The antecedents of rap music run deep in the rich musical history of jazz, from Bessie Smith’s blues, Louis Armstrong’s scat, Cab Calloway’s jive and Slim Gaillard’s “vout” to the bebop of Dizzy Gillespie and Joe Carroll and the vocalese of King Pleasure, Jon Hendricks and Eddie Jefferson and on through - perhaps most importantly – the socio-politically conscious work of Oscar Brown, Jr., Leon Thomas and Pharaoh Sanders, Gary Bartz and Gil Scott-Heron. Now the American Music Project brings the two genres together in an open-minded marriage of words and music where each form is presented on its highest level, free of either dilution or compromise and without the snobbish condescension often associated with the older form or the antagonistic arrogance frequently linked to the newer idiom.
The American Music Project was originally the collaborative brainchild of two of Detroit’s finest creative artists, alto saxophonist Dane Bays and urban poet-rapper Dejuan “D. Priest” Everett. The group, which was first featured on veteran pianist/educator Keith Javors’ critically acclaimed ArtistShare album, “The Free Project”, has grown to a truly collective effort, thriving on the input and insights of each of the band’s members. “Sometimes, we as jazz musicians are our own worst enemies in that we can play music from a self-centered perspective with little or no regard for the average listener,” Bays explains. “We try to meet the non-standard jazz listener half way by playing music that appeals to a broader audience, while maintaining the level of integrity for which traditional jazz music is known.”
“Jazz expresses in the same way as poetry to me because it speaks in a language,” says Everett, who has a long history in the frontline of Detroit’s hip-hop scene and forays into acoustic, jazz-based music for the first time here. “Jazz speaks pain, struggle, happiness, love. It brings in all of these emotions when you hear it. How can you not love music when you’re coming from your heart and spitting out raw emotions about how you feel and the love you have for people, music and life.” From the onset of the project the participants agreed that the message of the words and music would provide an empowering alternative to the all too common negativity embodied in the gangsterism, sexism and materialism glorified in much of contemporary hip-hop.
The date’s title On The Bright Side attests to the group’s positive attitude and D. Priest’s words offer an optimistic option to the self-destructive philosophy espoused by many rappers. “Don’t believe in negativity,” the wise young wordsmith proclaims. “I believe in positive feelings, positive thoughts. It’s like manifesting. If you believe you can be this great, or you believe you can be at this place, it will happen. It takes time. Stay true to yourself. I think that’s what we need, especially in the middle of all this war that’s going on. It’s the truth. The truth don’t stop.” Bays lauds his collaborator’s skills and ideas, noting, “D Priest is one of the more remarkable artists I have ever encountered. I like his ability to maintain his aggression while at the same time putting forth a message that is undeniably positive.”
Bays calls D Priest “our spokesman” and the rapper-poet kicks off the album with Welcome, a rhyming introduction to the American Music Project, its members – who include in addition to Bays and Javors, the versatile bass and drum team of Dave Ziegner (the Z-man) and Alex Brooks (A.B.) along with the soulful male vocalist Curtis Isom – and their mandate to mix jazz, hip-hop, poetry, R&B, gospel and funk into to one mind expanding musical form. The title track that follows clearly indicates just how successfully the group is able to accomplish its commendable goal. With words by D. Priest and music by Bays, On the Bright Side bars no holds in the honesty of its lyrics or the power of its jazz improvisations. Bays, a student of Detroit’s legendary Larry Smith, displays a soulful sound somewhat similar to that the one of the city’s most famous students, Kenny Garrett, while Javors’ inspired improvisations demonstrate an undeniable indebtedness to McCoy Tyner – a combination that deftly complements D Priest’s cadenced recitation.
The Path of Most Resistance is another song with a message, this one an autobiographical creed from D. Priest on the need to keep on keeping on, especially when traveling the chosen path of an artist, be it his own as a poet or his father’s as a musician “playin’ jazz with the ghetto juice in a pinstriped suit.” Isom’s legato falsetto chorus offers a calming complement to D. Priest’s deftly executed rapid-fire rap on this piece that exemplifies what the A.M.P. is all about.
On By The Way, Bays proves to be equally adept at writing both words and music. The romantic love song, which begins with a gospel inflected Javors piano introduction that informs the rest of the piece, serves as an excellent vehicle for the composer’s alto sax and proves Isom to be a formidable balladeer in the tradition of Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie and Brian McKnight.
Bays and D Priest’s Forever More begins with a bass intro that hearkens to Pharaoh Sanders’ The Creator Has A Master Plan, a resemblance that is reinforced by the repetition of the lyric “Life is love, love is life” and the passionate alto performance from Bays. D. Priest’s words, speaking of “birth and rebirth” and “a revolution” on this “jazz hip-hop and a funk fusion” too recall the social consciousness of those earlier days, when jazz was an integral part of the civil rights movement. The mood continues on Call It What You Want, an alliterative tour de force poem rapped by D. Priest “through minds of my peoples with problems and poverty” over the band’s propulsive rhythms.
My Past Is Here To Stay is another composition with words and lyrics by Bays and again reveals the altoist’s soul of a true romantic, sung beautifully by Isom with sympathetic accompaniment by the Javors-Ziegner-Brooks rhythm section. John Coltrane’s poignant classic Lonnie’s Lament serves as the inspiration for an authoritative D. Priest “jazzed-out rhyme” on which he proclaims, “I’m here to help the blind see. Let the music set you free”, powerful, compassionate words that are buttressed by the commanding playing of the band behind him, definitively demonstrating what it is the American Music Project represents. Riding out on a reprise on the optimistic melody of On The Bright Side one can only hope that the people heed the message of this groundbreaking group and come together in a way that will help bring long awaited better days.
Russ Musto
October 5, 2008
New York, NY |