Brown’s illustrious label-mate David Murray, son of a gospel singer no less, has been vocal about the importance of the black church to jazz, and this ambitious debut by the drummer with impressive credits – Wynton Marsalis, Pharoah Sanders, Kenny Garrett – stands on the same musical rock of ages. The bulk of the material features samples of spirituals sung by the Gee’s Bend Quilters, Alabama’s legendary purveyors of sacred songs. However, Brown has been astute in the use of this source material, stretching his arrangements out from conventional gospel timbres to blend in Asian classical resonances, rock riffs and electronica by way of subtle soundscapes that are an effective supplement to the charged sustained notes of the choir. It’s as if Brown is making the point that the haunting melodies of ‘This Train’ or ‘Wade In The Water’ have permeated jazz and popular culture to the extent that a reframing with other musical elements, be they western or non-western, is a logical proposition. This is very much a studio album in which the voices of the elders, filtered through the warm glow of analogue recordings, is a crucial ingredient in the mix, and Brown and Chris Sholar prove to be good producers as well as players. Word has it that it’s equally compelling live too.