Raph Clarkson’s Equal Spirits launch debut album at Rich Mix, London

A multi-purpose venue in east London known for its film as well as music festivals Rich Mix undergoes a simple but meaningful change of décor tonight. The main auditorium, rather than being a free standing space, has tables and chairs. Lights are low, the ambiance set for listening. Bristolian trombonist Raph Clarkson’s Equal Spirits has a lot to which one can lend an ear. The band is a celebration of the historical union of South African and British jazz musicians that reaches back to the early 1960s and is epitomised by the creative bond that existed between Louis Moholo-Moholo and Keith Tippett, who was also one of Clarkson’s significant early tutors. In fact one could argue that the heart and soul of the evening lies in the reprise of songs by three piano masters – Tippett’s ’Peaceful’, Bheki Mseleku’s ‘Monwabisi’ and Abdullah Ibrahim’s ‘Mandela’.

The melodic beauty, the subtle entwining of grace and joy in the lines, so inherent in the stellar oeuvre of the last two giants of South African music, is effectively rendered by a band in which Clarkson, trumpeter Chris Batchelor and vocalist-percussionist Xolani Mbatha form a potent front line. The absence of a woodwind gives the harmonies a brightness that is slightly reminiscent of salsa but it is well counterweighted by the singer’s hearty baritone. Equal Spirits, performing music from their debut album Wise And Waiting, also have impressive original compositions grown from Clarkson\s extensive engagement with South African music, and drummer Yuval Wetzler, double bassist Rian Vosloo and pianist Phil Merriman form a dynamic rhythm section that serves the material well, creating an upbeat sway that has much appeal for dancers.

Pieces such as ‘Back Again’ and ‘To Jo’Burg’ are met with a noticeable round of head nodding in the room. That said, the South African traditionals, ‘Umbombela’ and ‘Shosholoza’ also have an irresistibly charming energy that is enhanced when the audience accepts Clarkson’s invitation to join the chorus, which, in both songs, hinges on the beautiful cadence drawn from the four fluid syllables of each title, which makes the point that South Africa has music in words as well as words set to music. Merriman and Clarkson are the central soloists of the night, adding melodic and harmonic variations that are punchy but, in the case of the latter, relatively concise, and as the name of the band makes clear, Equal Spirits is about collective expression as well as individual flourish.

The texts that Clarkson reads in honour of various departed souls, notably Tippett, also underlines the fact that this is a band that is very much aware of the lineage into which it fits, and the moments in which arrangements open up to allow for a more ‘open sky’ approach where key and time become fluid vividly captures the sense of freedom, musical, political and personal, that is a subtext for the performance. The players are wholly spontaneous but disciplined. And the gig, as Clarkson says, ends when it needs to.