Phil Dawson, UK guitarist and producer, learned his trade with legends like South African jazz trumpet giant Hugh Masekela, Nigerian Afrobeat co-creator Tony Allen, Ethio- jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, and Ghanaian afro-rock dons Osibisa as well as a large handful of Brit Jazz and cultural fusion projects.
'Don't Waste Your Ancestors' Time'creates a new blend of Afro- and Afro-Brazilian grooves, high-level improv and dub, and boasts an array of collaborators that push the music in new directions - spoken word artist Khadijatou Doyneh (Heliocentrics); saxophonist Tony Kofi (Abdullah Ibrahim, Jazz Jamaica, Cymande etc), top pianist Sam Leak (Aquarium), Afrobeat maestro Dele Sosimi, who vocalises in contexts he's not been heard in before; progressive UK tenor player John Martin; Ruby Rushton's Nick Walterson trumpet; Nigerian singer Biola Dosunmu (Estuary 17); Bellowhead and Dele's horn arranger, trombonist Justin Thurgur, as well as a cameo from Tamar Collocutor. The album's title paraphrases novelist Wole Soyinkain a plea to all not to throw away what their ancestors fought for - whether that's through ignoring spiritual heritages, allowing ourselves to be divided and conquered, or turning a blind eye to contemporary injustices....