Return To Kuumbwa: Liner Notes

Very few things are more satisfying than the experience of witnessing and/or participating in spontaneous creativity. Music commonly referred to as jazz is rooted in the creative spirit and enhanced when presented in live performance without any rehearsals or preconceived notions. Over 40 years ago, during the early stages of organizing the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in the little beach town of Santa Cruz California, Dawan Muhammad recalls Rich Wills, Sheba, Tim Jackson, Prince H. Lawsha and others choosing the name Kuumbwa for the Center because it means creativity in the Swahili language. The Center has certainly lived up to its name and today; Kuumbwa is a world renowned community based center and venue for jazz.

On May 15, 2014, Afrikahn Jahmal Dayvs (KPFA, KKUP) and Dawan produced a BAJABA (Bay Area Jazz and Blues Artists) SHOWCASE, presenting Kuumbwa with the award for being a distinguished jazz venue and marking Dawan’s first return as a lead performer in 35 years. I was even more delighted to be invited when I was introduced to the history behind the occasion.

In starting my new life in the San Francisco Bay Area, I immersed myself in the local Jazz scene, looking for the best experiences. On one occasion, I went to see a local sax great, Scott Barnhill and his band at a place called Wine Affairs in San Jose, CA. The group featured Scott’s father, the late Buddy Barnhill, a legend on drums, the inventive guitar of Tim Volpicella and ever-present Doug Pohorsky on bass. A man in what looked like formal African attire carrying a horn case walked in. This is when I first saw Dawan Muhammad. I soon learned that Dawan was in charge of producing jazz there every Thursday night! We connected right away, he was very approachable and beyond all very friendly. But when he played his horn he spoke the truth reaching the depths of the tradition in a way that only life lived can.

One night a Bay Area Jazz Illuminati congregation gathered at Wine Affairs for Hafez Modirzadeh’s performance, Dawan had a car issue and needed a lift, during the ride we talked jazz. Dawan casually mentioned a Joe Henderson anecdote from the time he spent in New York and ironically informed me of Joe’s participation in the first fundraiser for Kuumbwa Jazz Center. It became obvious that Dawan had walked among giants while submerging himself in Jazz tradition and becoming the next link in the chain of the Jazz continuum. Thus, we began a fruitful collaboration resulting in a series of articles documenting Dawan’s life in Jazz. I wrote the articles for my West Coast Jazz column published in Swing Journal, which was the world’s largest Jazz magazine at the time and produced in Japan (issues April, June, July 2009).

The sounds recorded on this disc represent the living tradition of Jazz in the purest form; in it’s practice. Performed live with spontaneous imperfections and greatness, the music offers fresh approaches to standards and explores a few rarely covered jazz tunes from the 1960’s “Blue Note” archives. The group shared a unique coherence of compassion and highly cultivated life force, which seemed to come from deep within the soul. Rivers of intricate sound coming from Spencer Allen’s piano, broke like magnificent waves at times, while at other times providing buoyancy to the sounds of others in the group. Virtuoso solos from the bass of Dan Robbins, stimulated the imagination with such an unlikely ‘solo’ instrument. Terrell Otis gives heartbeat to this magnificent beast, making it unstoppable and pushing it forward. Add the raw but gentle wisdom flowing out of Dawan’s horn to all that and recording engineer Lee Ray was in a state of bliss. I could see who’s who of Bay Area Jazz radio in the audience and they all nodded with the approval as sounds of the universe descended from the stage. I was thrilled again when I heard the music performed that night would be released on CD. I will once more sit back and transcend to the world beyond.

Ryoko Minemura