1983 S.O.L.A.R. “Faith For My Mind” on Path Of Light Records

Well, I guess there’s Spiritual Jazz in the Strata Realm and all its various Doug Carn to Ra Nod to Pharoah to Khaliq Al-Rouf and many other Elephant Trot tangents, and then there’s all-caps SPIRITUAL EFFING JAZZ, to which I would say this record more specifically belongs. You’ve no doubt already guessed that the acronym S.O.L.A.R. stands for Source Of Life Arkestral Revelation, and these cats out of Georgia definitely deliver on that premise. In fact, it’s really Jazz Spirituality with a side of gospel, lots of soul, a touch of reggae, a side of Afro-Carribean groove, and a certain cultish feeling. Which shouldn’t be construed as a criticism, because I really dig the unusual stew. It’s rare you come across any kind of music that so completely believes in itself, that is utterly doubtless, and that tension is especially interesting when the music veers from sacred celebration straight to out-jazz with dissonant horns and viola and vocal arrangements.

​Now, although Path Of Light really only put out two records, the other is the MIGHTY Azanyah “The One” that I posted a while back, and which is justly revered in certain highly specific corners of The Gram. Which makes sense when you consider that stomping bassist Mamaniji Azanyah is the driving force behind S.O.L.A.R., which also includes Claudius Fabien, Emanuel Ibrahim, Jerome Crichton, Kariba Jendayi, and Rukiya Imani. The message is pure positivity and the revelation of love, which I also dig. Maybe the best thing, though, is that this record may be THE slab of wax from 1983 that sound as far away from 1983 as is aurally possible, in the history of recorded music. Oh yea!