Legendary saxophonist Azar Lawrence takes a different point of view than most regarding our two years mired in this pandemic. Rather than bemoan the losses, both human and financial, Lawrence urges us to focus on the inner reflections of resilience, newfound spirituality, and global awareness.
Now, if you are expecting a sound akin to Lawrence’s spiritual approach through his great albums as a valued sideman for McCoy Tyner, and his own string of vital offerings in the mid-1970s – Bridge Into the New Age (1974), Summer Solstice (1975), and People Moving (1976): you will hear some of that but New Sky leans more toward flowing grooves than aggressive blowing, R&B-like in many places, evoking some of soul-jazz of artists such as Grover Washington Jr. and Lou Donaldson. Keep in mind there is another aspect to Lawrence’s career where he collaborated with soul singers such as Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, and the group Earth, Wind, & Fire. Much of that bleeds in here with a sound buoyed by multiple guitarists, keyboardists, and singers. His multi-hued palette is by turns funky, melodic, spiced with Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean touches, and is consistently uplifting throughout.
The impressive cast includes pianists and keyboardists John Beasley and Nduduzo Makhathini. bassist Seku Bunch, drummer Tony Austin, percussionist Kunyenga Jackson, singers Calesha “Bra-Z” Murray, Oren Waters, and Lynne Fiddmont; harpist Destiny Muhammad, and guitarists James Saez, Greg Porce, and Gregory ‘GMOE’ Moore.
Lawrence’s solo soprano intro colors the opening “All in Love” and he continues to soar majestically above the funky groove and percolating rhythms underpinning the infectious melody. His message is unity – to embrace different races and religions. We hear his customary Brazilian influences in the samba-like “Peace and Harmony” and the title track, introducing vocals into the mix, as Lawrence exchanges line with Fiddmont. The move is symbolic in that it’s intended to connote a newness, and freshness upon which to rebuild. “Ain’t No Doubt About It” features more melodic Lawrence passages, this time on tenor, as Calesh “Bre-Z” Murray’s vocals interface with his lines, her nickname serving as appropriate descriptor of the tune. The third vocalist, Oren Waters, carries us through the R&B-flavored “Just Because of You.”
The mid- ‘70s Lawrence surfaces on the remake of “From the Point of View” from his Summer Solstice album, retaining the samba element, and getting into his Coltrane-Pharoah Sanders mode on his beautifully toned, spiritually seeking soprano as a frequent collaborator, Beasley, underscores the soaring solo with his own exuberant electric piano turn. Lawrence stays in this mode, on soprano again with Beasley on electric piano for the festive “Birds Are Singing,’ evoking the way birds often sing louder after a storm or disaster.
We return to the peppy R&B in “I Really Love You” with Lawrence blowing his tenor over Santana-like percussion while the steady groove of “Let It Go” again features his expressive soprano. Lawrence in closing repurposes another older composition, “Revelation” which appeared on his 2009 Speak the Word. We again hear the Coltrane-like strains, amplified by the presence of Tyner disciple, the South African-born pianist Nduduzo Makhathina, and Alice Coltrane-inspired harp from Destiny Muhammad.
This work, more so than any in Lawrence’s revered catalog, marries his main influences – the smooth-flowing R&B, his leanings toward Brazilian music, and the spirituality of Coltrane. The sequencing unfolds almost in that manner and one can only fully appreciate the project by enjoying its full scope, which is vital and refreshing regardless of style.
