Music for the inside of a lava lamp, expanding on the boundaries of traditional jazz in a magical way, Who We Are, Becoming delivers a dream-like soundscape cradling vocals from Emilie Boyd, Nadya Albertson, Terra Kin, Gaia, kitti, and Vasmant herself. Featuring a 25-strong collective of musicians including harpist Amanda Whiting, saxophonist Harry Weir, and drummer Graham Costello – with a 60/40 female/male split – it’s a journey of love and healing.
The album is wrapped in love: self-love, familial love, platonic love, and sisterhood. Particularly in her track ‘Sun Stone’, featuring and co-written by Emilie Boyd, an ode to the sun becomes a serenade to Boyd’s son. ‘Sun Stone’s words bear homage to them with warmth and gratitude.
‘Sisterhood (skit)’, is an emotional listen allowing for reflection on how important these types of bonds are and, personally, how I would not be the person I am today without the women in my life. Listening to the voice note from Vasmant’s childhood best friend reflects on the importance of these connections, showing how they can uplift and bring out the best in people.
The album’s closing track, ‘Poem For My Grandparents’, serves as a hauntingly beautiful tribute to Vasmant’s own grandparents who were holocaust survivors. A work of vulnerability, it holds power in these current times with Vasmant’s words carrying a cry to put an end to the senseless violence that haunts our world. The track reminds us of the importance of one’s own voice, how it can be an instrument of change & forgiveness and the power our words hold.
Who We Are, Becoming by Rebecca Vasmant is a wonder. This album is easily capable of bringing tears to eyes, feeling like a physical embrace. With the turbulent times we are living through, Who We Are, Becoming, serves as a reminder that we can be instruments for change and to uplift, and be uplifted, by the ones we love the most.
Who We Are, Becoming is out on the 9th of May via Women in Jazz x New Soil
