To grasp the purpose of trumpeter Russell Gunn’s newest creation,
The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, it’s important to understand that the
alchemist’s recordings are cultural and historical amalgams as much as they are
audacious musical experimentations rooted in jazz. His mission for the 19-piece
Big Band slated to issue its debut album, “Get It How You Live” on the
Ropeadope label and to breathe new life into “traditional” jazz Big
Bands by expanding its possibilities in the modern era. Adding voice to the
collection produced by Gunn that incorporates all shades of jazz, R&B, pop,
hip hop and funk is Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Dionne Farris.
Gunn, a
two-time Grammy nominee for his far-reaching “Ethnomusicology Vol. 1” and
“Ethnomusicology Vol. 2,” spent a year honing his vision and shaping The Royal
Krunk Jazz Orkestra’s sound, composing originals and constructing thoughtful
arrangements for more than thirty tunes. The ensemble’s lab was on stage during
a long-running weekly residency at Atlanta’s St. James Live. Once fully
realized, Gunn selected nine tunes for the debut disc.
“Most of the
music on ‘Get It How You Live’ is original compositions that I felt were
deserving of expansion into the grander format of a large jazz ensemble,” said
Gunn, who grew up in East St. Louis.
Hard-hitting
hip hop beats bolstered by bombastic horns power Gunn’s “Sybil’s Blues,” which
features trumpeter Theo Croker. His “Critic’s Song” bounces to a grinding go-go
beat amidst cacophonic horn blasts that build towards a pummeling sax crescendo
from Brian Hogans, who only yields the mic to the furious rhymes spit with
vitriol by Dashill Smith. Gunn’s other standout composition on the session is
the richly-melodic ballad “Lyne’s Joint,” which spotlights Melvin Jones’s
trumpet.
“I am a
melody-first musician and am drawn like a magnet to melody. That is why my
favorite musicians of all time are Peter Tchaikovsky, Charles Mingus and Benny
Golson. Melody is king!” proclaimed Gunn.
As for
reboots, Farris’s hit “Hopeless” is given entirely new dimensions in a Big Band
setting courtesy of Gunn’s deft arrangement. Drawn to the original’s soulful
harmony, Gunn converts Shai’s vocal acapella hit, “If I Ever Fall In Love,”
into an “acapella” trumpet and horn section meditation with haunting yet regal
qualities. The rendition will be given visuals when a video is lensed later
this month. Old-school R&B heads will rejoice over the three-part “Switch
Medley” that Gunn masterminded by seamlessly fusing “There’ll Never Be,” “A
Brighter Tomorrow” and “I Call Your Name.” The collection closes with the
poignant “Ballad Of The Sad Young Men,” on which Farris elegantly delivers a
stunning knockout performance.
Inherent in
Gunn’s artistic muse is the message of being genuine and true, “owning” what
you are and what you stand for. “The title of the album is the realist and most
honest album title I have had since ‘Ethnomusicology Vol. 1.’ The laymen
definition of ‘Get It How You Live’ loosely translates to ‘going about things
in an honest fashion.’ I was on the front lines of the transition from the
‘Wyntonite’ sensibility of the ‘nouveau retro’ jazz musician to the jazz
musician that grew up in hip hop culture and I owned it. I can go as far to confidently
say that I am primarily responsible for that shift. I say that not to give
myself retroactive credit, but simply to say that I’ve been ‘Getting It How I
Live’ for a long time.”
The Royal
Krunk Jazz Orkestra is not the first time Gunn and Farris have collaborated. In
2013, they released “Dionne Get Your Gunn,” which is revisited on the new
offering in the form of “Fair,” a bitter yet sultry, expansively-layered suite
about a breakup penned by Farris.
Gunn
concludes, “The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra is my greatest achievement to date. I
am proud to carry the torch of the great Big Bands into the modern era. I
consider it a huge responsibility to represent the lineage of Big Band leaders
like Fletcher Henderson, Jimmy Lunceford, Count Basie and the king of all, Sir
Duke (Ellington), in a way that pays homage to the tradition while expanding
the possibilities.”
The songs
contained on “Get It How You Live” are:
“Get It How
You Live (Intro)”
“Sybil’s
Blues (featuring Theo Croker)”
“If I Ever
Fall In Love”
“Fair”
“The
Critic’s Song”
“Hopeless”
“Lyne’s
Joint”
“Switch
Medley” comprised of “There’ll Never Be,” “A Brighter Tomorrow” and “I Call
Your Name”
“Ballad Of
The Sad Young Men”
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