Christian Scott - "Litany Against Fear"
(Concord Records, 2007)
Here's another track from my piano-favsies list. It's the epic opening track to trumpeter Christian Scott's 2007 album Anthem. (His 2006 album Rewind That also had an epic opening track, which I will post in the future.) He's been on my radar for many years now, but I've only seen him live once, at Jazz Fest in 2010, where he was in the lead role in a tribute to Miles Davis called Tutu Revisited, accompanied by Marcus Miller and an all-star band. It was the only reason I went that day, and yeah, it was pretty awesome. (Update, 8/16/11: In response to the comment this post received about NOLA shunning C. Scott, I will point out that I have never seen any musician receive as many ovations, or ovations of such volume/fervor, as Scott got during that Jazz Fest '10 performance. And it was even more impressive considering Marcus Miller was technically the headline artist of that group.) Aside from that, he essentially never plays live here. I have no idea why he has shunned his hometown so blatantly. Can you at least give us an explanation, Christian? In the meantime, I'll just be over here having my soul stirred by whatever the first song on your latest album is.
All About Jazz said:
"Anything but predictable, Anthem opens with Scott's dramatic "Litany Against Fear." The track takes on the characteristics of a Sunday sermon, starting off with penetratingly introspective blue notes, rising to rebellious anger, and then ending with a moment of peaceful resolution. The percussive playing of pianist Aaron Parks, the muscular sound of drummer Marcus Gilmore, the resonant bass lines of Esperanza Spaulding* [sic], and the explosive riffs of guitarist Matt Stevens blend masterfully with Scott's brooding lyricism.
Very much like his idol, Miles Davis, Scott has a very laidback style, but as is the case with so many players from New Orleans, he definitely possesses the ability to swing."
*Yes, the Esperanza Spalding, surprise winner of Best New Artist at this year's Grammys, the first-ever jazzbo to win it.
To understand how Scott gets those cool hushed tones on his trumpet, arguably even cooler and more hushed than those of, say, Miles Davis or Chet Baker, read this paragraph about his "whisper technique".
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| April 2010 issue. I saw him this very month, and I would've bought this ish(ue) if I had known about it at the time. |
Speaking of trumpeters with cool, hushed tones, I mentioned getting a Chet Davis CD retrospective last month. Here's the luridly effective opening page from the essay section of the booklet:
A photo I took today of my Agave bracteosa (Squid Agave), which I've had for about 5 years, meaning it's about 7 years old:
Planets with similar climates: Stanley Clarke - "Black On Black Crime" (from Boyz N The Hood), John Coltrane Quartet - "Wise One" (1964), Isotope 217 - "Beneath The Undertow" (2007), David S. Ware - "Aquarian Sound" (1992).
2 comments:
Scott didn't ditch his hometown, it ditched him. With the exception of Donald Harrison, Jr. and a few other elder jazz statesmen in the city, Scott doesn't fit into the "smiling, happy negro" category often promoted for and accepted by many New Orleans musicians. He has openly criticized pay scales in particular. He only received a flash viewing in HBO's Treme which also promotes negative stereotypes of New Orleans' musicians. Scott is vocal about matters that isn't necessarily acceptable to many in the city. With that said, he did play this year's Jazz Fest and even got engaged on stage. See http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2011/05/christian_scott_played_jazz_pr.html.
Hmm, okay. Well, I know the "happy negro" or "grinning negro" quote(s)/concept to which you refer, and I know about Christian's bad experience with NOPD after Jazz Fest '06. I only watched the first few episodes of Treme before I decided I didn't like it and stopped watching. (I think it's impressive that someone as unknown as C.S. made it on there at all, and I had no idea he had appeared on it.) When I do posts, I don't include every minute detail. Me complaining about him ditching NOLA is because I like him and I want him to come here more often, not because I dislike him. I can't say I wouldn't leave NOLA too if I were him, but I get frustrated by the fact that it's "smiling, happy" ones like Kermit Ruffins who stay here, while the more creative ones tend to leave. (W/ the notable exception of the most creative & avant-garde one of all, Kidd Jordan, who actually moved to NOLA.) As long as Scott becomes successful and well-paid, I'm happy, no matter where he lives. To be more specific, I want him to become the most famous NOLA jazz musician ever. By your name, I'm guessing you're related to Donald and/or Alvin Harrison.
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