Owens
Enlists Acclaimed Jazz Vocalists to Convey Reimagined Works of Nina Simone,
Abbey Lincoln, and Joni Mitchell
In the most
trying of times, it can be reassuring to listen back to the voices who’ve
carried us through similar struggles. On his stirring new album Songs of
Freedom, GRAMMY® Award-nominated drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. explores the
songbooks of three female icons of the turbulent 1960s: Nina Simone, Abbey
Lincoln, and Joni Mitchell. To convey the profound emotions of these powerful
singer-songwriters, Owens has enlisted René Marie, Theo Bleckmann, and Alicia
Olatuja, three of today’s most acclaimed jazz vocalists, along with rising star
Joanna Majoko.
Songs of
Freedom (available for streaming and physical pre-order now; album available
March 15 via Resilience Music Alliance) was originally premiered in September
2016 as part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center celebration of “100 Years of Song.”
The program culls inspiring songs from the three icons catalogues expressing
the value of and struggle for freedom in America. The repertoire ranges from
Mitchell’s soaring evocation of love’s complexity, “Both Sides Now,” to
Simone’s acid takedown of the Civil Rights era South, “Mississippi Goddam,” to
Lincoln’s rousing protest songs from Max Roach’s “Freedom Now Suite.”
Owens
devised the idea for Songs of Freedom when he was approached by Jason Olaine,
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s director of programming and touring, to take part in
their century-spanning program, with the notion of taking on the period from
the 1960s to the present day – a daunting proposition. “I realized that it
would either end up a hodgepodge of random songs,” Owens says, “or I could find
a defining moment that has influenced everything since.”
The core
idea for Owens’ program came from the distressing headlines of the day. “At
that time,” he recalls, “social media was blowing up every day with news of
police brutality, videos of black men being killed by the cops. So, I thought
back to the ‘60s, which seemed like a mirror image of today, and I asked, ‘Who
were the figures that were on the front line then?’ I immediately thought about
Nina and Abbey, and then I realized Joni would bring more of a love element to
this fight.”
Owens
quickly grasped that he’d need an equally diverse and versatile cast of
modern-day vocalists to capture the full scope of these legendary artists’
visions. The first name that came to mind was Olatuja, a close collaborator
who’d recently garnered acclaim for her solo with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Her rendition of “Both Sides
Now” vividly captures the sensation of floating dreamily amidst the clouds. She
brings a heart-rending vulnerability to Bernard Ighner’s “Everything Must
Change,” accompanied by David Rosenthal’s tender acoustic guitar, and a
gospel-rooted soulfulness to Andy Stroud’s “Be My Husband,” both songs
performed memorably by Simone.
Bleckmann
hails from a more experimental end of the sonic spectrum, here employing his
layered, wordless vocals to transcendent spiritual effect on “Balm in Gilead.”
He offers a supple, nuanced reading of Mitchell’s “Borderline” and a sly take
on Simone’s reggae-infused version of Randy Newman’s “Baltimore.” Owens
describes Bleckmann as “a very adventurous singer pushing all these boundaries
musically, but beneath all of that stuff is this beautiful voice and an
incredible spirit.”
To complete
the initial trio of singers, Owens wanted someone who could bring the gravitas
of another generation as well as the rich experience of having lived through
the period under examination. Marie provides that voice of wry wisdom and bold
strength, whether on the raucous “Driva’ Man” from the “Freedom Now Suite” or
on Simone’s infamously virulent “Mississippi Goddam.” As Owens says, “Rene
lived through a lot of what we’re talking about in this program. We really
needed that weightier spirit, that godmother figure who had a deeper connection
to the history.”
Majoko
brings her own rich palette to the invigorating “Freedom Day,” written by Max
Roach and Oscar Brown Jr. Born to German and Zimbabwean parents and raised in
Zimbabwe, South Africa and Canada, Majoko has worked with David Clayton-Thomas
and Jane Bunnett, and been a frequent guest when Owens has presented Songs of
Freedom live.
Owens’
stellar band gets its own turn in the spotlight on the closing piece, the
classic spiritual “Oh Freedom.” Pianist Allyn Johnson is right at home with
such material; the Washington D.C. native leads an ensemble called Divine Order
dedicated to fusing jazz, gospel and classical music. Guitarist Rosenthal has
long worked with Owens in Olatuja’s band, as well as performing with Dee Dee
Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Bilal and others. Bassist Reuben Rogers, well
known for his work with Charles Lloyd, Joshua Redman and Aaron Goldberg, is one
of Owens’ closest compatriots. “I try not to do anything without Reuben
Rogers,” the drummer says. “He’s my big brother and really anchors me
musically.”
Owens’
virtuosity and imagination are fully on display in his brief interludes, in
which he plays duet with the words of the great singers to whom he pays tribute
on Songs of Freedom. On “Nina,” “Joni,” and “Abbey,” he paints vibrant
percussive portraits of each of these icons through the rhythms of their own
words, drawn from interviews and poetry.
While Songs
of Freedom looks back more than 50 years, Ulysses Owens Jr. is most concerned
with how it touches audiences today. “Art has the ability to help you bide the
time and get through,” he says. “Nina, Abbey and Joni were doing that while
living in even crazier times. Art lets us say, ‘Ok, I can’t change anything,
but here’s some people expressing exactly what I feel and the kind of agreement
and resolve I hope our nation can come to, so it gives me some solace and comfort
– which then gives me the ability to get through the tribulation. My ultimate
goal with Songs of Freedom is to unite people.”
About
Ulysses Owens Jr.: Owens
himself is one of the most sought-after drummers of his generation. From
GRAMMY® Award-winning performances with Christian McBride’s acclaimed trio and
Big Band to world tours with Kurt Elling and Joey Alexander, Owens’ artistic
command of percussion has earned him positions in some of the most successful
jazz ensembles of the 21st Century. Owens’ reverence for tradition distinctly
manifests in his straight-away playing style, but it is the versatility of his
talent— his unique ability to manipulate texture and create penetrating musical
shapes— that attracts the attention of jazz’s heavy hitters. His performance
catalog includes collaborations with Nicholas Payton, Wynton Marsalis, Monty
Alexander, Dianne Schurr, Renee Fleming and Mulgrew Miller, just to name a few.
Ulysses
Owens Jr. · Songs of Freedom
Resilience
Music Alliance · Release Date: March 15, 2019
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