If one must indulge in categories,
My People, featuring
the Zawinul Syndicate and a United Nations coterie of guests, probably belongs on the vast world music shelf, the links to so-called jazz now so tenuous as to be nearly, but not quite, invisible. On the percolating "Slivovitz Trail," "Orient Express," "Many Churches," and the Caribbean-tinged cleverly titled "In an Island Way," the music does suggest earlier versions of
the Syndicate, and
Joe Zawinul's nostalgic evocations of
Wayne Shorter on the Korg Pepe reach back even further. Otherwise,
Zawinul is looking entirely toward ethnic cultures for musical sustenance. The musical structures are linear, the rhythms full of intricacies welded to
Zawinul's love affair with the groove, the synthesizer textures usually sparer than ever. There are vocals in several languages by
Zawinul's longtime colleague
Salif Keita (for whom
Zawinul produced a great album in 1991),
Syndicate percussionist
Arto Tuncboyaciyan, a throat vocal specialist from South Siberia named Bolot,
Thania Sanchez,
Zawinul himself, and several others. When translated, the lyrics speak of joy and unity among the cultures, and there isn't any doubt that
Zawinul's bubbling music feeds the message of uplift. Hear it; you purists may be jiggling along in spite of yourselves. ~ Richard S. Ginell