AXIOM (Ropeadope)
Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah
Released August 2020
DownBeat Five-Star Review
Grammy Nominee for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album 2021
Stereogum 10 Best Jazz Albums Of 2020
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kD5NJmg0QTypEV5lIbQmjX7XYqVQ0Nvi8
Spotify:
About:
From March 10th to March 15th, as the world was becoming aware of the full implications of a global pandemic, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and his dedicated band were doing what they do – human conversation in the form of music – at the famed Blue Note in New York. They pressed on, understanding that there was risk but determined to bring positive energy to the people. Little did they (or we) know that this would be the last show for some time. Capturing this moment was already precious, and now it is even more so – humans in direct proximity walking the delicate line between listening and being heard, expressing themselves without casting a shadow on others. While this will not be the last show, for now it is a wonderful reminder of the vibrant energy we all can share.
Track Listing:
1. X. Adjuah [I Own the Night] 09:52
2. The Last Chieftain [for Big Chiefs Donald Harrison Sr. & Jr.] 16:06
3. Guinnevere 10:53
(Christian Scott, Grammy Nominee for Best Improvised Jazz Solo 2021)
4. Songs She Never Heard 09:39
5. Sunrise in Beijing 04:47
6. Huntress [for Cara] 09:17
7. Incarnation [Chief Adjuah – Idi of the Xodokan] 06:45
8. West of the West 15:54
9. Diaspora 05:49
10. Introductions 00:38
11. Guinnevere [alt take] 12:30
12. The Last Chieftain [for Big Chiefs Donald Harrison Sr. & Jr.] [alt take] 16:17
Personnel:
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: trumpet, adjuah trumpet, sirenette, reverse flugelhorn, percussion
Elena Pinderhughes: flute
Alex Han: alto saxophone
Lawrence Fields: piano, keyboards
Kris Funn: bass
Weedie Braimah: djembe, congas, bata, percussion
Corey Fonville: drums, SPDSX
Produced by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Executive Producer Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and Louis Marks
Recording Engineers: Justin Rockafellow, Daniel Poggioli, Josh Petrone
Mixed by Qmillion at Flying Dred Studios, Los Angeles CA
Mastered by Paul Blakemore
Review:
“Oftentimes when we come into environments like this to play creative improvised music, someone uses the word ‘jazz,’ and then everyone in the room becomes a fuckin’ Fulbright scholar,” trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah told an audience at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club at the onset of the pandemic. “And that’s cool, but that has nothing to do with where this music’s power rests.” AXIOM, which was recorded that night, is a testament to the power he mentions.
The album opens with the neon-colored “X. Adjuah (I Own The Night),” drums crackling like a campfire and imparting so much flamenco-flavored stardust that the tune sets the stakes for the whole endeavor. Elena Pinderhughes’ luscious flute solo and more percolating rhythm punctuate Adjuah’s “The Last Chieftain (For Big Chiefs Donald Harrison Sr. & Jr.).” As the track rolls on, a psychedelic pedal on Adjuah’s horn foreshadows a manic coda that serves as an essential exclamation point. “Incarnation” sounds like the audio translation of an Aaron Douglas painting: all optimism, organic geometry, color and nods to Mother Africa. “West Of The West” is a beautiful but grizzled Rhodes-flecked cut dealing with the racist microaggressions Adjuah experienced while living in Los Angeles.
But a cover of “Guinnevere” is an electric highlight—or more specifically, a cover of the Miles Davis version of the Crosby, Stills & Nash tune is a highlight. Here—and across the album—Adjuah and his sextet continue in the spirit of Davis’ radical image.
Ayana Contreras (DownBeat)
