Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Ancestral Recall

“All forms of expression in sound are valid, as all
people are…
this is the mantra of Ancestral Recall.”
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah sets the tone for his
new project - Ancestral Recall - with this powerful
statement. In his mission to unify cultural voices and
tear down the sonic and social constructs that
separate based on race, class, and culture, Adjuah
asserts music has historically been disseminated to
people with harmony and melody prioritized over
rhythm. The value distinction leads to harmful
hierarchal sentiments and perpetuates the view that
cultures who prioritize harmony and melody are more
nuanced and sophisticated than those who prioritize
rhythm. It is an inaccurate portrayal.
Ancestral Recall looks to excavate and update
hidden histories in sound by displaying a sonic
tapestry that illuminates the har-melodic movements
found within rhythm, rendering previous contexts
baseless, Adjuah explains: "In its inception, Ancestral
Recall was built as a map to de-colonialize sound; to
challenge previously held misconceptions about
some cultures of music; to codify a new folkloric
tradition and begin the work of creating a national set
of rhythms; rhythms rooted in the synergy between
West African, First Nation, African
Diaspora/Caribbean rhythms and their marriage to
rhythmic templates found in trap music, alt-rock, and
other modern forms. It is time we created a sound
that dispels singular narratives of entire peoples and
looks to finally represent the wealth of narratives
found throughout the American experience. One that
shows that all forms of expression in sound are valid,
as all people are." The goal is to connect people in
one understanding rather than dividing them by
definition.