Black Flower – Future Flora (2019)

Ever wonder how a new tradition is born? Certainly not by destroying the past, but by building upon the planks and pillars of those that came before. There needs to be a healthy respect for the past without sinking into the quicksand of past glory. Nostalgia being the certain death of creativity and progress.

On Black Flower’s Future Flora, the listener hears the brave new voice of musicians who are leaving behind the orthodoxy of the past as they build upon it. They are on a discovery for fresh waters and new growth.
Unlike other bands exploring the territory of Cosmic Jazz, Black Flower don’t rely on sampled Hip-Hop beats or augmenting their sound with electronic beeps and glitches. Instead, Black Flower use the foundations of Ethiopian and Spiritual Jazz as a starting point- if you are not familiar with the Ethio-jazz sound, check out the music of Mulatu Astatke’s Heavenly Sweetness on the Light in the Attic record label.  Astatke is often called the father of Ethio.  

Black Flower expand their foundational sounds and influences by employing the progressive-rock dexterity associated with early King Crimson. The music twitching and turning from one moment to the next.  As if Robert Fripp was over-seeing the session. The result is an album that is dissident and cosmic, yet still groovy, soulful and accessible. Hinting at its past traditions but not stuck in them.

On Future Flower, the quintet takes the listener on a head-trip through the darker passages of musical exploration. A strangely beautiful dub murkiness hangs over the top of the entire album. Creating an ancient and slightly forboding atmosphere so thick that only Dr. John’s voodoo masterpiece Gris-Gris comes close in terms of pure density.
Future Flora is a feast.  Don’t let 2019 pass you by without sampling the rich sounds it has to offer.  

by Shawn Ciavattone