The narrative theme of this set of pieces is literally post-apocalyptic: the End of Days has already happened, so what happens next? It’s at this point that we begin to address the extraordinary music itself, which is uncontainable in its energy, gravity and the sense of indefatigable potential that it can’t help but generate…Irresistible.

We Are Sent Here by History is final proof that Hutchings is a modern jazz prophet; he sees the past as merely a jumping-off point for exploration, not only in music but in philosophical concepts, cultural theories, and spiritual precepts as an aesthetic. With the Ancestors he goes further toward creating a holistic new jazz than with any of his other ensembles.

In places there is a harder polyrhythmic surge as the tight entwining of Shabaka Hutchings’ tenor saxophone and Mthunzi Mvubu’s alto is a central point of interest, though the solidity of a rhythm section that is well anchored by Ariel’s Zamonsky often concise, punchy ostinatos is notable.

…Featuring the striking spoken-word lyrics of Siyabonga Mthembu—its 11 tracks forming an impressionistic narrative that demand a renegotiation of our relationship to the earth and patriarchy. The doubling of vocals and reeds here serves to create a restlessly energetic communal expression.

On what is now Shabaka’s third release in the Impulse! Records catalogue, The Ancestors continue the tradition of fellow spiritual jazz legends and labelmates like Alice Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders, while also further cementing the saxophonist as a mainstay in the UK jazz scene, even if his accompanying ensemble hail from over 8,000 miles away.