On paper, the pairing of pianist Alexander Hawkins and drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo seems an unlikely one. The two differ in age by some forty years, with Moholo-Moholo more than double Hawkin's age, and — since the drummer's 2005 retirement from London back to the land of his birth — they live some 5600 miles apart. They are also at opposite ends of their musical careers: Moholo-Moholo, the last surviving member of the legendary band of South African exiles who formed The Blue Notes and Brotherhood of Breath, is still as powerful and fiery as ever but surely with nothing left to prove; by comparison, Hawkins seems a relative newcomer, albeit an immensely talented and promising one as he has demonstrated with various bands such as Barkingside, the Convergence Quartet, Decoy (with whom he plays Hammond organ) and his own ensembles.
Since 2005 Moholo-Moholo has been an increasingly frequent visitor back to London, to play with old friends and colleagues such as Evan Parker. On those trips he has also formed new bonds with up-and-coming musicians of a younger generation. Despite their differences, his partnership with Hawkins had a certain inevitability given the pianist's proven affinity and talent for South African township jazz, allied to his skills as an improviser. The two soon developed a rapport, frequently gigging as a duo and, now, Keep Your Heart Straight is their first album together. Studio-recorded in October 2011 in London, its nine tracks include five improvised pieces interspersed with pulsating versions of "Amaxesha Osizi (Times of Sorrow)" (originally on Moholo-Moholo's 1978 Ogun album Spirits Rejoice), "If I Should Lose You", the South African standard "Lakutshon' Ilanga" by Mackay Davashe and Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss". Despite the diversity represented by such compositions, as a whole the album has great consistency and coherence. Its most immediately noteworthy features are the sheer quantity of music that the two generate plus the unrelenting power of their playing.
Most of the time, Hawkins and Moholo-Moholo both play full-on together, rather than one taking the spotlight while the other supports. Together they create a soundscape so rich and detailed that it is difficult to imagine another player fitting into it. At times their playing is so intense and they hit their instruments so hard that it is possible to believe they are trying to out-power one another! But even at their most fearsome neither player sacrifices musicality for intensity. The title track, which closes the album, is its highlight; building from a restrained opening section dominated by subtle percussion, it steadily gains momentum through to a euphoric climax, emphasised by shouts of pure joy. Phew! Down the years, Moholo-Moholo has recorded piano and drums duos with such fine pianists as Keith Tippett, Irčne Schweizer, Cecil Taylor, Marilyn Crispell and Stan Tracey — an impressive list which tells its own story. In time, Keep Your Heart Straight is sure to be seen as the equal of any of them. A classic in waiting.
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