"All forms of expression in sound are valid, as all people are… this is the mantra of Ancestral Recall." Constantly shifting in form, Christian aTunde Adjuah's Ancestral Recall uses jazz as the connector between different sounds from different cultures. The record is complex and refuses to be put in a category, but rhythms from the African Diaspora/Caribbean and "rhythmic templates found in trap music, alt-rock, and other modern forms" are apparent. They collide to form a collective musical vernacular, one rooted not in "singular narratives of entire people" but looks to "represent the wealth of narratives found throughout the American experience." The record should be consumed as a whole, as Adjuah walks "hand-in-hand with listeners through his and their music histories."

• music label: Ropeadope 2019

reviewed by singing in japanese 09/2019