Though he doesn’t write anything for this album or their shows, the lyrics come out fully-formed, and the audience is none the wiser. Not only is this album timely given the tone of the world at-large, it’s a stylistic marvel putting the full breadth of Kokayi’s artistry on full display. It recalls early ‘70s jazz fusion, when underground and mainstream artists started blending the traditional aspects of jazz with funk, landing on a sound that wasn’t quite either.

Distant Wavves is the accompanying soundscape for a photo essay examining escapism, meditation, and travel. Composed in the midst of a global pandemic there are 12 meditative instrumentals with influences of hip hop, lo-fi, jazz, and soul composed in reaction to photographs depicting bodies of water, sand, and sunsets from around the world.

In the end, that’s really what Kokayi’s show was about: everything at the same time, jazz without pretense or barriers, songs that land and stick to your ribs, improv you have to hear to believe. Thankfully this recording exists. There’s still time to join the congregation.