Establishing the mood with textured percussion featuring a shimmering cymbal, Shmeisani Jazz Massive open As War Starts! with dimensionality, a cerebral bassline and an intricate yet discordant piano performance.
We immediately connect with the intention of the composition. The title alone evokes a sense of awe and a zeitgeist message at a time when we need it the most. This is reflected by the composition. An exquisite guitar performance emerges, and whilst the jazz tendencies are aligned to a more classical approach, there is a subversive innovation at play.
The piece is hypnotic and the repeated motifs evoke a sense of calm. The piano is elegantly and masterfully performed with sublime riffs and syncopated notions that keep us enthralled throughout. Rolling drums with static emerge mid-way through the composition, as the piano and guitar begin to intertwine, creating a more dramatic atmosphere leading us through to a bass breakdown for the finale of the piece with whirring, siren sounds. This begins to make sense as we learn that composition was recorded on the night that the US-Iran war broke out.
Speaking on the release, Shmeisani Jazz Massive, who are based in Jordan, confess, “While it draws upon roots of jazz it also brings an energy from the heavy, uncertain vibes that were omnipresent the night it was cut. That night the region was plunged into war which is signified as the song fades into the air raid sirens that have become an all too familiar sound since it was tracked.”
We learn that Shmeisani Jazz Massive (SJM) is an Amman-based global collective whose self-titled debut album emerged from improvisational recordings. Recorded in a basement studio in the arts-focused Shmeisani neighbourhood, where the group takes its name, the project was entirely self-produced, with final mastering by EARS Recording in Baltimore.
The collective features Azar on drums, John on bass, Omar on keys, and Archie on guitar; their style will particularly appeal to fans of artists like Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Zawinul Syndicate, and Herbie Hancock.
We are in awe of what Shmeisani Jazz Massive are creating, and have added As War Starts! to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Shmeisani Jazz Massive, including the entirety of their self-titled album.