God depicted in a tapestry of sound
Best Track: The Creator Has a Master Plan
Genre: Free Jazz
Year: 1969
The first time I heard this album, it blew my mind to hear a band this locked-in. “The Creator Has a Master Plan” somehow captures the formation of a collective musical spirit, as all of the musicians uniquely felt it. Say what you will about the simplicity of the composition, but a simple structure frees up the musicians to where they can devote all their focus into feeling and expressing this spirit. It’s free jazz after all… the music SHOULD be freeing. The band resolves every climax with such grace, and keeps achieving new heights as the piece goes on. The instruments weave between each other, not with an orchestrated pattern, but by tapping into a shared musical connection and gradually moving in intensity as the energy flowed throughout the studio. Maybe this description reads like nonsense to you, but spiritual music calls for spiritual language.
That being said, what is this song even about? There is no narrative in these lyrics, just a chorus to be chanted. The optimism of “peace and happiness through all the land” sinks into each musician’s consciousness, influencing how they play. If ever a soloist starts to fade away, a new instrument appears out of the tapestry to carry the torch or to support the soloist in burning even brighter. Everything comes together as a thick wall of magical sound, that commands you to feel as the musicians felt when they were performing it. It’s beautiful, it’s faithful, and it’s unwavering. It is what heaven feels like. Like the biblical idea of braving evil because God is with you, the band is able to endure dark, disturbing sounds without losing sight of light at the end of the tunnel. Most musicians wouldn’t know what to play, or they’d give up and call for another take, but this band fully explores this spiritual darkness. They dredge up new clashing textures, and desecrate the tapestry with such intent. Miraculously though, the band manages to return to the chorus. Now that the musicians have tested the depths of God’s power, the chant becomes a celebration. They sound effortless yet strong, as they bask in the truth of his message. This song turns music into God, and the recording’s resulting beauty is his master plan.
When placed after the perfection that is “The Creator Has a Master Plan”, “Colors” seems to have a lot of flaws. For one, it spells out the beauty of nature a little too heavy-handedly. Hearing Leon Thomas’s long, drawn out list of colours ends up restraining the band. There isn’t much more to be said about this track specifically. It’s very similar to “The Creator”, but ironically, “Colours” doesn’t sound as vibrant. Because of this, Karma is not really a front-to-back album, rather two different songs where the former is way more memorable. This makes the average depth of this album is a little shallower, so that when you listen to the end, its impact isn’t as powerful as it could’ve been. I really only go back to “The Creator” when I want to hear that Pharoah Sanders magic, but it is the most magical music I’ve ever heard. Timeless, free, and perfect.