Review: Phil Dawson ٤-tet - Shifting Sands (Mainline) ft. Khadijatou Doyneh (Funkiwala)

The second single from the forthcoming album is just as impressive as the first, Phil Dawson ٤-tet is on solid ground with  Shifting Sands (Mainline) featuring Khadijatou Doyneh.

It's fairly amazing how we get links from Phil Dawson to Medlar, in this case via the previous single, 'Ilé (Iyesa)' that featured Rowland Sutherland plus Dele Sosimi and Biola Dosunmu (Dele having worked with Medlar on Wah Wah 45s - see review HERE) and, unsurprisingly, what a great combiation of vocal and Afro-jazz for flute gang fans.

The second single to be taken from Phil Dawson's forthcoming new album ‘Don’t Waste Your Ancestors’ Time’, 'Shifting Sands (Mainline)' centres itself around a poem by spoken word artist Khadijatou, philosophising from her immediate surroundings (kinda reminds me of Kameelah Waheed - see reviews HERE & HERE) with a warped Ghanaian-style highlife guitar, 70s jazz-funk-inspired Fender Rhodes, with more flute futurism from Sutherland sounding more Jimi Tenor than Jimi himself (see review HERE).

Like Mr. Tenor (in his Philophon role), UK guitarist, composer and bandleader Phil is embeded in Hi-Life, Afrobeat, South African music having worked with a who's who including Hugh Masekela, Tony Allen, Mulatu Astatke, Osibisa (don't forget Sol Power All-Stars' 'tribute' that's just come out - see review HERE) as well as London based Lokkhi Terra and Soothsayers.

The band will be performing at Pizza Express Dean Street in London on October 22nd https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/phil-dawson-quintet-feat-khadijatou-doyneh
to promote the album, 'Don’t Waste Your Ancestors’ Time' will be released on November 29th

Artist: Phil Dawson ٤-tet
Title:  Shifting Sands (Mainline) ft. Khadijatou Doyneh
Release date: 25th October, 2024
Label : Funkiwala
Catalog Number : -
Format:  Digital / Bandcamp