BAKITHI KUMALO
Transmigration
Guruproject

Bassist Bakithi Kumalo may have grown up in South Africa, but his virtuosic fretless bass style shows that he spent some of his formative years listening to then-popular jazz fusion that was filtering around the world, courtesy of bands such as Weather Report and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters. 1998’s release San Bonan and 2000’s In Front of My Eyes featured a lot of African and African-influenced music and grooves, but for his latest project, Transmigration, Kumalo has decided to focus on his funk-pop-jazz playing, creating a disc that is sumptuous enough for most smooth jazz fans, yet also has enough groove for jam fans and enough chops for fusion fans. Like fellow bassist Marcus Miller, it appears that Kumalo is adept at crossing smooth, funk, and contemporary R&B styles without degenerating into musical mush. Sure, once in awhile that line gets blurry (the ill-advised “Only You” featuring singer Penny Ford), but for the most part Kumalo has produced a disc that is both accessible and listenable.

Kumalo first came to the attention of most music fans when he provided the sinewy, bouncy bass lines for Paul Simon’s Graceland album. Soon Kumalo was based in New York and playing recording and live dates with the likes of Chaka Khan, Harry Belafonte, Laurie Anderson, and Gloria Estefan.

Now, there’s a strong smooth jazz element here, maybe even an attempt to garner radio airplay. I’m not sure that will happen, because Transmigration is a bit outside the normal smooth jazz formula in its second half, but I do think most smooth listeners would enjoy this CD a great deal. In any case, Kumalo and producer/keyboardist Chris Pati do utilize a lot of programmed beats as well as, sometimes, programmed instrument sounds. The opening track, “Twilight Fire” is basically a studio duet with Kumalo and Pati handling all the sounds between them. Again, a Marcus Miller analogy, as this track sometimes sounds a bit like some of the funk work Miller was doing around the time he first started collaborating with Jason Miles and Miles Davis on Miles’ Tutu album. The next track, “Step By Step” does nothing to dispel this notion, except that you have some real drums and a real saxophone. That does a lot to flesh out the sound, and the result is very much like some of today’s top smooth recording acts, right down to the disembodied voices stating the title over the vamp. The aforementioned “Only Your Love” is somewhat catchy and should appeal to contemporary R&B fans. I suppose I would say that you may not want to like this track, but you’ll be hard pressed to get it out of your head.

From here, though, things shift a bit and help create a more balanced overall album that is appealing through repeated listenings. The track “Looking Forward” features some bass work that is a bit closer to Kumalo’s South African heritage. It’s catchy, pretty, smooth, and somehow satisfying all at the same time. Things never really hit jam level, but the piece is buoyed by its infectious energy. “Light Rain” is like every smooth late night instrumental track you ever heard. In fact, much of Transmigration has a bit of a retro sound, as in late 1980s or early 1990s, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I found it charming and ultimately, I enjoyed both Kumalo’s playing and the majority of the compositions here.

“Seems Like Old Times,” featuring soprano saxophonist Morris Goldberg jamming over a Tutu-esque groove also allows Kumalo a good solo spot. The same group makes “Make Me Smile” a winner as well, with its winsome melody played in unison by Kumalo and Goldberg. Pati also manages some nice, delicate electric keyboard fills that remind one of Joe Zawinul’s early Weather Report work. In fact, the whole thing has a bit of a Weather Report ballad feel to it at times. On “Trio” Kumalo, pianist Bill Smith, and drummer Damon Duewhite play a straight ahead trio piece that adds a unique dimension to the CD. That’s followed by the more than ten minute “Your Point Being?” which is quite reminiscent of some of the grooves Miles Davis and his bands were playing live in the ‘80s. Kumalo concludes with the drum and percussion-driven “Africa,” on which he plays all bass, percussion, guitar, wood, flute, and djembe. It’s a familiar style for Kumalo, but coming at the end of Transmigration, it provides a completely different sound as the album’s coda.

Kumalo doesn’t tear down the house on Transmigration, but sometimes that’s not what music is for. Despite programming that is at times a bit of a throwback, Kumalo’s talent comes through loud and clear, and that is going to be more than enough for the majority of listeners.