Within an Irreversible Entanglements groove, the tri-city free-jazz band expands and distorts the shape of melody, noise and heart-thumping rhythm, which the group typically stretches over long improvisations. "Open the Gates," a new song composed by vocalist Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother) and drummer Tcheser Holmes, presents the quintet under a tight three minutes. Polyrhythmic percussion jogs at a brisk pace to Luke Stewart's whiplashed bass line as alto sax (Keir Neuringer) and trumpet (Aquiles Navarro) tangle around a regal, inciting melody that juxtaposes "Camptown Races" – a song steeped in minstrelsy – against Ayewa's liberation poetry. Accompanied by a music video starring a little Miles Morales in training, the title track to the group's upcoming album (out Nov. 12) feels like an invocation – "an offering for freedom," Ayewa intones – to open the gates of consciousness.
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