Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit

Composer and director Anthony Branker brings together his team to skillfully interpret and tell a story of culture, focusing on the African Diaspora on this album. The team of Steve Wilson/as-ss-fl, Pete McCann/g, Simona Premazzi/p, John Hebert/b, Rudy Royston/dr and Aimee Allen/voc are like musical paintbrushes for Branker's canvas, forming rich prismatic colors on the dark "When Past Is Prologue" with Premazzi, or hip hopping to Hebert's bass and McCann's guitars on the soulful rocker of "Afro Mosaic Soul Babies". Allen's voice is used gorgeously and melds with Wilson's flute on the galloping "Stolen Sisters", with Wilson's alto thematic around McCann's solo on the kaleidoscopic "Beautiful Dancing People" and the post bopping tricky lines of "The Children Of Lyles Station". Every note tells a thousand words.