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Sheer Sound
Rating: 3 stars

From the so-called "Zimology Institute" comes Zim Ngqawana's third solo offering - Vadzimu. And it is a really difficult one to review. Difficult because while some of the tracks on the album are absolutely beautiful and worthy of a 5 star rating - the flow of the CD is disjointed and really hard work to interpret.

Speaking to Zim at this year's North Sea Jazz Festival I asked him about Vadzimu. He told me that he had two strategies when recording it: Firstly he tried to include some of his compositions that have been stockpiled over the last 15 years - to "get rid of the backlog"…and secondly he also aimed to "go against that" by including compositions that address what is going on now in terms of the social and political economy - and that would be considered "music of the now".

Zim has definitely managed to include both - but, I feel, he has done so to the detriment of the overall package.

The CD consists of 4 suites - the first of which, Satire, begins with a haunting drumbeat that welcomes you into a ceremony which culminates in the loud songs of migrant mine workers. The composition is truly African. Instead of setting the tone for the songs to come, however, Track 2 almost immediately takes you out of Africa and plonks you somewhere in the middle of Europe. This feeling is exacerbated by the use of a harp - which, too me, is the least African sounding instrument of all.

Track 3 transports you back to Africa for a very short (2:00) time and the listener is treated to the sounds of an energetic gumboot dance - as the mine workers (supposedly the same ones from Track1) continue their celebration. No sooner, however, and it's back to Europe.

The following three suites continue in roughly the same manner - straddling continents and experimenting with the different sounds that make up the genre of jazz.

But - and there is a BIG but - some of the songs on the album stand out as exceptional pieces of music on their own and, in the case of Track 6, are worth buying the entire CD for. Track 6 - Long Waltz to Freedom - is three minutes and twenty five seconds of captivating aural pleasure. Although there are no vocals it is obvious that Zim is telling you a story…a story about acceptance, a story about respect and a story about love in its many guises. You are held captive until the very last drum beat.

Other reasons to still buy the CD are Track 11 - a remake of an Abdullah Ibrahim song (Marcus Wyatt on trumpet and Andile Yenana work together here, as on the rest of the CD, like gin, tonic and a sunset.) and the last track on the album - Thula Sizwe - a moving lullaby about a story with a happy ending.

Overall I will say that Vadzimu is an intellectual CD. If you want something to pop into the CD player will you're cooking dinner then this is perhaps not what you should invest in. On the other hand, however, if you are an ardent jazz connoisseur and can appreciate an academic listen - then this CD will be a rewarding buy.