| Jazz |
When two legends meet, one can expect an exceptional album, especially when a former member of the Jazz Messengers, Javon Jackson, brings all his expertise to this project, which is intellectually a true treasure as well as a collector’s album. Indeed, this collaboration is no coincidence, with the poet Nikki Giovanni contributing her texts, rooted in deep social poetry. She often missed school, likely due to allergies, and instead immersed herself in her mother’s rich library, where she encountered great authors such as Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, John Hershey. But she also read cheap novels, which she kept at the back of her closet.
Nikki remembers: “I recall a nun once telling me that Richard Wright’s *Black Boy* was a bad book. I knew better, but I thank her for making me understand that just because you’re an adult and a nun, you don’t necessarily know how to tell a good book from a bad one. I guess that’s a roundabout way of saying I’m a dreamer.” Then there was also music, certainly on 78 RPM records and the radio, which contributed to Nikki’s education and helped shape her into the highly acclaimed intellectual she is today. With poems, and also poems for children, essays—if you don’t yet know Nikki Giovanni, it’s not too late; we’ve included a link to her website at the end of the article.
Javon Jackson has been steeped in music since he was 10 years old when he chose the saxophone. His career took him through Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he played alongside pianist Benny Green, trumpeter Philip Harper, trombonist Robin Eubanks, and bassist Peter Washington. Jackson remained a key member of the Jazz Messengers until Blakey’s death in 1990. No need to say more; I’ve also included a link to his website, where you can discover his full biography.
This album is therefore a reflection of these two exceptional artists, musically outstanding, featuring Javon Jackson on saxophone, Nikki Giovanni on tracks 2, 6, and 10, the excellent vocalist Nicole Zuraitis, Jeremy Namasia on piano, David Williams on bass, and McClenty Hunter on drums. This team perfectly bridges the gap between the roots of jazz and the contemporary world. Nikki’s voice and words gracefully appear here and there, enhancing the quality of the album. And in case that’s not enough, Nicole Zuraitis’ melodic voice will finish charming you, as this album, aside from being produced as a collector’s piece, will captivate you with its artistic intentions, melodies, and arrangements that border on perfection, especially with the final track of the album, “Have You Heard,” which stands as a beautiful tribute to jazz. To say once again that this is an elite album? Yes, indeed. But it’s with this kind of art that spirits are elevated, and our times need it badly.
An album that more than deserves to be placed in our “Essentials” category, and we hope you’ll love it as much as we do.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, August 21st 2024
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