With a
unique combination of depth and accessibility, composer and bandleader Anthony
Branker is able to put forth a jazz perspective steeped in soulful optimism.
"The Forward (Towards Equality) Suite," the Princeton University
professor’s latest project for Origin Records, is a stylistically diverse
twelve-movement work spotlighting Branker's exceptional prowess as a composer
and guided by thought-provoking material meant to embody the essence of America
and its people.
.I
wanted this music to be reflective of our democratic spirit; our dedication to
the principles of freedom and equality. (PRWEB) July 07, 2014
"The
Forward (Towards Equality) Suite" is Anthony Branker’s seventh recording
as a leader and sixth for Origin Records. Featuring his all-star group “Word
Play,” we hear the latest from the pen of this forward-thinking composer whose
work has steadily been gaining recognition worldwide. Recently, Branker was
named in Down Beat magazine’s 62nd Annual Critics Poll as a "Rising Star
Composer."
As a
composer who takes delight in incorporating an eclectic array of styles and
approaches in his recordings, Branker’s new CD features a broad range of influences
– from jazz to spoken word and funk – to modal music and R&B – to African
and Afro-Latin sensibilities – to freer methods of music-making.
As
Branker shares, “I wanted the music for this project to be reflective of our
democratic spirit; our dedication to the principles of freedom and equality;
the multiplicity of cultures that have come together to comprise our country;
the array of diverse influences that have shaped us; as well as our passionate,
vibrant, and soulful nature.”
Anthony
Branker is joined on this captivating recording by a powerhouse edition of his
group "Word Play" featuring several long-time collaborators that
include tenor & soprano saxophonist Ralph Bowen, pianist Jim Ridl, bassist
Kenny Davis, drummer Donald Edwards, and conguero Renato Thoms as well as new
additions to the collective – alto saxophonist David Binney, trombonist Conrad
Herwig, and vocalist Alison Crockett. Also appearing as guests are 5th Grade
students from the Martin Luther King Elementary School in Piscataway, New
Jersey who provide spoken word offerings.
Branker
recognizes how extraordinary it was to work with this collection of musicians:
“Every member of the group is someone whose music I have greatly admired for a
long time. I am absolutely blessed to have these brilliant artists involved in
this project…they have infused the music with their unique sensibilities and,
together, have provided an indescribable spirit!”
According
to Branker, the concept for "The Forward (Towards Equality) Suite"
was realized during the fall of 2012 when he was out of the country on
sabbatical and watching the final weeks of the presidential election campaign
unfold by way of international television news media. “During this time, I
thought long and hard about what America meant to my family, who came to the
United States from the West Indies in the 1950s, and what it might mean to
future generations of my family…I thought about notions of democracy, freedom,
justice, and equality…I thought about where we have been as a nation and what
we can still aspire to be and accomplish in the name of all Americans, if we,
as a people, could simply come together as one, on behalf of all…”
Branker’s
new "Forward Suite" release is filled with an abundance of memorable
moments, created, in no small part, by the emphasis he places on presenting
lyrical melodies, infectious grooves, and passion-filled collective
conversations within the ensemble. “The principle I value most as a composer is
the importance of communicating and connecting with the listener in some way.
In fact, I believe that melodic lyricism and rhythmic feel can be used in
powerful ways to bring others into our musical world, because it is through
these elements that most people come to interact with music as listeners.”
While
there are far too many musical highlights on this CD to give adequate attention
to in this space, several are worth noting. Composed in 2005, the Woody
Shaw-John Coltrane influenced “Forgotten Peoples” is packed with imaginative
solos and fiery ensemble play. This was Branker’s creative response to images
he viewed of victims of Hurricane Katrina living in New Orleans stranded and
huddled together waiting on rooftops above the flood waters; hoping to be
rescued and wondering whether America had turned their backs on them during
their time of despair.
Constructed
around the rhythm of the syllables found in its title, the contagiously joyous
“Equality” features vivid and dazzling improvisational performances by
saxophonist Binney and pianist Ridl in a quartet setting with Davis and
Edwards. “Its performance,” as Branker writes in his liner notes, “reveals the
kind of communicative interaction that can take place when individuals are
connected to each other by a necessary mutuality. Here, each member is viewed
as an equal and what guides the creative process is an unspoken obligation to a
spirit of we, which I believe is symbolic of our democratic disposition. It
also illustrates what can emerge when diverse voices unite and work together.”
Special
mention should also be given to “Our Dreams,” the Suite’s seventh movement on
which Branker collaborated with sixteen 5th Grade students from the Martin
Luther King Elementary School who shared their dreams for the future of this
country and the citizens of the world. As Branker states, “It was incredible to
return to the town in which I grew up to work with these remarkable young
people who talked about, with hope and innocence in their voices, such pressing
social issues as poverty, gun violence, hunger, racism, education, pollution,
and joblessness. They also spoke of their desire to one day live in a world
where the concept of peace could be experienced by all.”
Since
2004, Anthony Branker has led two jazz collectives ("Ascent" and
"Word Play") and has added seven recordings to his musically rich
discography as a composer. They include the Origin releases "The Forward
(Towards Equality) Suite" (2014), "Uppity" (2013),
"Together" (2012), "Dialogic" (2011), "Dance Music"
(2010), "Blessings" (2009), and the 2006 "Spirit Songs"
recording on Sons of Sound Records.
Besides
the musicians found in his current Word Play ensemble, Branker’s recording
projects have also featured Mark Gross, Tia Fuller, Steve Wilson, Antonio Hart,
Andy Hunter, Clifford Adams, Eli Asher, Jonny King, Bryan Carrott, John
Benitez, Belden Bullock, Adam Cruz, Ralph Peterson Jr., Wilby Fletcher, Kadri
Voorand, and Freddie Bryant.
Branker
holds an endowed chair in jazz studies and is the director of jazz studies at
Princeton University, where he has taught for the past 25 years.
Internationally, he has served as a visiting composer at conservatories in
Denmark, Germany, and Estonia, and has had his music featured in performance in
Italy, Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, China, Russia,
Lithuania, and Japan. In addition, his music has also been presented in such
New York venues as the Iridium Jazz Club, Sweet Basil Jazz Club, The Five Spot,
Symphony Space, and the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Branker
is very enthusiastic when he talks about "The Forward (Towards Equality)
Suite" release and feels it represents some of his best work to date as a
composer/bandleader. “I am so proud of this project as both a recording and as
an extended composition! Yet, anyone who knows me is aware that I’ve never been
fond of sitting still too long. I guess at the heart of it all is this desire
to keep on exploring and discovering, to continue to use music as a means to
provide commentary on life and our world, and to create interesting music with
others that will hopefully resonate in some way with listeners.”
"The
Forward (Towards Equality) Suite" will undoubtedly be a recording that
will resonate with many because of its beauty, infectious energy, and positive
messages. When composer Anthony Branker brings you into his musical world, you
may never want to leave!
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