Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Meshell Ndegeocello: The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel

193

Meshell Ndegeocello: The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel

By

Sign in to view read count
Meshell Ndegeocello: The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel
Making jazz records is easy. Anyone with half a name and the slightest interest (read: Lea DeLaria and Queen Latifah) can hire a bassist and book a session. You don't really need any ideas, just a wisp of a voice and a desire to be "moody.

Fortunately Meshell Ndegeocello is smarter than that. She's hung with Madonna and the Stones and recorded rock and funk records, but her foray into grownup art (or whatever) is more than a vague sorta Billie redux. Instead she reaches back to '80s style integrations of jazz composition and electric instruments, not rehashing the M-BASE Collective but it's hard to imagine she doesn't have some of those discs at home.

Ndegeocello doesn't sing on the record and she only plays bass on a few tracks, but she gets composer credits (sharing the honors on some tracks with Oliver Lake, Don Byron, and others on a few), does some "programming (another '80s nod), and clearly serves as ringleader for the session. Along with Byron and Lake, Jack DeJohnette, Brandon Ross, Kenny Garrett, Wallace Roney, and Gregoire Maret, among others, fill out the band. And it is a band record. Lalah Hathaway and M-BASE alum Cassandra Wilson provide vocals, but most of the tracks are instrumental.

It's an admirable and clearly heartfelt attempt, even if much of it is burdened by overly bright keyboards and bass. It's not until the last three tracks that Spirit Music Jamia (the name given to her band) hits its stride. Wilson's vocals and Ross' guitar on "The Chosen make that track a standout. Lake's solo on "Luqman justifies the preceding jazz lite, and Hathaway's take on "Heaven (also known as "When Did You Leave Heaven, recorded by everyone from Louis Armstrong to Bob Dylan, Little Jimmy Scott, and Nancy Wilson) provides a nice, if slight, coda for an honest effort.

Track Listing

Mu-Min; Al-Falaq 113; Acquarium; Papillon; Dance of the Infidel; The Chosen; Luqman; When Did You Leave Heaven.

Personnel

MeShell NdegeOcello
bass, electric

Meshell Ndegeocello: bass (3-5,7), programming (1,3); Oliver Lake: saxophone (1,7); Don Byron: clarinet, bass clarinet (1,7); Joshua Roseman: trombone (1); Michael Cain: piano (2,5-7), keyboards (1,8); Chris Dave: drums (1,4,5,8); Wallace Roney: trumpet (2,7); Did Gutman: keyboards (2,3; programming (3); Brandon Ross: guitar (2,6,7); Gene Lake: drums (2,6); Mino Cinelu: percussion (2,7); Matthew Garrison: bass (2,4,6,7); Sabina: piano, vocals (3); Ron Blake: saxophones (3); Dan Rieser: clay drum (3); Ari Raskin: programming (3); Takuya Nakamura: programming (3); Kenny Garrett: saxophones (2,4,5); Federico Gonzalez Pena: keyboards (4); Oran Coltrane: saxophone (5); Neal Evans: keyboards (5),piano (8); Cassandra Wilson: vocals (6); Gregoire Maret: harmonica (2,7); Jack DeJohnette: drums (7); Pedro Martinez: percussion (7); Yosvany Terry: percussion (7); Lalah Hathaway: vocals (8).

Album information

Title: The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Shanachie Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.