Asher Gamedze, South African drummer, composer, and bandleader, assembled a 10-piece ensemble, the Black Lungs, for his new album, “Constitution,” the follow-up to last year’s excellent “Turbulence and Pulse.” Gamedze’s second album for International Anthem, “Constitution” represents an expansion and elaboration on some of the forms and ideas from “Turbulence and Pulse.” It’s just straight-up bigger in many ways—a longer album, with more players and more sounds—but it’s also more complex and more political, or more explicitly political. Gamedze and the Black Lungs present such a compelling vision with “Constitution:” struggle against oppression that also incites deep, enduring cooperation; the potential that comes from not just resisting against something but also using that energy to build something beautiful together when the chance comes.
“Determining Facts,” the second track on the album and the second-longest, is a good example of what Gamedze and the Black Lungs offer on “Constitution.” The track begins with an extended bass passage from Sean Sanby that calls to mind something like Wilber Morris’s “Afro-Amer.Ind” off “Wilber Force,” dexterous, melodic playing that sets the scene for the rest of the song. Around 2:25, Tina Mene’s vocals enter to join Sanby’s bass, and then everything launches around the three-minute mark, with Gamedze’s drums (and other percussion, played by Ru Slayen) and Nibuhle Ashanti’s piano. Around 5:25 is when a sax (maybe Jed Petersen’s tenor?) takes over. Big, forceful playing, the sax is all over this section of the track, supported capably by Ashanti’s piano and Gamedze’s incredible drumming. As the sax runs itself almost hoarse through the nine and 10-minute mark, it gives way to an awesome run from Ashanti’s piano and Gamedze’s drums (so compelling in moments like this, where he’s staying busy but not in an especially showy way). They (seemingly) start to wrap things up around the 13-minute mark when they come back to the main theme and then blow it up with tons of incredible noise at the end.
The big track on the album, “Constitution,” is basically an album within the album, a 39-minute adventure. “Constitution” is like “Determining Facts” blown out to fit on a big screen. Everyone in the ensemble gets a chance to shine, starting with Ashtani at the start of the track, playing these very pretty, fluid phrases for a few minutes before Mene’s operatic vocals come in (she sings, “Members of the dispossessed, won’t you lend me your ears.”). It’s a staggering performance all around—Sanby’s bass playing (bowed and plucked bass, with a great solo around the 25-minute mark); the horns, which include Tumi Pheko’s cornet, Garth Erasmus’s alto sax, Athi Ngcaba’s trombone, and Petersen’s tenor sax; Slayen’s percussion and Gamedze’s amazing drumming (in addition to Ashanti and Mene)—they all combine in different ways over the course of “Constitution.” It’s like the band breaks into miniature combos throughout the track, coming together to explore a theme or a handful of sounds, and then returning to the main body of the band, to the theme with Mene’s pleading message (written by the legendary Fred Moten, poet and theorist). I love this kind of big swing. Gamedze and the Black Lungs put together a track that almost feels like a compressed live performance, like you’re standing there watching them rip off an insane set.
“Melancholia” is a new version of the track that appeared on “Turbulence and Pulse.” It was one of my favorites on that album, and it’s even better here on “Constitution.” Longer, with deeper troughs and higher peaks. The “Turbulence and Pulse” features (mostly) bowed bass, drums, sax, and trumpet and it’s a beautiful song, but this “Constitution” version—especially Ashanti’s piano—makes the tune sound so much fuller, and of course the additional horns add depth too. “Melancholia” feels like a very contained song compared to some of the others on the album, and it’s placed perfectly on “Constitution,” a relatively quiet, studious track right before the finale.
Gamedze—like fellow International Anthem artists Makaya McCraven, Daniel Villarreal, and Tom Skinner—leads a band as a drummer in such a supportive, thoughtful way. I think it’s illustrated in some of the moments when he’s both keeping the track moving and adding texture to that action without getting fussy or bothered about it. It’s the generosity of someone who’s exceptionally good and confident in their talent and artistry.