The Jazz Warriors were one of the seminal British bands of the 80’s. Despite only releasing one album (” Out Of Many One People” 1987) the band had a huge influence and helped to launch the careers of many black British jazz musicians, among them Steve Williamson and Courtney Pine.

Pine has become one of Britain’s best-known jazz musicians in the intervening years, reaching out to an audience beyond the normal jazz demographic. He has now chosen to resurrect the “Jazz Warriors” name and the result is, for this reviewer the most satisfying Courtney Pine album for many years.

Released on Pine’s own Destin-E label “Afropeans” is a live recording made at The Barbican on 6th October 2007. The concert was held to mark Black History Month and the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade.

For this project Pine assembled a fifteen piece band incorporating established names such as trumpeter Byron Wallen and saxophonist Jason Yarde alongside rising stars such as Shabaka Hutchings (clarinet/tenor sax) Jay Phelps (trumpet) and Nathaniel Facey (alto). The resultant blend makes for an exultant sound that is very much in the Jazz Warriors spirit. Cuban émigré Omar Puente’s electric violin and Samuel Dubois’ steel pans add two highly distinctive voices to the sonic palette and form an effective foil to the horns.

The music takes the form of a suite, largely written by Pine. The brief “Intro” features Hutchings’ clarinet and a young girl’s spoken words before the band storm into the rousing, horn driven “Abolition Day”. This is an attention-grabbing opener, enlivened by Yarde’s soprano, Puente’s soaring violin and Robert Fordjour’s furious drumming.

The traditional tune “Remercier Les Travalleurs” appears here in an arrangement by pianist Alex Wilson who emerges as the principal soloist in this steadily unfolding piece. The tune originated in Mali and Wilson’s playing here is based on the sound of the kora, an interesting and innovative touch.

“Blak Flag” introduces Dubois as a soloist on the steel pans before a passage of almost free playing leads into Harry Brown’s rasping trombone solo. Brown echoes the sound of the great Rico Rodriguez and brings a touch of Jamaica to the proceedings. Byron Wallen pushes his trumpet to the limits on this piece in which elements of dissonance impinge at regular intervals.

Omar Puente’s “Apunta Un Lapiz” is a feature for the composer’s extraordinary violin, which weaves it’s way between the riffing horns and Fordjour’s powerful drumming.

Pine’s shifting “Crossing The Sands” evokes the sounds of the Sahara. Following Jay Phelps’ opening trumpet solo Pine himself appears to conjure extraordinary sounds from his bass clarinet complete with slap tongue techniques. It is a feature of this recording that the normally flamboyant Pine is largely prepared to take a back seat and leave the majority of the soloing to his colleagues. In this respect the 2008 edition of Jazz Warriors is a very democratic band.

“Civilisation” is a barnstorming closer and introduces fresh soloists in the form of trumpeter Chris Storr and Guitarist Femi Temowo.

The CD also offers a bonus track in the form of “We Are A Warrior”. Dubois’ pans are again much in evidence, I’ve not heard this instrument incorporated into a jazz context so successfully before. Temowo also features again, this time playing acoustically. The piece concludes with cellist Ayanna Witter Johnson’s half sung/half spoken rendition of the poem “In Reference To our Forefathers Fathers Dreams”, intoned above percussive effects replicating the clanking of chains.

“Afropeans” is a consistently interesting album full of stylistic shifts. Within the tight and careful arrangements Pine has made room for his colleagues to solo effectively and they respond with aplomb. There is some great playing on this record. Pine’s succinct liner notes do a good job of explaining the inspirations behind the music.

It seems unlikely that Pine will tour with this project so this makes this recording an invaluable document. I just wish I’d been there.

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