A Semblance: Of Return
by Asher Gamedze
- Type: Album
- Released: 27 February 2026
- Label: Northern Spy
- Country: South Africa
- Length: 44:03
- Community rating: 3.77/5 from 6 ratings
Album Notes & Community Reviews
Drummer and composer Asher Gamedze explores the intersections of history and improvisation on 'A Semblance: Of Return'. The record is a sprawling spiritual jazz work that utilizes intricate compositions and emotive soloing to navigate themes of return and social struggle. Gamedze’s approach is both scholarly and deeply visceral, cementing his position as a crucial voice in contemporary South African jazz.
Genres
Descriptors: improvisational, political, repetitive, transformative
Tracklist
- Stranger No Death (2:10)
- Progressive (2:52)
- Air (6:33)
- Following Up (2:58)
- Distractions (2:41)
- Of The Fire (3:00)
- War (5:11)
- Lowland (5:31)
- Extension (4:42)
- State (Of The Internation) (2:41)
- Turnin' (5:44)
Credits
- Acknowledgement - this project has been a diy effort made possible through the dedication, skills, love, grit, commitment, and generosity of many people. principally the musicians – ru, nobuhle, zwide and keegan – thank you for putting yourselves in the middle of this music and for everything on the music’s out sides which makes the music possible. lungiswa, who is basically part of the band, and graciously tolerates our rehearsals, comes to all our gigs, shouts, sings, dances and listens. big thanks to the deep waters in which we swim and to those who’ve come and gone before us. to ben jamieson and benjy de kock at concept records – this record couldn’t have been done anywhere else. chris weiss, rob scott, clem carr, fmfp, dulie, micaela, louis moholo-moholo, melrocque, leila and nish, northern spy, amilcar cabral and the paigc, and the gamedze sisters, we give thanks. and to the broader community that we are part of, bands we have played with, everyone who has booked us for a gig, anyone who has come to watch us play and bought our shirts to support the making of this album, we love you: the commons, babbi, densen, operation khataza, awakening social sessions in kimberley, chimurenga and the pan african space station, native rebels in soweto, thania petersen. no thanks to untitled basement.
- Asher Gamedze - drums, reading group, group vocals.
- collection of Biko’s writings I write what I like - johannesburg, 2004) appear on
- Keegan Steenkamp - trumpet, reading group, group vocals.
- Nobuhle Ashanti - keyboards and synths, reading group, group vocals.
- Picador Africa - johannesburg, 2004) appear on
- Ru Slayen - percussion, reading group, group vocals.
- Zwide Ndwandwe - bass, reading group, group vocals.