Angel Bat Dawid - Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology (2021) [Hi-Res]

Boomkat Product Review:
Spirit-possessing styles from the jazz oracle at her loosest and most inspirational, mixing vibes from spoken word to R&B linked by her voice and hauntingly expressive clarinet. Untouchable business.

Effectively HRH of contemporary jazz since emerging as an omnivorous improvisor in the Chicago scene over the past decade, Angel Bat Dawit here divines a broader range of ideas and textures than found on her previous wonder ‘The Oracle’, and more recently ‘Hearkening Etudes’ and ‘Transition East.’ Perhaps closer in scope to her acclaimed NTS radio shows, but entirely stitched together from exclusive solo material, ‘Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology’ offers another vital portal into her sound, glyding from cosmic whorls to autotuned paeans, minimalist R&B and cinematic synth strokes with effortless guile and poise to reveal stunning new dimensions of her sound.

In key with the travelogues of Matana Roberts, Angel keeps the trip beautifully winding and unpredictable, but deeply rooted in Black American history. No doubt that artwork of Saint Escrava Anastacia, a popular folk saint venerated in Brazil, is a powerful statement, and the music follows with a distinguished blend of laments and songs of solidarity, reflecting on her Afro-American heritage via multiple, intersecting prisms of influence and thought that collapse into a remarkable whole.

From the night-flight of ‘Corn=Rowzz’ to the warbling lament of ‘Negro Hamlet,’ thru her transition from minimalist R&B to Vangelisian string pads on ‘Heathen Practices at Funerals,’ to the blend of bubbling groove into keening bluesy holler on ‘Jumping The Broom,’ the Ra-esque star-charting of her electronic instrumental ‘A Young Negress, Studying The Game of Ouri,’ and ultimately solemn declension to ‘Negroes Leaving Their Home’; this mixtape is simply unmissable.