On Mu Music

REVIEWS

My Favorite Album of the Year so far!
Sun Ra is a popular touchstone for groove makers seeking a cosmic connection but few admirers capture more than a tiny fraction of the man's peculiar genius. Even former Arkestra members tend to produce watered-down, overly linear homages. On Ka'a Davis is the rare exception to that rule, and has created an astonishing disc that raises the ante on Ra's concepts while mixing in more contemporary African grooves. The originality of the grooves is overwhelming. (Davis offers) a spellbinding suite (with) every inside and outside notion of a century of African American music (is) embodied in this sound. This is my favourite album of the year so far. *****

David Dacks
Exclaim! magazine, Ontario

One of the Most Vibrant and Enchanting Gems of the Year!
(Davis) has put out one of the freshest, most vibrant and enchanting space/rock/funk/jazz/exotic gems of the year! It is rare when an album makes you want to dance as much as listen closely to all that is going on....the perfect remedy for jaded souls and (wannabe) hipsters. ****
Downtown Music Gallery, NYC
Jazz Album of the Month

On Ka'a Davis' deep roots in the fertile soil of Babatunde Olatunji, Fela Kuti and James Blood Ulmer are vivid to say the least, yet the guitarist-vocalist has such a singular character that....it reaches....an unidentified pathway....rhythms...both danceable and disorientating, uncompromising in their entanglement, their sense of stability in league with the wavering nature of the beat. To a certain extent it is this sleight of hand that shows how connected the R&B of Luther Thomas [who is in the horn section here] and Charles Bobo Shaw, in its focused looseness, is to the jazz of Sun Ra and (the punk jazz of) Defunkt, the sum total of these parts. Davis stands resolutely in this continuum and he also transcends it, for in the flighty urgency of his voice and the deeply personal nature of his worldview he has asserted a creative personality that is his and his alone. It is one that is both deep inside the jazz tradition and outside it, which is possibly the mission statement of anybody who might well breathe the old as the oxygen of the new. ****
Kevin Le Gendre
Echoes magazine UK

Davis is Easily a Seductive Musical Genius!
On Ka'a Davis is easily a seductive musical genius. The artistry, the undulating beat of drum and high hat taps are brilliantly crafted. Part jazz, rock, Spanish, afrobeat, funk, and a whole lot of complex unstructured instrumentation make On Ka'a Davis a renowned eccentric. ****
Chanda Jones
Short and Sweet NYC

Virtuoso guitarist, composer and extrasensory wizard On Ka'a Davis delivers a kaleidoscopic blend of jazzed-out Afrobeat, mutant interplanetary funk and vital message on his latest opus Seeds Of Djuke. A card-carrying veteran of Sun Ra's Arkestra, Donald Ayler....Personnel: On Ka'a Davis....others
Full Description <http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7867169&desc=1>
cd universe

A Penultimate Generation of Global Groove!
SO GOOD, that I boldly call this music the PENULTIMATE GENERATION OF GLOBAL GROOVE! .... incredibly powerful, and positive, and to the absolute moment....sounds that you've never heard before! You'll listen to this one over and over again, each time finding a new little gem hidden in the groove.
Worldy Vibe

Excellent Afro-Pop from North America!
Davis never sounds like someone who has only a passing interest in the pop music of Sub-Saharan Africa; in fact, Seeds of Djuke gives the impression that he has spent a considerable amount of time checking out what Afro-pop in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mali, and other countries has to offer. Davis has no problem demonstrating that excellent Afro-pop can come from North America. ****
All Music Blog

Fascinating Music!
Jazz and Afropop find some common ground! Davis has written a fascinating group of songs that are funky, improvisational and, while they embrace dissonance and free jazz styles, the songs retain an engaging groove that keeps (his music) accessible. ****
Northwest Arkansas News
Honorable Mention
Robert Christgau *****
MSN Music

To Become an Influence to African Jazz!
(Davis) has found a new direction. In a short time, I am sure that Davis will become influential to other African (and) jazz groups.*****
buyer review
MSN Music

A Redefined Sense of Music from the Black Esthetic!
On Ka'a Davis is full of rich imagination and music. Davis has arrived at a synthesis of jazz, blues, afro beat and space funk that stirs the brain as much as it does my dancing feet! (Davis is) causing a serious musical revolution, introducing a redefined sense of music from the Black esthetic. ****
buyer review
MSN Music