Black
Elk's Dream, drummer/composer Matt Slocum's most adventurous and visceral
recording to date, features eleven new original works as well as Pat Metheny's
"Is This America?". Inspired by the visionary Native American leader
Black Elk and the book Black Elk Speaks, Slocum composed and arranged the project
for an innovative cast of longtime friends and creative associates including
saxophonists Walter Smith III & Dayna Stephens, pianist Gerald Clayton and
bassist Massimo Biolcati. On this outing, his third as a leader, Slocum and the
ensemble expand significantly upon the artistic promise and chemistry displayed
on their acclaimed recordings After the Storm (2011) and Portraits (2010).
Black
Elk's Dream highlights a distinctive passion for flowing mixed meters, lyrical
melodies and unconventional harmonic and improvisational structures. A somewhat
unique aspect of Slocum's approach to composition is the way he tailors each
piece specifically to the unique voices and strengths of the artists for whom
he is writing. He is the recipient of composition grants and commissions from
the American Music Center, the Puffin Foundation, New Music USA and Meet the
Composer, and his ensembles have recently been featured at many of the premier
festivals and venues throughout North America and Europe. JazzTimes describes
Slocum as "a thoughtful composer who sets up his team like a savvy point
guard running an offense." His writing draws inspiration from a wide range
of sources, both within and outside of the jazz idiom. On this project one can
hear the influence of Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Paul Motian, Billy Strayhorn
and Maurice Ravel, yet Slocum's musical language remains largely
non-derivative.
A major
component of the recording is reflecting the duality of the intense spiritual
beauty of Black Elk's great vision and the darkly challenging struggles the
Oglala Lakota faced in their efforts to bring the vision to physical reality.
After opening in the relative future with "Pine Ridge" and
"Ghost Dance", Black Elk's Dream traces the evolution of that vision
from its inception. Slocum creates a thematically connected body of work
throughout the album, enhancing the arc and flow by revisiting and developing
variations on the title track through the piano interludes "A Dream
Revisited" and "End of A Dream".
Slocum
noted, "It's become increasingly important to me to have a storyline,
whether real or imagined, on which to base compositions. I think the directness
and imaginative beauty of John Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks opened some new
possibilities to explore in terms of mood and color as well as harmonic and
rhythmic frameworks. It took about two years to get the music to a point where
it was ready to be recorded, but the struggle was beneficial in the sense that
it encouraged me to keep building. While writing I started to hear elements of
both Walter and Dayna's playing in the music. Even though I generally prefer
consistent personnel throughout a recording, in this situation I feel that
having both of them enhances the mood and flow of the music."
The
record begins with a haunting view from above through a lyrical reflection on
"Pine Ridge". The quartet's compelling chemistry and organic approach
are immediately evident as they navigate through rubato passages mixed with
hazily implied time. Slocum notes, "This was the first tune and first take
of the sessions. I like the sense of elasticity and the spontaneity that
Walter, Gerald and Massimo bring to this track."
"Ghost
Dance" juxtaposes a floating saxophone melody with a trance-like groove filled
with flowing mixed meters and anticipations. The track builds throughout
Smith's evocative improvisation to the driving, explosive piano trio
interaction during Clayton's and Slocum's inventive solos. The drummer/composer
explains, "normally I write melodies first, but in this case I started by
experimenting with grooves for a bass line. I don't really think of songs in
terms of bar lines or beats per measure until I need to write them out. Then
I'll record myself playing the song and listen back to transcribe what the
meters and rhythms are."
"Yerazel",
an Armenian word that means "to dream", highlights Dayna Stephens's
warm, dark sound in the lower register of the saxophone as well as the trio's
musical depth and sensitivity. "In this piece the element of dreaming is
meant in a more passive sense, whereas the title track uses the word dream
synonymously with vision. I tried to create a floating, somewhat mysterious,
mood of innocence and beauty to reflect the period of Black Elk's youth after
he had received his great vision, but before he fully understood its meaning
and significance," explained Slocum.
"Prelude"
and "Black Elk's Dream", both part of the same composition, form the
main theme of the recording. Slocum ventures into more extended and
through-composed territory with this work, balancing and reintroducing multiple
themes throughout the richly textured musical landscape.
Smith
and Slocum's masterful duo dialogue at the beginning of "A Blues" is
a highlight of the album. "Given B.B. King's description of the blues as
"an expression of anger against shame and humiliation", and given all
of the broken promises and inhumane treatment that the Oglala Lakota endured
courtesy of our government, I felt that the inclusion of a blues in this
project was merited. Plus it would be borderline criminal to be in the studio
with Walter and not record a blues," said Slocum.
"Is
This America?"- "This is one of my all-time favorite Pat Metheny
compositions. It's my understanding that he wrote it in response to Hurricane
Katrina, but the mood, intentions and sentiment also seem very appropriate for
this project. The song is genius in its simplicity and lyrical beauty. I kept
all of the original harmony and made just a few minor changes to the arrangement,"
explained Slocum.
The
interlude "A Dream Revisited" showcases Gerald Clayton's refined
touch on a variation based on the closing section of the title track.
"Black
Hills", the only quintet track on the recording, features Stephens and
Smith improvising beautifully together as they build gradually from a
meditative dialogue to a powerfully evocative peak. Slocum describes
"Black Hills" as "the emotional climax and turning point of the
recording", noting that, "this piece could be considered a musical
response to the massacre at Wounded Knee."
He
characterizes the tune "Days of Peace" (and its placement in the
track order) as "intended to create the illusion of a daydream- a mood of
playfulness and warmth through a flashback to a brighter time before everything
became seemingly lost and broken. "A Disappearing Path" and "End
of a Dream" are meant to reflect some of the sadness and resignation in
the closing lines of Black Elk Speaks while also paying tribute to the beauty
of the lost dream."
Hailed
as "one of America's pre-eminent young jazz drummers" (OC Weekly),
Matt Slocum has also earned a reputation as a distinctive, inventive and
lyrical composer. Slocum is the recent recipient of composition grants and
commissions from the American Music Center, New Music USA, the Puffin
Foundation and Meet the Composer. His ensembles have been featured throughout
North America and Europe at venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Yoshi's, the
Blue Note, Earshot Jazz Festival, Saratoga Jazz Festival, Twin Cities Jazz
Festival and the Soka International Jazz Festival among others. Frequently
referred to as a "musical" drummer, Slocum possesses a uniquely
personal voice on the instrument and is a propulsive, melodic and dynamic
accompanist and soloist. He has performed and/or recorded with artists such as
Seamus Blake, Alan Broadbent, Steve Cardenas, Gerald Clayton, Taylor Eigsti,
Aaron Goldberg, Jon Irabagon, Larry Koonse, Wynton Marsalis, Lage Lund, Linda
Oh, Alan Pasqua, Jerome Sabbagh, Jaleel Shaw, Walter Smith III, Anthony Wilson,
Sam Yahel and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Born in
St. Paul, Minnesota and raised in western Wisconsin, Slocum began musical
studies on piano before switching to percussion at age 11. While in high school
he was introduced to jazz through recordings featuring Max Roach and Philly Joe
Jones. He received a full scholarship to attend the University of Southern California
where he studied with Peter Erskine. After graduating in 2004, Slocum spent
three years in California before making the move to New York in fall 2007. His
debut recording Portraits was released in January 2010. The New York City Jazz
Record raved, "With this excellent premiere, Slocum steps out of the box
as the full package," while All Music Guide wrote, "This auspicious
debut should put Matt Slocum's name firmly on the jazz map." After the
Storm, a more introspective trio recording, was released in October 2011 and
received high marks from DownBeat Magazine, JazzTimes, The Los Angeles Times
and Jazzwise among others. After the Storm was one of 15 recordings by American
composers to receive a New Music USA recording grant in 2011.
Upcoming
Tour Dates
April 3-
Dazzle Jazz, Denver, CO
April 4-
Dizzy's, San Diego, CA
April 5-
The Jazzschool, Berkeley, CA
April 6-
JB's Jazz, Sacramento, CA
April 7-
Soho, Santa Barbara, CA
April 8-
CAP Theater, Los Angeles, CA
April 9
& 10- Landmark Center, St. Paul, MN
April
24- The Kitano, New York, NY
No comments:
Post a Comment