Biography

Afrojazz Quintet, founded and led by artist-musician Alvar Gullichsen, has crafted a masterful album Welcome Our Future that seamlessly blends genres and pushes the boundaries of convention.

The ensemble's deep roots in jazz, afrofunk, afrobeat, and psychedelic rock, yields a sound that is both sophisticated and eclectic. The interplay of call-and-response, a fundamental element of African music, harmoniously fused with a contemporary pop-rock sensibility, creates a unique sonic tapestry that is both familiar and novel. The four tracks on the EP are composed by Alvar Gullichsen and produced by Julius Heikkilä.

The lyrics, penned by poet-songwriter Matthew John Dorman and writer-filmmaker Richard Stanley, known as Hurriganes producer “Mr. X”, are inspired by a wide range of sources, including the enigmatic realm of "liminal spaces"—vacant and abandoned places that exude an atmosphere of eerie solitude and surreal, psychedelic ambience. In Superlife the word "super" transcends mere celebration of a remarkable existence; it signifies an amplified, even exaggerated expression of life's essence, a life lived to the fullest at the fringes of convention, bordering on psychedelia.

In Welcome Our Future Richard Stanley delivers a Vincent Price pastiche in 1950’s UFO movie style. The aliens represent foreigners or immigrants, with a call for cooperation over competition.

Singer Charlotta Kerbs, who has long collaborated with the Afrojazz Quintet, shines as an interpreter of the lyrics in Superlife and Funky Freedom. Jimi Tenor, a frequent guest performer with the group, lends his tenor saxophone and flute skills to the instrumental piece A Smile in Exile.

Overall, Welcome Our Future is a stunning album that showcases the Afrojazz Quintet's mastery of musical genres and their unique ability to create innovative and thought-provoking music.

Tracklist

1. Superlife (feat Charlotta Kerbs)
2. A Smile in Exile - Instrumental (feat Jimi Tenor)
3. Welcome Our Future (feat Richard Stanley, Charlotta Kerbs)
4. Funky Freedom (feat Charlotta Kerbs)