Let the Chaos Calm You: ep. 38 – 21st-Century Spiritual Jazz #2
Cosmology studies the universe’s origin, structure, and fate, and spiritual jazz often turns music into a sonic exploration of creation. Improvisation mirrors cosmogenesis: from silence or chaos, complex forms emerge, reflecting universal order.
This episode, “The Creation of the Universe”, opens with Nat Birchall’s Through the Darkness, followed by Nduduzo Makhathini’s Unyazi, meaning lightning in Zulu, channeling divine sparks. Morley, Drake, and Parker’s First Breath of Creation evokes the universe’s first stirrings, while Brother Ah’s Transcendental March treats rhythm as ritual.
Alireza Ghahremani’s Afarinesh weaves Persian musical cosmology into a tapestry where melody mirrors the universe. Cykada’s, Urbaniak’s and the Cosmic Tones Research Trio’s Creations explore cosmic birth through texture, rhythm, and collective improvisation. Kamasi’s Space Travelers Lullaby closes with a serene journey through astral planes, celebrating music’s spiritual power.
- - Nat Birchall - Through the Darkness (Creation, 2016 - Sound Soul & Spirit)
- - Nduduzo Makhathini - Unyazi (Modes Of Communication: Letters From The Underworlds, 2020 - Universal Music)
- - Morley, Hamid Drake, William Parker - First Breath of Creation (Yoga Release (Rhythms & Improv), 2012, morley)
- - Brother Ah - Transcendental March (Creation Song) (Move Ever Onward, 2016 - Manufactured Recordings)
- - Alireza Ghahremani (feat. Amir Darabi, Arif Mirbaghi, Mahan Mohammadi, Patrick Simard & Mostafa Saraei) - Afarinesh (Creation) (Zaranjee, 2024 - Vaak Records)
- - Cykada - Creation (Cykada, 2019 - Astigmatic Records)
- - Michal Urbaniak - Creation (Ecstasy, 2009 - Henry Stone Music)
- - The Cosmic Tones Research Trio (Roman Norfleet, Harlan Silverman & Kennedy Verrett) - Creation (All is Sound, 2024 - Mississippi Records)
- - Kamasi Washington - The Space Travelers Lullaby (Heaven and Earth, 2018 - Shoto Mas)