PRESS: JAZZ EM AGOSTO 2019: HEROES ARE GANG LEADERS – TEM A PALAVRA A MÚSICA NEGRA

The Second Jazz Night in August 2019 ، at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation amphitheater ، was due to both music and theatricalization ، creating a spatiotemporal bubble that passed us through Harlem ، en en as دا “الموسيقى السوداء العظيمة القديمة قلل المس.

بور جواو موراليس

In the spotlight is the poet (and photographer) Thomas Sayers Ellis, a kind of mix between the modern MC, the ancient galvanizing Pastor and the actor who continually questions the stance of the black man in the traditional narrative – the role we find many too many short films. -music films ، recorded by stars forgotten today. Beside him – a second male voice – Randall Horton (poet and professor of English at the University of New Haven – Connecticut) with whom he “performed” perfectly throughout the night.

Heroes Are Gang Leaders is a twelve element ensemble – four voices to the head. The Amiri Baraka Sessions – show resulting from the namesake CD they presented in Portugal – was born with the intention of honoring the legacy – the posture and work developed by Amiri Baraka – poet and essayist born LeRoi Jones (1934-2014) who worked grand al commando names from Free Jazz ، the medium where he forged his art ، by ​​extending the link previously made by beat generation names ، back in the days of Be Bop.

This choice of festival programmer Rui Neves has brought us a current group that is at the same time guardian of an important heritage that has been brought together in diverse contexts and is now part of an expanding genealogy.

Right at the beginning of the concert diversas several memories come to mind that help frame what is coming: Jayne Cortez ، Sun Ra and his space troops (and the indispensable June Tyson) ، Cadentia Nova Denica (with whom John Tchicai recorded Afdis) فرقة كولسون الوحدة. The way the four voices interact inherited tics and methods from radio theater – while the gospel choir pose accentuates the ethnic and vindictive dimension that we will hear throughout the show. At times it seems that we have been transported to the recordings of Hair, added by knowledgeable puffs of the importance of New Thing in Jazz and its descendants, and a rhythmic section (Luke Stewart on electric bass and bass on guitar III on drums). up to date on the variations available – Funky and Blues included. فجر شخص ما أمريكا. هل أنت؟ “، بيرغونتا توماس …

“أمينة” ، with with dialogue between Melanie Dyer’s guitar and James Brandon Lewis’s tenor saxophone – an important accomplice throughout the night (incidentally one of the founders of this project) – often soloing – but without fervor highlight too much ، like ، as well ، the remaining breaths (Heru Shabaka-Ra ، masic of the current Sun Ra Arkestra lineup ، on the Trumpet ، and Devin Brahja Waldman ، on the alto sax ، although most of the time he played the keyboards).

In female voices ، highlighting Nettie Chickering ، singer and actress ، joining also the pianist Jenna Camille ، who gave us two moments near the ballad in almost solo ، in a relaxing environment as the troops prepared for new ماثيوز ، بويتيسا ريشيكيدا أ أكتفيستا ، آزاز دينامايكا.

The night rarely subsided – passing moments with Reggae echoes – vocal harmonies that would not be stranger in the early moments of the Mothers of Invention and a constant and persistent attention to the audience – making him feel that everything was sung and played. it was not just entertainment ، but a part of something bigger and more important ، an option that goes by joining politics ، art ، humor and criticism to underline a stance that coincides with a social role: «LeRoi LeRoi / from New York Hill / إذا لم تقتلك الرأسمالية / فإن العنصرية سوف »، sings on stage.

The warm welcome yielded an encore – begun in a slightly psychedelic atmosphere – electric bass and trumpeter voice – to which the rest of the bandmates joined. Warren’s drums turned out to be pivotal these last few moments – a sort of libertine metronome that helped bring this demon-possessed bank to fruition – shared community deck – not forgetting the effect of شيكاغو the city was born and grew – even giving rise to Historical Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. All of this was made the night Mel with Melanie Dyer’s turn to leave a last message ، sung in a heavenly tone: «يجب أن تحصل على السلام وتحب أن تحصل على بعض الحرية». And so we left.