Following the release of Chameleons (Live Interpretations Of Herbie Hancock) last year, and their acclaimed 2023 debut The Summoned — described by MOJO as “bursting with zeal and vigour” — Scotland’s leading jazz ensemble Mama Terra return with a new album, Inner Space. Expanding upon the musical ambition and thematic scope of their debut, Inner Space explores both the reality and potential of the human condition — “what we are and what we can be.” The record introduces new instrumentation into Mama Terra’s already distinctive soundworld, alongside narration from the iconic Conrad Roberts, best known for his 1971 collaboration with Miles Davis. The album was recorded between Glasgow, Los Angeles and Brooklyn under the direction of bandleader, composer and producer CAFOLLA, joined by Grammy-nominated co-producer and engineer Joel Hamilton. Musically, the record draws influence from an expansive lineage including Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Terence Blanchard, David Axelrod, Kamasi Washington, Scott Walker, Don Ellis and Gustav Holst. Despite that broad palette, Mama Terra’s sound remains unmistakably their own. Alongside CAFOLLA on piano, Moog synthesisers and Hammond organ, and longtime collaborator Konrad Wiszniewski on saxophones, sits the striking soprano voice of Rachel Lightbody, whose inventive vocal presence has become central to the ensemble’s unique interpretation of spiritual jazz. Conrad Roberts appears on two tracks. A lifelong admirer of Roberts’ contribution to Miles Davis’ Live-Evil (1971), CAFOLLA tracked down the poet to recite words written specifically for what became the album’s lead track, Inner Space (Narration by Conrad Roberts). Roberts not only agreed, but also contributed additional words originally prepared for a possible future collaboration with Davis himself, eventually appearing on Bliss (Words & Narration by Conrad Roberts) after recognising a spiritual continuity between the projects. The album also features acclaimed classical duo The Ayoub Sisters providing guest string arrangements throughout, while New York trumpeter Jeremy Pelt returns to appear on The Observers, joined by an expansive ensemble of musicians helping shape Mama Terra’s vision: music for the eye of the storm, where fear, beauty and stillness coexist. Deep, ambitious and cinematic in scope, Inner Space is a contemporary nine-track jazz album available on LP, CD and digital formats.
