Let Freedom Ring! (Dune Records)
Denys Baptiste
Released September 21, 2003
JazzWise Album of the Year 2003
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mWXFIt1QbnRDxTwc72WLubGECVyHp2x6k
About:
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King’s ‘I
Have A Dream’ oration, Mercury and MOBO Award winning
saxophonist, Denys Baptiste has created a new suite inspired by
the rousing spirit and instantly recognisable rhythms of the
momentous speech. Collaborating with Booker Prize winning
author, Ben Okri, Baptiste synchronises extracts of the epic
poem, Mental Fight with his exhilarating mix of contemporary
jazz, gospel, blues, and Afro-Cuban music, and features an
explosive 11-piece international line-up including Abram
Wilson, Omar Puente and Gary Crosby. A totally uplifting, and
inspirational album.
Track Listing:
1. I Have a Dream (Denys Baptiste) 16:05
2. With This Faith (Denys Baptiste) 8:33
3. Let Freedom Ring! (Denys Baptiste) 12:36
4. Free at Last! (Denys Baptiste) 9:15
Personnel:
Denys Baptiste: tenor saxophone
Nathaniel Facey: alto saxophone
Abram Wilson: trumpet
Trevor Mires: trombone
Omar Puente: violin
Jenny Adejayan: cello
Andrew McCormack: piano
Robin Banerjee: guitar (2, 4)
Adam Goldsmith: guitar (1, 3)
Gary Crosby: double bass
Satin Singh: percussion
Rod Youngs: drums
Ben Okri: poetry*
Singing, clapping and shouts performed by the Ensemble and the Producer *Reading extracts form Ben Okri’s epic poem, Mental Fight
Recorded July 2003 at Sanctuary Westside Studios, London, UK
Additional recording at Planet Audio Studios
Producer: Jason Yarde
Associate Producer: Denys Baptiste
Production Engineer: Tony Platt
Mastered by Ray Staff
Executive Producer: Janine Irons
Musical Direction: Denys Baptiste & Jason Yarde
Review:
It was a serene afternoon turning into evening. Dark times were ahead the day Martin Luther King was assassinated. Since then he has been hailed as a universal inspiration for anyone in the world who believes in civil rights and peace and justice for all. Saxophonist Denys Baptiste has worked out what the man means in this suite originally commissioned by the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival and the Jerwood Foundation.
He is joined by a 12-piece group that allows the ebb and flow of jazz to coalesce with the foaming swell of Ben Okri’s voice reading from his epic poem ‘Mental Fight’. Highlights? Well, Okri’s calm yet compelling voice speaks volumes; Robin Banerjee’s chattering guitar is a vital presence but above all the community at work is what makes the wounds that cut so deep for so many, heal.
Stephen Graham (Jazzwise)
