of horn interaction. Wah-wah trombone, piano and trumpet all stand out amidst the shifting tempos and moods of LIndsay's multi-faceted piece..

This music is complex and sometimes densely arranged, but the musicians really dig into the writing and bring it to life. Sumi Tonooka's restless piano, David Arend's strong bass lines and Chad Taylor's versatile drumming are consistent standouts . Their ability to keep up with the ever-shifting dynamics of this music is impressive and gives full support to the excellent work of the horn players. The compositions of the Alchemy Sound Project are intriguing in their own right but the way the playing brings them to life is special.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

The Fountain; Dark Blue Residue; Afrika Love; The Cadillac of Mountains; Kesii.

Personnel

Salim Washington

saxophone, tenor

Erica Lindsay

saxophone, tenor

Samantha Boshnack

trumpet

David Arend

bass

Sumi Tonooka

piano

Michael Ventoso

trombone

Chad Taylor

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Erica Lindsay: clarinet, alto flute; Salim Washington: flute, bass clarinet, oboe.

Album information

Title: Afrika Love | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Artists Recording Collective

PREVIOUS / NEXT

African Ripples
< Previous

Size Matters: (Mostly New) Jazz for ...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.