Review: MOTHER AFRICA With the JALC Orchestra Is a Masterful Showcase

Jazz at Lincoln Center kicked off their 2025-2026 season with Mother Africa on July 24 and 25, a concert consisting of compositions primarily from American composers who were heavily influenced by African music, culture, and ideas. Vincent Gardner, the music director, arranges an excellent setlist, spanning the eras of jazz as well as the continents, featuring music from celebrated American and African composers.

Sections of Randy Weston’s Uhuru Afrika are performed. Chanting is employed to great effect in the performance, where the main band is joined by guest percussionists Chief Baba Neil Clarke and Iyedun Ince. The piece begins with only their drumming, creating an excellent sense of buildup that captures the audience’s attention. Regular band drummer Obed Calvaire joins the duo and then finally the whole orchestra comes in for an excellent number. The woodwind players are a treat as well. Highlife Suite, from Ghanaian composer Victor Dey Jr., is featured. This piece blends influence of the Ghanaian highlife music of Dey Jr.’s home country with American jazz, perfectly fitting the ethos of the show. French horn player Kevin Newton was a delight to listen to during this point in the show. 

The show brilliantly highlights the work of legendary jazz bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, famous for his seamless blend of Sudanese music, his life’s later passion, with the jazz music of his early career. His work was often underappreciated during his more active years but he was an incredibly inventive composer, and thus it was a real delight to see his work performed so excellently by the eminently talented Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra. For El-Haris, a second bassist was brought out to back up the evening’s main bassist, Carlos Henriquez, and the two engaged in a wordless conversation of the lower rhythms. The number, and especially Henriquez’ playing, was a major standout moment in the show.

John Coltrane’s Africa and Dahomey Dance are fitting choices for the evening. Both are classic works from one of America’s most legendary jazz composers, highlighting his relationship to and interest in Africa. The former piece draws inspiration from African music, during a period of Coltrane’s work when he was incorporating many outside influences into his compositions, while the latter was more inspired by the history of Africa – specifically the Kingdom of Dahomey (in present-day Benin), a powerful state in west africa during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Cannonball Adderley, another American jazz musician heavily influenced by Africa, is featured in the setlist as well, with Lehadima, from his Accent on Africa. A less-known composition from his longtime collaborator Joe Zawinul was an interesting choice for the setlist, one the orchestra performs excellently. The piece, Ndolima, refers to the practice of farming among the Zulu people, and presents itself as a sort of jaunty stroll through the countryside. The horn section all play magnificently on this piece, especially trombonists Chris Crenshaw and Dion Tucker.

Before the main show, there was a short performance from the youth summer program run by Jazz at Lincoln Center, with the young musicians showing off their skills through a series of more traditional compositions from Duke Ellington and other old masters of the genre.

Overall, this kickoff of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2025-26 season was an excellent evening, wonderfully highlighting the season’s theme of Mother Africa and showcasing the best contemporary jazz has to offer.

Learn more about the JLCO and their upcoming tour dates here.

Find more upcoming shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center on their website here.