Equal Spirits, ‘Wise and Waiting’ album launch in Bristol

It just took a swaying bass line that immediately made bodies move in sympathy, pattering brushes on the snare leaning on the offbeat, a rising and falling pentatonic pattern with trumpet and trombone blending with a signature harmony, and the spirit and energy of South African jazz was instantly conjured. Back Again kicked off Equal Spirits’ evening at Bristol’s Factory Theatre, as it does their album Wise and Waiting, for the second of a brace of launch gigs.

Equal Spirits’ name captures something of the essence of the album. The initiative of English composer and trombonist Raph Clarkson, Wise and Waiting is the result of an expansive collaboration that developed after a visit to South Africa with a sackful of compositions and his ‘bone.  Recorded between two continents with close to two dozen musician credits, the core of whom are South African, the result is a rich palette of sounds, textures and moods with an unmistakable flavour and groove at its centre. Distilling the complex, many-layered pieces for a live performance was an appetising and intriguing prospect.

The gig wove an absorbing path, playing some of the music, diving into influences that led Clarkson on the musical journey, and inviting a healthy dose of audience participation. All this with a group necessarily shorn of the South African musicians, given the challenges of visas and travel.  Joining Clarkson on the gig were Xolani Mbatha on vocal duties,  Phil Merriman on keyboards, Yuval Wetzler on drums, Chris Batchelor  on trumpet, and Riaan Vosloo on the bass.

After a fizzing piano solo from Merriman on Back Again and an improvised outro with muttering textures from the horns and electronic skronk from the keyboard, Clarkson began an educative tour, laced through the set between numbers from the album, of some of the sources of inspiration that had drawn him to the music and some of the icons of the South African canon.  Next up was a take on Bheki Mseleku’s Monwabisi infused with an urgent shuffle by Wetzler’s drums and additional lyrics. Then Umbomela, widely sung including by Miriam Mkeba, a traditional song with a refrain that, coached by Clarkson, contributed the by now dancing in their seats and grinning audience. The band followed up with a resonant, soaring version of Hymn from the album, that segued into a piece, replete with spoken word and group improv by Keith Tippett, another Clarkson inspiration and artist who worked with South African exiles. The set leaned more heavily on the repertoire from the album as it went on, exploring the range of styles; moody textural moments, more spoken word, anthemic spiritual chants and some roaring grooves.

It was remarkable, uplifting evening, celebrating the fertile soil from which Equal Spirit’s sound has grown, as well as the new material, all steered and orchestrated by Clarkson. They signed off with another well-loved gem from the canon, Abdullah Ibrahim’s Mandela, and we danced out of the door with lighter hearts.