By Madison Young
Jazz is not a top choice or a go-to genre of music for me, most of this is my aunt’s fault – she only played jazz, but nothing that would feel out of place at a restaurant. So when I happened upon the Sons of Kemet my world was changed. An ensemble of British jazz musicians composed of a saxophone, a clarinet (occasionally), two sets of drums, and a tuba somehow can create some of the most interesting music I have come across.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RVRzGkNnzI&t=218s
Disquiet is the right word for a song that walks the line between cacophonous and melodious. This song could not be described as “easy listening” as there is no thread to follow and nothing repetitive to rely on. All of the instruments have a strong presence but the saxophone and the tuba dance around each other. The saxophone pulls the piece together with the tuba serving as a disrupter a rumbling presence. With my minimal knowledge of jazz history, I feel like the tuba is an unusual choice for jazz stylings but the perfect choice for this composition.