Here’s a reminder, if you needed one, that outside the nu-jazz hullabaloo the bedrock of the UK scene is thriving, still pushing those boundaries with vibrant, inventive music. Colectiva’s debut single ‘Under the’, available via Movimientos Records tears the envelope stamped Latin jazz wide open and fills it with some thrillingly different messages.
Springing from pianist Maria Grapsa’s arrangement ideas for the tune, ‘Under the’ evolved during a series of sessions as a shared endeavour between Collectiva’s members. That open approach is at the heart of this new creative grouping, established by trombonist Viva Msimang as a space for female and non-binary identifying musicians to freely and collaboratively develop their work. No surprise then that their debut single is such a dynamic, powerful statement.
Locked into a low funk, hot heeled rhythm, ‘Under the’ soon slides smoothly beyond the groove as Nadine Nagen’s dramatic violin picks up the tense melody line and swoops around the peaks of the horn hits. Before you can catch breath Colectiva whisk you around another corner, opening onto a section of tense inner crescendos and dizzying switches, then heading away to an energetic momentum that swells with harmonic trade- offs. As the band exchanges intensify, solos urged on by the sharpest horn riffs, ‘Under the’ surges towards it’s pulsating final leap.
The sudden silence leaves you immediately wanting more and surely that will soon come from the exceptional ‘Collectiva’ and stunning arrangement of the equally talented pianist, Maria Grapsa.
Check out the music of Colectiva here and Maria Grapsa here
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