Sam Anning: Earthen

Sam Anning spent three years as bassist for Archie Roach, an Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter who championed the rights of that country's Aboriginal people. Roach passed away in 2022 and this album is Anning's tribute to him, a set of original works that carry forth the inner strength and understated force of Roach's music.

Anning's compositions are unhurried and contemplative. They resemble classic ECM sounds but with a warmer, more intimate vibe. Throughout the album Andrea Keller's piano leads the rhythm section in providing a graceful but sturdy foundation for the horns and guitar to work against. On tracks such as "Strangers" and "Moonland," the group's sound unrolls in layers with Mat Jodrell's mournful trumpet and Theo Carbo's dreamy guitar prominent. The measured beat of "Kicking And Screaming" gives Jodrell, Carl Mackey on alto sax, and Julien Wilson on tenor sax, space to quietly lament while Keller creates a powerful solo.

Most of the album can be assumed to be about conditions in Australia but one track, "Uvalde," seems to specifically refer to a recent American tragedy, the 2022 mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. It has a sinister melody line led by Jodrell punctuated by sharp cymbal strikes from drummer Kyrie Anderson that sound like gunshots. "Eleventy Million" ends the album on a note of dignified uplift with Jodrell's trumpet ringing out over a serene progression led by Carbo's acoustic guitar.

There is a warm, enriching glow to Sam Anning's music. All the musicians involved here fit well into his concept and they produce a quietly rewarding album that exudes calm and subtle strength.