It isn't hard to understand why the music of John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Pharoah Sanders is so highly regarded in South African jazz circles. World music heavily influenced those modal post-boppers, and South African jazzmen are fascinated by the way certain improvisers from the U.S. have blended jazz with traditional African, Indian or Arabic music. One of those South African jazzmen is Bheki Mseleku, whose Meditations indicates that the multi-instrumentalist identifies with the spiritual elements of post-bop jazz. Recorded live in England (the country that Mseleku moved to in the 1980s in order to escape South Africa's apartheid system) in 1992, this CD contains two extended pieces: the 32-minute Meditation Suite and the 14-minute Meera-MA (Divine Mother)." While the latter finds him playing both acoustic piano and sax, he only plays the piano on the peaceful and reflective Meditation Suite. This appealing, if long-winded, piece didn't need to last a half hour, but because Mseleku's piano playing is so expressive, one can easily forgive his excesses. On both Meditation Suite and the haunting Meera-MA (Divine Mother), Mseleku provides wordless African-style vocals. This type of singing isn't uncommon in either traditional African tribal music or modern African pop, but it is rare to hear it on a jazz album. Meditations is a soulful effort that, despite its excesses, is well worth exploring if you like your post-bop with a strong world music appeal. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

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