Moses Boyd Exodus - Displaced Diaspora

2018 release

A leading light of the UK jazz scene, Boyd’s new album revisits a number of recordings made from the same session that birthed ‘Rye Lane Shuffle’ – the Four Tet and Floating Points-mixed 12″.

Displaced Diaspora features contemporaries Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia, Nathaniel Cross and Zara McFarlane (whose 2017 LP Arise Boyd produced), as well as British soul vocalist Terri Walker, saxophonist and bata player Kevin Haynes and his Grupo Eleggua, and rapper Louis VI. Last year, Moses Boyd refreshed his Binker & Moses project for Journey To The Mountain Of Forever and the latest B+M album "Alive in the East"  In November, he won a MOBO for best jazz act.

Review:

A staple in the London jazz scene, Moses Boyd comes through with a brand new album titled Displaced Diaspora. Being a fan of this man’s music since moving to London just over two years ago, I was super excited explore this man’s journey through the music, and I was not disappointed one bit.

In the space of 9 tracks we have an album that is rich with texture, heart and soul. It tells a vivid story of the vibrant multicultural life of London. Almost like a soundtrack, Displaced Diaspora features heavy afrobeat grooves at times, deep saxophone-driven melodies that grow with intensity as the tracks progress, such as on the track “Frontline” ft Kevin Haynes Grupo Elegua, and more tribal, beat driven grooves on “Drum Dance.” A couple of features grace the tracklist and the music – Kevin Haynes Grupo Elegua, Zara McFarlane, Terri Walker, Louis VI and Joe Armon-Jones. They add character and depth to an album that brings life into the London scene. In a way, every beat, saxophone note, piano key and groove mimics people’s movements. If I close my eyes, I see and feel people walking home from the gym down Rye Lane, or a vivid and lively Saturday afternoon at Brixton market. Every sound has character and it tells the story of how people live in London and go through their own journeys. London really is a magical place, and Moses is able to capture this effortlessly in his music. This is what makes this record truly special.

Martin Boev

https://insearchofmedia.com/2018/10/03/music-moses-boyd-displaced-diaspora/