Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Golda Solomon: Word Riffs

234

Golda Solomon: Word Riffs

By

Sign in to view read count
Golda Solomon: Word Riffs
Golda Solomon mines language the way an instrumentalist mines a chart. The poet uses speech-song to explore words as percussive and melodic entities; jazz as a cultural force is the topic of her discourse. Word Riffs is an extension of her work as the founder of the Po'Jazz Series, presented monthly at Cornelia Street Café. Po'Jazz—the simultaneous presentation of spoken verse and free improvisation—is the cultural scion of the beat poetry of the '60s.

Solomon remembers the beat poetry days: she grew up in Brooklyn in the '50s and was a habitué of Village jazz clubs in the '60s. In her poetry she gives witness to that heady time in jazz history, invoking the social commentary of the era in her pieces. Most of the cuts are short—between two and four minutes each—with the exception of "For Harlem in the 1960s, which clocks in at almost ten minutes. The listen is well spent: Solomon's evocative, personal storytelling on this track conjures raw images of New York almost fifty years ago, when jazz and outrage were of a piece.

Behind her words her band improvises in complete understanding of Solomon's poetic intent, often accentuating her lyric message with a rhythmic or melodic motif. The quartet—bassist Christopher Dean Sullivan, pianist Eri Yamamoto, alto saxophonist Saco Yasuma and drummer Michael TA Thompson—provides Solomon with a constant backdrop of free bop expression without ever intruding. Throughout the recording Solomon's recitations are clear, enunciated and well-timed.

Solomon has something to say beyond her reminisces of the jazz greats that passed through New York four decades ago, intriguing as those reminisces are. She includes two political satires on the disc: "Saxman's Social Security Blues, about the threat to social security entitlements, and "Bush Whacked Blues, about the Bush Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Throughout the recording, Solomon's words issue a gentle challenge, but not without reason, she asserts. In the opening line of the title cut, a provocative portrait of the young, wide-eyed and eared devotée of Thelonious Monk, she intones, "My blues had no name till jazz fell into my ears. Like many.

Track Listing

Word Riffs; For Harlem In The 1960s; Mr. G Meets The Duke, Ellington, That Is; Sister Bop; Spilt Milk; Saxman's Social Security Blues; 1960s Jazz Hag; Exterior Palettes; Bop For Daddy; Older Woman Blues; Bush Whacked Blues; Rapsonnet.

Personnel

Golda Solomon: words; Christopher Dean Sullivan: bass; Michael T.A. Thompson: drums; Eri Yamamoto: piano; Saco Yasuma: alto sax.

Album information

Title: Word Riffs | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.