Build An Ark - Love (Part 1)

Peace and love

Imbued with the spirit of Ken Kesey’s Pranksters, Carlos Nino’s merry collective of musicians embody a flowers, beads and sandals ideology much at odds with the leader’s hip-hop origins. Perhaps reacting to comparable circumstances of American conflict that acted as a catalyst to the Summer Of Love generation, this third album is billed as “a meditation on love – its forms and moods, its ecstatic and soothing powers”.

If this sounds a little twee, the resulting music articulates the sentiments majestically. Nino has now expanded his collective to 45 musicians, and the lush orchestral sweep of spiritual jazz is soulful, uplifting and, at times, breathtakingly beautiful. Group singing, handclaps and major chord optimism all contribute to a sense of warmth and communal spirit that’s best exemplified by the album’s standout, Sunflowers In My Garden: a gorgeous botanical ode that should warm even the most cynical of hearts.

Elsewhere, Tribe label founder Phil Ranelin pops up on the resurrection of his anti- Vietnam cut How Do We End This Madness, and there’s a nice orchestral twist on Van Morrison’s Sweet Thing alongside the originals. Very much the sum of its parts, this album adds up to a warm fuzzy whole. It’s a statement of positivity, a call for universal love, a great big musical hug.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Kindred Spirits | KS 028

Reviewed by Paul Bowler
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