Regarding “Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah”, Daniel Martin-McCormick, in a review for Pitchfork, commented: “By allowing soulful prettiness alongside more vicious passages, Sanders opens the album up, connecting the dots between joyful communion and unflinching catharsis. A squalling solo toward the end of the side sounds like a cry from the deepest, most tortured part of his soul, but it’s supported by an unerringly mellow piano accompaniment… It’s a moment of deep vulnerability in a genre can often devolve into macho blowing contests.”
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Writing for Treblezine, Jeff Terich remarked: “Jewels of Thought… heightens the juxtaposition of Sanders’ more mellifluous compositions against his most radical. Its first side, ‘Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah,’ begins with a plea for peace and a vocal delivery from Leon Thomas that’s nearly as far-out as Sanders’ saxophone is on its flipside. Yet ultimately this composition—a soulful call for understanding and love—is among Sanders’ most hypnotic grooves, a breathtaking 15 minutes driven largely by Lonnie Liston Smith’s stunning piano…”
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In a review for Aquarium Drunkard, M. Garner wrote: “Smith’s playing is bright, easy, lyrical, and, perhaps most importantly given the level of questing going on around it, familiar. On… ‘Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah,’ he gives Sanders a spruced-up base from which to launch, but Sanders seems just as happy to follow his pianist. The two play around one another cheerfully, each occasionally departing to take a solo trip through the sky before returning to the ground. Around them, the song develops with the same natural grace. Even as Sanders trills and Roy Haynes and Idris Muhammad count out counter-rhythms, a feeling of mutual wonder permeates the playing.”
I’m not a huge fan of jazz, but Leon Thomas’ vocals are one-of-a-kind. And this song would fit well on a Christmas party playlist.