We Insist 2025!

In 1960, Max Roach recorded and released We Insist! Max Roachs Freedom Now Suite in collaboration with songwriter Oscar Brown, Jr., an unyielding embrace of the young civil rights movement. The band included Abbey Lincoln, Booker Little, Babatunde Olatunji, Julian Priester, and Coleman Hawkins. Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington was connected to Roach from childhood on. He was a close friend of her father, saxophonist Matt "Sonny" Carrington, and mentored her drum studies and early performances. We Insist 2025! is a 21st century reimagining of the original work, co-composed with American jazz singer and lyricist Christie Dashiell. Choosing a vocalist as a co-writer was central to Carringtons project. Their band stands tall under the 21st century jazz banner, with percussionist Weedie Braimah, trumpeter Milena Casado, woodwind multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin, vibraphonist Simon Moullier, and guitarist Matthew Stevens. They are joined by the 90-year-old Priester on one track; hes the last surviving member of Roachs 1960 band. Also featured are tap dancer Ayodele Casel, bassist/vocalist Devon Gates, and spoken word and voice contributors Tamia Elliott, Christiana Hunte, Ian Michael, Zacchaeus Paul, and Emmett G. Price III. We Insist 2025! is essentially an expansive reimagining of this masterwork. Check out opener "Driva Man," with lyrics by Brown. The swinging yet slow-paced original in 5/4 time is maintained by Carrington, but she offers it in double time after Dashiells gorgeous intro, then moves across blues, Afro-funk, highlife, and Zulu music. Moulliers vibes solo leans back toward hard bop, and Dashiell scats and wails amid electric pianos and cooking congas. "Freedom Day (Part 1)" finds Dashiell at her most elegant, accompanied by flute, vibes, muted brass, reeds, and a skittering backbeat. Later, Carrington transforms "Part 2" into a classy, slinky neo-soul-jazz tune with intricate instrumental interplay from Guerin and Stevens and wonderful improvising from Dashiell. "All Africa" offers swinging post-bop over Afrobeat undertones as Dashiell croons with soul and Hunte and Michael both recite Browns poetry. Dashiell and Gates alternate vocals in the abstracted free jazz protest "Triptych: Resolve/Resist/Reimagine," co-composed by Carrington and Gates. In the final section, tap-danced rhythmic syncopations intertwine with bass clarinet and fluid tom-tom patterns. "Tears for Johannesburg" was arranged by Guerin and reflects the bumpy, buoyant funk science of James Brown and the J.B.s as Dashiell soars above the electro-acoustic mix, which includes Priesters souled-out trombone. Among a small handful of originals is a spoken word-and-conga tribute titled "Dear Abbey," while "Freedom Is...." was composed by Carrington and Stevens. Its fragmental guitar groove is answered by drums, organic percussion, and spoken word about what freedom means in 2025 as Moullier bridges reeds, winds, and brass with his marimba. Closer "Joyful Noise" offers the full complement of voices and bandmembers. Dashiell, Paul, and Emmett G. Price III trade lines to celebrate the concept of freedom. We Insist 2025! is not only a fitting tribute to the creators and their accomplishments, it is a demand for truth, justice, and freedom in perilous times. ~ Thom Jurek

いまこの時代に再び声をあげるのは、女性作曲家のナンバーだけを厳選した前作でもグラミー賞最優秀ジャズ・アルバムに輝いたテリ・リン・キャリントン。音楽・演奏の素晴らしさも活動のパワーも驚異的な彼女がヴォーカリストのクリスティ・ダシールとともに放つ新作がこちら。1961年に発表された、バーカウンターで振り向くジャケットでも知られるマックス・ローチとオスカー・ブラウンJr.による歴史的傑作...この全音楽ファン必聴の一枚に光を当てるためのプロジェクトでもあります。新世代の精鋭プレーヤー達とともに、オリジナル版のメンバーであるジュリアン・プリースターが参加!
intoxicate (C)谷本真悟