This year, International Anthem marked its eleventh year with a special reissue series under the “IA11 chrysanthemum banner.” The initiative promises to revisit some of the label’s most celebrated albums, presenting them with new liner notes, fresh inserts, and a redesigned obi strip (and digital-only bonus tracks). All of this is offered at a more accessible price point. The latest in this retrospective celebration is a reissue of Angel Bat Dawid‘s 2019 International Anthem debut, The Oracle (out September 12th), an album that not only introduced her to the world but also solidified her as an essential voice in contemporary improvised music.
The initial cassette and digital release of The Oracle was an immediate sensation. The response was immense, launching Dawid onto magazine covers and international festival stages almost overnight. This whirlwind of attention marked the beginning of an epic creative run for Dawid, including her album with Tha Brothahood, Transition East, the Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology, and the sprawling 2023 opus Requiem for Jazz. The album’s power lies in its deep blend of emotive songs and heavy, free improvisation, all constructed with a profound sense of DIY spirit. Dawid, in a true testament to creative abandon, recorded and mixed the entire album on her cell phone.
Percussionist and IARC labelmate Asher Gamedze, who also contributes the new liner notes for this IA11 edition, is the only other musician to appear on the album. In his notes, Gamedze waxes extensively on Dawid’s significance, calling her “a living exemplar and extension of the spacious sonic horizons opened by the likes of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians: a Chicago-based, non-profit organization of musicians founded in 1965) and their refusal of any limitations on their creative vision and the destruction of the demarcation between composer and improviser.” He praises Dawid’s “fieldnote approach,” affirming that “the everyday remains a legitimate site of creative production.”
Revisiting The Oracle, it’s clear that Dawid’s artistic vision and compositional skill are what push the boundaries of her explorations so far. The album’s tracks showcase a remarkable sonic range, from the layered, delay-drenched clarinet improvisations of “Black Family” and “Impepho” to the unadorned, fly-on-the-wall majesty of “London.” The record even includes the nearly sidelong “Capetown,” which documents her first-time meeting with Gamedze at his home in South Africa. The laid-back, minor-key gospel-folk of Dawid’s vocal tunes serve as the album’s anchor, tying these diverse sonic explorations together.
Gamedze gets to the essence of the album’s power when he writes that “the album’s profundity perhaps lies in its everydayness. Its beauty is in the worlds and work which are the music’s root.” He calls the record “an instant classic with anthems ancient to the future,” praising its idiosyncratic and grounded approach to production and its refusal to draw lines between composition and improvisation. This new IA11 reissue not only celebrates the album’s original brilliance but also reintroduces this vital work to a new generation of listeners, ensuring its timeless message and creative spirit endure.
Tracklisting
- Destination (Dr. Yusef Lateef) – 02:22
- Black Family – 06:18
- What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black (Dr. Margaret Burroughs) – 03:20
- Impepho – 03:39
- We Are Starzz – 04:23
- London – 02:46
- Capetown (feat. Asher Gamedze) – 15:36
- The Oracle – 05:23
- SPACE323 ATL (Doc. Calico’s Solar Return) [digital-only bonus track] – 06:38
- Eric Dolphy’s Synthetic Formations (Given to Yusef Lateef by Eric Dolphy in 1961) [digital-only bonus track] – 05:51
- Asher Gamedze – pickpocket (digital-only bonus track) – 02:19
- Proverbs 30:4 מִ֤יעָלָֽה־שָׁמַ֨יִם ׀ (digital-only bonus track) – 05:58
Pre-order via Bandcamp