Biribá Union - Lamentations(Bright Shiny Things) [Jazz Rap]

Inspiration comes from many places, and in Biribá's case, their name comes from a Brazilian wild sugar-apple, not to mention that they also borrow from the country's rich folkloric music - itself multi-influenced, to further enrich their own compelling, free-flowing fusion of North American roots meets twentieth-century black music; and kindly supporting my oft-stated assertion that we are living in a golden age of musical fusion.

"Lamentations" is the fourth single from the trio, consisting of Mike Block on cello and vocals, Christylez Bacon beatboxing and rhyming as well as strumming some guitar, and Patricia Ligia supplying the low-end bass frequencies as well as contributing to the high-end sound waves with her voice.

The track has its roots in the last century, and considering how rich the last fifty years of it were, that is no bad thing; and in particular, a solo-cello piece from '73, composed by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, who I have to admit is news to me. Ligia gets the ball rolling with an unhurried bassline and is soon joined by some mournful, lackadaisical, widescreen Americana bowing from Block, as Bacon's oral dexterity supplies some impressive sonic detailing before kicking the track into life with a classic beatbox riddim. The track then carries on it's head-nodding way; Ligia in no rush and Block providing hip hop-suited cello refrains whilst spiralling off when he sees fit with some compelling improvisatory flourishes. Vocal beats safely looped and snapping, Bacon then sets about lamenting America's chronically divided country in refreshingly philosophical, conscious, eyes-wide-open jazz rap terms; the trio reminding me of Guru's Jazzmatazz in their nineties prime, and comparisons don't get too much better than that.

"Lamentations" is undoubtedly my pick of the four singles so far, but add it to the jaunty, somewhat innocent folkloric joys of "Ice Cream City", the soulful sentimental crooning of "All The Stars Say",and the intense, partner-swinging, sure to be live-show-rocking "Pompano" and it's sounding promising for July 10th's Passing Go album release.

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Playlist Companion

Find Biribá Union in the Slow Jazz Playlist.