An Album a Day #2026-07

Notes

I was drawn to this album by its classification as "spiritual jazz." I try to listen to each record in this series with an empty mind, but it was difficult not to expect something like John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, which might be the most spiritual jazz I'm aware of. I admit that I struggled some with that classification while listening to this record.

What Mahku and A Love Supreme have in common is a dramatic sense of meditation and freedom. It's not hard to sense that much of the music was improvised, which is perhaps where the impetus for the jazz category comes from. Mahku's meditative qualities are natural, given Manizeh's history as a yoga instructor and chant leader. In fact, her studio is called Love Supreme Projects.

I may disagree that Mahku is jazz, but I did still enjoy listening to it. There is a musical depth here that eludes most new age-y music. I particularly enjoyed the album's opening track "Ashem Vohu," which is a rendition of a Zoroastrian prayer dating to the Old Avestan period (1500 – 900 BCE). The music has a waking quality to it. I intend to listen to it some mornings when I wake up early and am mentally preparing for the day.

Listen

What is "An Album a Day"?

Each day in 2026, I'm listening to an album that:

1. I've never heard before
2. Was released in the last six months (from the time of listening).